A group of white people was pictured in blackface at a Georgia high school volleyball game, sparking widespread backlash in the community, per Fox 5.
The photo, which circulated online, shows the individuals wearing black paint on their faces and bodies, dressed in white curly wigs, and smiling as they spelled the name “RYLEE” across their chests. The group attended a “blackout” themed game at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville.
“I’m trying to figure out why in 2025, this is not entertainment, this is not cute, this is not fun. Why would someone in 2025 do this? In a school where our babies go to learn, when our families go to a volleyball game for entertainment, they shouldn’t be faced with this,” Democratic state Rep. Derrick Jackson said in a statement.
Parents expressed their concern and outrage following the incident during a school board meeting.
“If you’ve never had a blackface incident at your child’s school, you don’t know the pain I felt when I saw that picture,” parent Adrian Cooley said.
A man who identified himself as a friend of the individuals claimed that the group had no racial intent.
“As soon as those involved came out, administration asked them to remove it from their faces, and they did so willingly. They apologize to anyone that was offended,” the man said.
In response to the incident, local NAACP leaders called for changes to the district’s code to specifically ban blackface at school events.
“Blackout means simply just wearing black, not on your face, you know, because that in itself is offensive,” Fayette County NAACP Vice President Quentin Pullen said in a statement.
Whitewater High School Principal Krystin Hall said none of the people pictured were current students at the school.
“We want to state clearly: it is never acceptable to paint one’s face black,” Fayette County Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Patterson said in a statement.
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