California School District Sued Over Alleged Racial Bullying

A lot of people assume racism will die off with older generations, but we keep coming across stories that indicate racism has been passed down to much of the youth, namely the Caucasian youth, as the racial bullying of Black students seems to still be a common occurrence. In Redlands, California, a Black mother has filed a lawsuit against a school district, alleging that her two children faced such vicious racial harassment, discrimination and teasing at their elementary school that they have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Redlands resident Daphne Hawkins filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Redlands Unified School District in March, alleging that her 7 and 10-year-old sons were subjected to a racist curriculum, as well as racial harassment, including racist, dehumanizing slurs and insults, by their classmates at Mariposa Elementary School, who called her children names such as “tar ball” and “mud.”

The lawsuit also alleges that school officials and administrators did little to nothing to address multiple complaints about the racist bullying or implement any measures that would prohibit it.

According to Hawkins, it all started with a class lesson that blatantly promoted negative Black stereotypes.

From the Times:

The alleged incidents and racist comments occurred on the playground and inside the classroom, according to the suit. Among them was a December 2024 lesson about Christmas that featured Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete, a controversial Dutch holiday character known as a helper to Santa Claus who is depicted with exaggerated, racist physical features — including large red lips. The character is often portrayed by white actors in blackface.

According to an initial claim filed with the district by Hawkins’ attorney in July, one of the mother’s children — the only Black child in the class — was singled out to “model the costume.”

“The classroom lesson normalized and reinforced racial stereotypes and caused the Hawkins Children to feel singled out and demeaned on the basis of race, prompting classmates to stare, laugh, and subsequently reference the imagery in teasing comments,” the lawsuit alleges.

Hawkins alleges in the lawsuit that her children were subjected to bullying and repeated racial harassment by students in the classroom, hallways and playground, and that such incidents escalated after the Christmas lesson.

Several weeks after the lesson, in January 2025, the lawsuit alleges, one of the children received a note from another student during class that read, “Your skin is as black as your future.”

Afterward, according to the suit, the school allegedly failed to implement a written response plan and did not separate the children.

The next month, the suit alleges, one of the children was told by another classmate, “You should be in a Black African monkey show.”

We’ve also done plenty of reporting on racist teachers, and their racist, often slavery-related, class lessons and demonstrations, and their remarks reflecting anti-Black stereotypes. And this certainly isn’t the only story we have reported regarding school officials accused of ignoring racist bullying by students and/or faculty. And these are just a few of the many stories that indicate we at least have a few more generations to go before we begin seeing any evidence of a post-racial society.

Anyway, a district spokesperson declined to comment on specific allegations, but did offer the Times an obligatory rebuke of racist bullying.

“While we cannot comment on the specific allegations contained in the lawsuit, Redlands Unified takes concerns involving discrimination, harassment, bullying, and student well-being seriously,” the spokesperson said. “When concerns are brought forward, the District follows established procedures to review the matter, provide appropriate support, and take action consistent with District policy and applicable law.”

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