“The Georgia NAACP and the Rockdale County NAACP stand in solidarity with each pupil who felt devalued,” their assertion mentioned.
ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia NAACP and the Rockdale County NAACP are calling out Rockdale County Colleges after college students claimed “Whites Solely” and “Coloreds Solely” indicators had been discovered inside an elementary college final week.
In a press release launched Thursday, the chapters mentioned they had been “appalled and heartbroken by the deeply disturbing incident.”
11Alive first reported on the story Tuesday after a mother mentioned her fifth grader and 1st grader got here residence from Honey Creek Elementary confused and upset after seeing segregation-era indicators displayed within the hallways of their elementary college. They could not present her any footage of them as a result of the children aren’t allowed to make use of their telephones throughout the day at college. The incident occurred final week.
“We simply got here again from recess, and we had been going by means of the cafeteria,” Kingston, the fifth grader, recounted. “I used to be going to get water, and over the water fountain, my pals instructed me to search for. There was a notice — it mentioned ‘Coloreds Solely.’”
Kingston mentioned that after reporting the signal to a instructor, it was taken down instantly. The instructor requested him and his pals who put the enroll, however no one knew as a result of they’d simply gotten again inside from recess. His expertise didn’t finish there.
“I noticed one other signal that mentioned ‘Whites Solely’ by the nurse’s workplace,” Kingston mentioned. “And my little sister noticed extra indicators, too. They weren’t simply in a single place.”
The scenario left Kingston feeling alienated and confused.
“I felt sort of offended and awkward, as a result of there’s not simply Black individuals in our college — there are additionally white individuals and different races,” he mentioned. “It made me really feel like we had been being separated by race.”
The Rockdale County College District has since acknowledged the incident and issued a letter to oldsters, one week later, following public scrutiny. The indicators, harking back to Jim Crow-era discrimination, had been a part of a lesson reportedly meant to spotlight the story of civil rights icon Ruby Bridges—however district officers say it was by no means authorized.
The district mentioned it is investigating the incident, including that whereas it might have been offensive, it did not imagine there was in poor health intent behind the incident.
“This isn’t simply an act of ignorance—it’s a chilling echo of our nation’s darkest chapters. It’s a stark reminder that the legacy of segregation shouldn’t be historical past for a lot of—it’s nonetheless a lived actuality,” the Georgia NAACP mentioned together with the Rockdale County NAACP.
“Allow us to say this with absolute readability: Racism has no place in our colleges, in our communities, or in our nation. This was not a prank. This was an act of racial hostility that reopens wounds nonetheless felt by generations of Individuals who’ve fought, and proceed to struggle, for equality and dignity,” the assertion added.
The group is now calling for accountability and systemic change. Within the assertion, they mentioned they want to see necessary anti-racism training, cultural competency coaching for college kids and workers, protected areas for dialogue, and clear engagement with dad and mom and stakeholders.
“The Georgia NAACP and the Rockdale County NAACP stand in solidarity with each pupil who felt devalued, each father or mother who felt betrayed, and each educator who believes in justice,” the assertion mentioned. “We won’t let this second move quietly.”