In late June, after eighth-graders at a posh New York City Upper East Side school were shown a video of white women being ridiculed for being white, irate parents excoriated the school for having permitted the incident, prompting the principal, Bodie Brizendine, to offer an apology.
But one parent, reportedly supported by other parents, fired back a letter at the principal and the school board, stating, “’While I was upset after hearing what happened at Spence, the email from Bodie that followed really pushed me over the edge. Further, that the board has not weighed in on this matter gives the impression that the board shares the opinion that racism is indeed acceptable as long as it fits within the climate of the times,” according to The New York Post.
The Daily Wire’s Chrissy Clark reported in June:
An ex-trustee and Spence School alumna pulled her daughter from the school after students were shown a video of white women being “tarred and feathered” by a black comedian. Hispanic technology executive Gabriela Baron penned a letter to the Spence School administration claiming that the video “openly derides, humiliates, and ridicules white women.”
“They sat there in their graduation dresses while the white mothers of the white students — many of whom volunteer, donate, call, email, and do whatever the school asks of them — were tarred and feathered in a video their teacher showed them. While their white female teachers were mocked,” Baron wrote. …
The video was of comedian Ziwe Fumudoh and featured sit-down interviews with writer Fran Lebowitz and women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem. Fumudoh also interviewed four “Karens,” which she dubbed as “obnoxious, angry and entitled, often racist, white women.”
At one point in the video, Fumudoh said to Lebowitz, “I believe that you are not concerned with how annoying white women can be.” I hate that the school permitted this violation to happen.”
Baron also stated, “It is very difficult to sit here regretting every ounce of effort and every dollar I have poured into this institution. I feel insulted, humiliated, and used. It confirms the tragic but inescapable conclusion that Spence has lost its way and that there is insufficient oversight of what is going on in Spence’s classrooms.”
Head of School Bodie Brizendine apologized after the furor, writing, “We take this seriously; it was never acceptable to ridicule anyone at any time. This video is not part of the Spence curriculum. Our teacher and the School acknowledge that sharing a satirical video that made fun of white women was a significant mistake. We are sorry for any harm this has caused to anyone in our community.”
The irate parent added, ‘Choosing to label the video as ‘satirical’ and that it ‘made fun of’ and ‘ridicules’ is a gross understatement. That you ‘fully trust the professionalism of your dedicated faculty and will be strengthening protocols’ is not an acceptable response.”
Some of the notable former students of Spence School, which has an annual tuition of $57,000, include Gwyneth Paltrow, Kerry Washington, Emmy Rossum; Michael Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina; and Mick Jagger’s daughter Jade.