(LOS ANGELES, CA – 02/21/2023) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today condemned the racist drawings allegedly given to a Black sixth grader at Pepper Tree Elementary School in Upland, Calif., and demanded that the Upland Unified School District take immediate action.
The student reportedly received multiple offensive drawings from other students, with one reading “You’re my favorite monkey,” and the other reading “To my favorite cotton picker.” The student’s mother alleges that the Upland Unified School District has taken little to no action regarding the incident and has since pulled her daughter out of the school.
Other parents at the school stated that their children were also targets of racism and harassment, with students allegedly telling one child that “they were going to give her (a drawing) that specifically said, ‘You’re my favorite slave,’ and they were going to show her as a slave hanging from a tree.”
The school district responded to these allegations by stating its zero-tolerance policy but has not directly responded to the parents’ requests that the students involved be disciplined out of concern for privacy laws.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Senior Civil Rights Managing Attorney Amr Shabaik said:
“We are deeply concerned by the racist drawings reportedly given to this student as well as the alleged verbal harassment targeting other students in the school. Racist harassment and bullying from peers negatively impact children’s ability to participate in classrooms and creates an unsafe environment for students of color.
“We urge the Upland Unified School District to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into these allegations and hold the students involved accountable. It is also crucial that the district take steps to ensure that such a display of harassment and racism does not occur again by upholding the zero-tolerance policy already in place within the district.”
CAIR-CA conducts an annual bullying survey of Muslim students in California between the ages of 11–18 to help address Islamophobia and bullying in schools and ensure that Muslim students have a safe place to learn.
To report any bias incidents, contact CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Department at (714) 776-1177 or click here to file a report.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com