Two California teenagers, who were forced to leave their prestigious school after being accused of using “black face” in a photo posted online, managed to prove in court that the dark substance covering their faces was acne medication and not paint.
The latter received $1 million in compensation in addition to a reimbursement of their tuition fees. The young men filed a lawsuit against Saint Francis High School in August 2020 after photos of them wearing an acne mask began circulating on social media. The controversy prompted the school to call for the teenagers to leave.
“It was pretty clear to the jury that these were just face masks,” attorney Krista Baughman told the San Francisco Chronicle after Monday’s ruling.
“They are children. This digital trail would follow them for the next 60 years. They don’t have to worry about it anymore,” she added.
Viral in spite of themselves
In the compromising photo, we can see three teenagers with their faces covered in a dark green substance. One of them did not attend the school in question, which excluded him from the suit.
One of the two plaintiffs’ classmates obtained the photo in June 2020 from a friend and uploaded it to a group chat. The image was then transformed into a “meme” about the death of George Floyd before being shared on social media.
Hours later, the school’s principal, Katie Teekell, called the boys’ parents advising them that “they were no longer welcome at the school.” She then suggested that the young men leave school of their own accord, since expulsion would be on their school records.
“This lawsuit is a way for us to rehabilitate our names and reputations, and to correct the record by sharing the truth,” the former students’ families said in a joint statement.
Saint Francis High School is exploring possible legal avenues to appeal the case.
According to information from Daily Mail
