A Florida mom recently sued Floral Avenue Elementary over a video that’s now gone viral. In the video, a teacher can be heard singing a comedic version of Happy Birthday to one of her students. While other kids are laughing and clapping along, this sentiment is not shared by the birthday boy. Now his mom, Desarae Prather, says the choice was racist, with others saying it was “wildly tone deaf” at best.
The teacher’s choice to sing the “monkey” version of “Happy Birthday” to a Black student is questionable. The recording was sent to Prather by the teacher, who chose to sing this version of the song following the birthday classic. Prather is suing the school, demanding counseling for her son, and plans to transfer him to another elementary school.
“I don’t even like racism. My skin is boiling. To know where we come from and our ancestors, and for us to be labeled like that, because when they call us monkeys, they’re basically saying that we’re ugly, we act like a monkey, and all this and that,” says Prather. This opinion is shared by many who have seen the video and are also confused by the teacher’s actions.
“This was always sung when I was young, and I’m white. I don’t think she realised the racist connotation, because why else would you send it to the kid’s mom?” One user said. “Either way, it’s not entirely appropriate for a teacher to be doing.” Another stated the gravity of the wording in the song, saying, “No, you don’t understand. He’s Black, so anything that could be construed as racism even without any context is slander and the teacher should be in JAIL.”
Others questioned whether the teacher was aware at all, claiming ignorance over ill intent. “I don’t think there was malice in this video. This could be an easy teachable moment of: ‘Hey, understand no ill intent meant, but the parent was upset due to the history associated with the word. Let’s avoid this in the future.’ Literally nothing else needed, and we move on.”
