La Jolla Elementary School Principal Donna Tripi is coming under fire for an email sent out to students’ parents saying that a black man was following a child, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. She is now apologizing for how she described the black man.
Tripi said that the man followed the child into the Starbucks and that it made the mother uncomfortable. Tripi said the man was 30-years-old, 6’1-6’2, and was dressed in an all-black outfit which included a hoodie. The parent had also accused the man of staring at her daughter.
“My email was a mistake,” said Tripi. “While it is critical to keep our school family safe, the way I communicated didn’t provide enough specifics to identify the individual, but could easily lead to unnecessary and harmful reactions against other members of our community.”
Tripi also tried to play it safe by saying she understands the discrimination that black people face in America on a daily basis. President Andre Branch of the San Diego Branch of the NAACP was right on when he said that Tripi continues to mention the man’s race in the email as opposed to the parents or children involved in the incident.
This incident isn’t so surprising considering that black people in America sadly face this kind of profiling all the time. The parent and principal’s description of this man should be investigated even further.
Flip the pages for the principal’s email to parents telling them to watch out for the man along with the apology.
