Park Slope School Blasted For Taking Down Diversity Mural: Report

Park Slope NY

05 August, 2021

1:07 PM

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PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A group of parents and students were shocked recently when Park Slope administrators took down a mural made by fifth-graders celebrating diversity for not being "welcoming" enough, according to the Daily News. The mural — featuring messages like "Black Trans Lives Matter" and images of multi-racial hands clasped together — was taken down from the cafeteria at P.S. 295 last month after two principals and District 15 Superintendent Anita Skop discussed concerns about its message, according to the outlet. The mural had been made by six fifth-graders during remote learning last year through a collaboration with local organization Groundswell. The principals took issue with a "Your Silence Will Not Protect You" quote from author Audre Lorde on the mural and the "Black Trans Lives Matter" message, according to the News. "I do support this, but as a mural that will be for the entire school community to enjoy and relate to, I'd like to have a more generalized message, such as 'hate has no home here' so all members can connect to it," P.S. 295 principal Lisa Pagano said in an email about the "Black Trans Lives Matter" tagline. The second principal, Frank Giordano of New Voices Middle School, which shares a building with P.S. 295, said he felt "attacked" by the Lorde quote, according to an outlet. The two administrators got the sign off to take down the mural from Skop, who said the art was not "welcoming" or "inclusive" enough, according to texts reviewed by the News. The removal came to the surprise of parents and students, including those who spent months working on the art project. "I was mostly proud of showing how I felt about that world and putting it into a piece of paper for everyone in my school to see … and be proud of their differences," 11-year-old Jasmine Gellizeau-Ip told the News. "I thought I knew my principal and she just tore it down…I felt really disappointed because I put a lot of work and love into it." Read the full Daily News story here.