“If I was black I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white so I’m pick you 4 prom?” Photo of racist promposal to Arizona HS student lights up social media
MESA, AZ. (3TV/CBS 5) — A photo appearing to show a racist promposal is making its rounds online.
In it, a poster says, “If I was black I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white so I’m pick you 4 prom?”
Sources tell Arizona’s Family the girl in the photo is a student at Mountain View High School.
The school district sent Arizona’s Family a statement saying, “Mesa Public Schools and Mountain View High School do not condone the contents of the message posted on a student’s personal social media account. The parents of the students involved have been notified.”
“At first when I saw it I was just like disgusted,” said 18-year-old Katrina Kelley.
She switched schools this school year, but was a student at Mountain View. Kelley said a friend sent her the promposal photo, and she decided to post it on Twitter.
“I think they did it because they thought it was funny,” Kelley said. “I really don’t think they thought about the consequences of what could happen if they posted it.”
Kelley said the girl in the photo originally posted it on Instagram, but people there took screenshots of it as it circulated online.
Naomi Wheadon goes to a different school but said people all across the district were talking about it.
“The fact that the girl was OK with it, like posted pictures about it, was fine about it, bragging that she got promposed whatever, is just like stupid,” she said.
“It’s directed to a certain racial group, and it’s a racist comment directed toward slavery, and that can be such a touchy subject for a lot of people,” Kelley said.