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“You Look Like a Monkey”: White Teacher Accused Of Racism For Singing Birthday Song To Black Student
A 6-year-old boy’s birthday celebration was marred by his teacher’s “unacceptable” behavior, his mother said.
A video of a teacher singing an alternative version of the “Happy Birthday” song to a Black student went viral after it was posted by the student’s mother.
The incident took place on September 29 at Floral Avenue Elementary School in Bartow, Florida.
Highlights
- A boy's celebration at a Florida school sparked outrage after a teacher sang an alternative “funny” version of the Happy Birthday song.
- The video went viral and ignited a debate over whether the song was racially insensitive.
- The school launched a review, while the mother says her son was deeply hurt and may need counseling.
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A white teacher sparked controversy after singing an alternative “Happy Birthday” song to a Black student
Image credits: zettaaloaf
The clip begins with students sitting around the birthday boy at a table as the teacher leads the class in singing the classic “Happy Birthday” song.
After they finish, the teacher asks the boy whether he would like her to sing the “funny” song. The boy, reportedly named Legend, nods, and the teacher begins singing the song.
“OK, it goes like this,” she says. “Happy birthday to you. You live in the zoo. You look like a monkey, and you smell like one, too.”
Image credits: zettaaloaf
The video ends with the teacher encouraging Legend’s classmates to clap for him.
The boy’s mother, Desarae Prather, told The Ledger that the teacher, who does not appear in the video, is white.
The teacher emailed a copy of the clip to Prather on the day of the celebration. Outraged by her behavior, Prather later posted the video on Instagram and TikTok.
The teacher emailed the video to the boy’s mom, who posted it on social media
Image credits: zettaaloaf
On social media, the clip has received millions of views, with several users accusing the teacher of having racial motivations for singing the song.
“This is not acceptable,” one person fumed.
“Stop traumatizing our kids and thinking it’s funny,” someone else penned.
“She needs to be ashamed of herself to say that about a child,” added a third.
Others noted that the song appears in the DreamWorks animated film Madagascar and that the teacher had no ill intentions.
“That song is from Madagascar. She didn’t mean anything by it,” another person commented, while someone else said it was a common song.
However, some viewers argued that Madagascar was a film about animals, not people, and that the song was inappropriate given that the teacher is white and the student is Black.
Image credits: winnievinzence/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
Prather said she couldn’t believe what she was seeing when her son’s teacher sent her the email. “The second one, the funny version, I felt like you were being racist,” she said.
As she saw it, the teacher had humiliated her son in front of his classmates.
The furious mother added, “No child should have to go to school and feel like they can’t confide in an authority figure without them calling them racial slurs, and that goes for any kid, not just my child.”
Prather didn’t write back to the teacher and instead filed a complaint directly to the school. She said school employees told her they could do nothing except relay her complaint to the Polk County Public Schools office.
The 6-year-old’s mother called the teacher’s actions “unacceptable”
Image credits: Studio Romantic/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
On September 30, a day after the video was filmed, the school district issued a social media statement announcing that they would review the incident and that they share the concerns about the teacher’s actions.
“As a public school system we serve students and families of all cultures and backgrounds; we expect our employees to always keep that in mind as they interact with others,” the statement read.
Legend’s mother said her son does not want to return to school because his feelings are hurt and he fears being called a “monkey.” She also said she would seek counseling for the 6-year-old, who cried at the thought of having to go back to the school.
@zettaaloaf Teacher calls student a monkey singing happy birthday to him. What do yall think the intent was? NOT MY VIDEO!! I will tag original video person in comments #fypシ#thoughts♬ original sound – Zettaa Loaf
Stephanie Yocum, president of the Polk Education Association, said the woman who sang the “Happy Birthday” song is a popular, longtime teacher and that she received d*ath threats following the video going viral.
Yocum stressed the importance for the teacher receiving a fair investigation and due process before people jump to conclusions about her intentions.
Prather wants the teacher to be fired over the alternative “Happy Birthday” song she sang to her child.
“I feel like she should own up to her actions. I feel like she should write an apology to my son and my family, because it was unacceptable, and my son is going to be traumatized for life.”
While some said it was simply a “funny song” popular with kids, others called the teacher “racist”
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What do you think ?
Shirley Battiste 1 month ago
A good teacher would be aware of the different needs of her students. That would have been a version of the birthday song that student did not need to hear. The version that Stevie Wonder sings would’ve been a much better choice . I feel there should be some consequences for this insensitive and inappropriate behavior.As a teacher we lift up and encourage self image and not destroy it.
Jason Wampler 2 months ago
I'm 51 and I have sung " you look like a monkey and smell like one too. " since I was in kindergarten, to other white kids. It's just a silly way to sing the song for kids. I didn't learn that it could have racist implications until I was in high school.
Shirley Battiste 1 month ago
A good teacher would be aware of the different needs of her students. That would have been a version of the birthday song that student did not need to hear. The version that Stevie Wonder sings would’ve been a much better choice . I feel there should be some consequences for this insensitive and inappropriate behavior.As a teacher we lift up and encourage self image and not destroy it.
Jason Wampler 2 months ago
I'm 51 and I have sung " you look like a monkey and smell like one too. " since I was in kindergarten, to other white kids. It's just a silly way to sing the song for kids. I didn't learn that it could have racist implications until I was in high school.
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