There are very emotional and very mixed reactions in Milpitas after the educator who wore blackface while teaching students made a public apology on NBC Bay Area.
In an exclusive interview with NBC Bay Area on Thursday, teacher David Carter said he was paying homage to the artist and activist Common when a student recorded him teaching in his Milpitas High class on Halloween.
Now the teacher is on leave, the district is conducting an investigation and many are calling for the educator to be fired.
Carter recently met with the Silicon Valley NAACP. The organization's president said after the meeting and NBC Bay Area's interview, he is unmoved because he believes too many children were hurt by it and that the district is not taking the situation seriously enough.
"Well an apology is a start for anybody, but have to say after this particular incident -- apology not accepted," said Jethroe Moore, Silicon Valley NAACP president.
Milpitas Mayor Richard Tran also met with the school district. And while he is not revealing details of the meeting, Tran said he agreed with Common, who told NBC Bay Area he preferred making the incident an educational lesson rather than simply firing the teacher.
"I have great faith that the school board will make a decision, and it will be different from other places around the country," Tran said.
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So far, no word yet from the school district on any decision or if the public apology will make a difference.
