Park Slope PTA Uses Blackface Photo For Announcement, Report Says

PARK SLOPE, NY — A Park Slope PTA used photos of people in blackface to announce a speakeasy-themed fundraiser for the school, the New York Daily News reported.

The photos used by the PTA at P.S. 118, at 211 Eighth St., led the Department of Education to investigate accusations of racism in the school by residents, the paper reported.

The announcement for the May fundraiser was sent out last month and posted to the PTA's Facebook page with a collage of 1920s photos to advertise the event. Some of the photos had performers wearing blackface and the posts were eventually pulled down, according to the News.

The PTA's co-president, Nadine Baldasare, took responsibility for the photos and wrote a long apology for using them in a letter sent to families.

"There are no acceptable excuses for how this happened (it was late, I was tired, I was rushing, etc.) because no excuse can change what I know to be true," Baldasare wrote in the letter, according to a copy printed in the News.

"My privilege as a white person requires that I be conscientious, engaged and informed when representing our community and promoting events. I failed to be fully engaged here and as a result I added to a hostile media landscape that continues to deepen wounds carved by persistent racism in our society."

The DOE said the superintendent met with the community on Wednesday about the issue and was working on creating a "diversity board" in the school.

"These serious reports are being investigated, and we're working with the school community to create a school-wide diversity board and ensure these concerns are swiftly addressed," Douglas Cohen, a spokesman for the DOE, said in a statement. "Schools must be inclusive environments that are welcoming of all students, staff and families."

Read the full story in the Daily News.

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