“Blackface Disgrace”: Students, parents, and community members demand action from Santa Barbara Unified School District following San Marcos High School Blackface Controversy
Students walk out of two high schools as community members demand stronger consequences, anti-racism education and better protections for Black students.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara Unified School District is facing renewed calls for accountability following a blackface social media post involving four San Marcos High School students.
Students from San Marcos and Dos Pueblos high schools walked out of class Tuesday, October 13, while community members addressed the school board that evening, demanding stronger action against racism in district schools.
The controversy began last month when four San Marcos students recreated a viral meme by darkening their skin to mimic Black children and posted the image on TikTok.
School officials say the students faced disciplinary consequences but have not publicly disclosed the details.
At Tuesday's school board meeting, students and community members said the incident reflects broader concerns about how the district responds to anti-Black racism.
“If someone who has tardies gets lunch detention, but someone who posts blackface doesn't. You are clearly promoting racism,” student Yeko told the board.
Sedenya, a student in the district, described her own experiences with racism and said students feel their concerns have gone unaddressed.
“As a Black student in the Santa Barbara Unified District, I have experienced many acts of racism firsthand,” Sedenya said. “There is hardly any acknowledgment or punishment, and we have spoken up about this before. We aren't being heard and we deserve to have a voice.”
Other speakers called for stronger consequences, expanded racial-justice education and better protections for Black students.
Tara Lynn Renee Evans Gutierrez, a Santa Barbara resident, said students have repeatedly raised concerns about discrimination.
“Black students continue to tell you that they are being discriminated against and nothing continues to be done, and that is a vicious cycle for them,” Evans Gutierrez said.
Maile Schoonover, a representative of the Santa Barbara Fund, cited other reported incidents involving racial slurs and harassment in local schools, including allegations of a Black student being physically assaulted, a substitute teacher using the N-word in class, racial slurs and monkey noises in school hallways, and a Black educator finding the N-word written in a classroom.
Charlotte Gullap-Moore, another Santa Barbara resident, warned that failing to address racism can have broader consequences.
“When a nation refuses to confront institutional and structural racism, the harm does not stay contained. It escalates,” Gullap-Moore said.
The district has acknowledged the harm caused by the blackface incident. However, speakers at Tuesday's meeting said they want a response that addresses not only the individual incident but also what they describe as a recurring pattern of racism.
Board members pledged to discuss the issue at a future meeting.
It remains unclear whether the district will hold a special meeting focused on Black students' safety or what additional policy changes may follow the community's demands.
