It was off base.
A video from the Little League World Series exhibiting white gamers showing to put “cotton” in a Black teammate’s hair sparked outrage on-line.
The youngsters from Davenport, Iowa, had been taking white stuffing from a stuffed animal and putting it in Jeremiah Grise’s hair whereas watching an MLB recreation Sunday between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
“Ok who the f— gonna explain this bulls—?” comic Leslie Jones wrote on Instagram. “I’m so tired of people saying they not racist but sit and let racist s— happen! Anyone who comes in these comments to rationalize this I will RIP YOUR F—ING HEART OUT!”
The official Little League group didn’t bounce into Jones’ feedback however did attempt to rationalize the state of affairs. Little League mentioned there was “no ill-intent” behind the bit however acknowledged it “could be perceived as racially insensitive.”
Little League additionally mentioned that Grise’s mom was cool with it and that different boys on the crew additionally had stuffing of their hair. Grise is one in every of two Black gamers on the Iowa crew representing the Midwest area.
The native Davenport Little League chapter additionally posted a press release on Facebook, saying the stuffing was meant to imitate the white hair of a star participant on a unique crew, Jaron Lancaster of Hawaii. The publish included a video of Grise proudly posing with the altered hair.
“There was absolutely no ill-intent or racial motivations, as everyone on the team, including Jeremiah, was simply trying to emulate a fellow player they look up to,” the assertion mentioned.
“We have spoken to the boys to help educate them on why it was inappropriate – which none of them had realized or understood at the time. They understand it now, providing them a life lesson they will carry forward.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com