- A Massachusetts daycare reportedly closed down this week after blackface Black History Month activity.
- IC Kids Montessori was met with backlash after sharing photos of children with Black painted plates placed in front of their faces, MassLive reported.
- One parent told Insider the activity "perpetuated some of the worse elements of America's racial history."
The Massachusetts daycare that was slammed after children were captured participating in a blackface activity during Black History Month, reportedly closed down this week. One parent says she wants "accountability" for her children.
IC Kids Montessori, located in Newton about 10 miles from Boston, announced that it closed down citing safety concerns protests over the incident "that will put the children at risk" as the reason, as NBC Miami reported.
The closure comes after the daycare received backlash from a class project that occurred earlier this month on February 8, where the toddlers placed them in front of their faces, according to the report and photos obtained by Insider.
Nadirah Pierce initially learned about the project when she picked up her children, and later saw the pictures posted by the daycare online, MassLive reported. Her cousin, Shateah Barnes also chimed in a viral Facebook post on Feb. 11.
"This isn't face painting. This activity perpetuated some of the worse elements of America's racial history and my two and three-year-old-children experienced it firsthand," Pierce said in a statement to Insider. "I have to talk to them about this. I have to explain to them why this is wrong. The school should never have put me in this position."
The origins of Blackface stem back to the 1800s where white actors would darken their skin for performances that portrayed Black stereotypes.
IC Kids Montessori issued a statement apologizing for the activity, but as Mass Live reported, later deleted the post which was met with backlash online.
"To all who are offended, we sincerely apologize for what happened with one of our classroom activities: Black face," the daycare said in a now-deleted Facebook post."Our intention was to celebrate Black History Month. Unfortunately we didn't do enough research on black history and carried out a wrong activity. We are sorry about it and we mean it!"
"The school's failure to promptly respond and appropriately handle this disturbing blackface in the classroom eroded the faith that I should have in this educational institution," Pierce said in a statement.
According to the report, the daycare released a second apology from a different Facebook page, stating that "we were trying to send a message to say that research for toddler curriculum was not executed or completed in the manner that it should have been."
However, the page was also deactivated. The teacher behind the lesson was also fired, and the daycare emphasized that if they open again, the staff will receive training and hire a diverse staff, the outlet reported.
Pierce continued: "This is a clear example of why it is critical for all educational environments to be culturally competent for our children. This daycare should be required to engage in ongoing cultural competency training and any future Black History Month activities should be developed by someone with expertise. I demand accountability for my children."
IC Kids Montessori did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.