Texas teacher says she was fired over declining to stop wearing Black Lives Matter mask

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Educator Lillian White says she was fired from the Great Hearts Western Hills charter school in San Antonio, Texas, about one week before students returned to school. Why? According to the former art teacher, she received requests from the school to stop wearing her Black Lives Matter mask. Now, at the start of the academic year, she is out of the job. In speaking to local outlet KENS 5, White said she received a text message from the assistant principal saying: “We’d like you to stop wearing these masks anymore, parents will be coming around more and we don’t discuss the current political climate.” 

The school superintendent, Daniel Scoggin, released a statement to KENS 5, noting in part: “Great Hearts enacted, in this unprecedented pandemic environment, a policy that face coverings have no external messages.” But as White told the news outlet, she believes this is about “human rights” and is something that should be “promoted at our school.” White argued that by framing it as “politics,” it’s an “excuse because they’re uncomfortable with the conversation.”

First, some background: White told the outlet she first started going to in-person training sessions at Great Hearts Western Hills back in July. White, who had been working in education for about 10 years, was starting her second year teaching art at the school. She says she wore masks she made herself with phrases like “Black Lives Matter” and “Silence is Violence” on them. According to White, she actually made masks for a few teachers who asked if she had any extras after seeing her wear them at said sessions. 

Then, according to White, there was the aforementioned text from the assistant principal. After that, White continued to wear the masks. Of her termination, she added it was “stressful” as she has “a financial obligation to help support my family.”

The full statement from Scoggin reads as follows:

“Great Hearts respects the privacy of all current and former employees and as a result does not issue public comment on specific personnel matters. On the question related to face coverings, Great Hearts enacted, in this unprecedented pandemic environment, a policy that face coverings have no external messages. This policy was authored by school leaders and teachers in service to the learning environment of our classrooms.

Great Hearts was founded and exists today to serve the innate dignity and worth of every human being. We stand with the Black community and all who are suffering. Great Hearts deplores bigotry and its crushing effects on all those subjected to it. Great Hearts is committed to an America where racism, violence, and injustice do not happen, because such acts find no home in the hearts of a great people.”

White is not the only person to say they have been fired over face masks worn in support of Black Lives Matter. As reported by The Washington Post, Ma’Kiya Congious, a Black woman, said she was fired from her job at Whataburger after a white customer complained about her Black Lives Matter mask. Over the summer, Taco Bell actually apologized to an employee who said they had been fired over wearing their Black Lives Matter mask to work. Starbucks also reversed course on Black Lives Matter messaging, allowing employees to wear Black Lives Matter apparel to work. 

You can check out an interview with White below.