Awards that children receive in school can inspire pride in both the kids and their parents. That was not the case at all for one Mid-South mother after her Pre-K son brought home a "Monkey Award" from school, a moment that left her asking questions.
Shemekia Ellis contacted Action News 5 to get some answers from her child's school. The news outlet started making phone calls to Batesville, Mississippi and the South Panola school district for their reaction to this story but they received no response from anyone in charge six days and several calls later.
A receptionist did tell them that the district buildings are open and staffed during the summer. Ellis was finally able to meet with district officials more than a week after the "Monkey Award...for entertaining others" was bestowed on her son.
Angry mom can't understand why her son got the monkey award
They told her that what happened was unacceptable, but said her kid's teacher did not know the history behind African Americans being compared to monkeys. Ellis said her family was not happy about the incident and she is still not happy about the award given to her son.
She is angry because she do not understand why her son got the monkey award alongside the award stating that he completed Pre-K. KPLC TV reported that Ellis's son received other awards that day, but the one comparing him to a monkey is something she did not expect.
Shemekia Ellis says her son was not aware of the racist connotations attached to referring to Black people as "monkeys," and was excited to receive the award, yet feels giving her son that award and referring to him as a monkey is "unacceptable." https://t.co/eio0nh1nLJ
— WPDE ABC15 (@wpdeabc15) June 2, 2022
She said her son was excited about the award but he had no idea what he was holding. According to her, that is unacceptable. Ellis knew something had to be done so she sent e-mails to school officials asking for an explanation. She eventually had a meeting with the Batesville Elementary principal and the South Panola School District superintendent.
According to the school official, the teacher in question gave her son the monkey award for his energy. Ellis questioned that explanation, though, saying "But the award doesn't say anything about energy, it says entertainment."
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Mom wants an apology from school district
Ellis said they told her that an animal-themed award ceremony had taken place in Braylen's class. She also said that the principal told her that school leaders had a meeting before this incident happened, cautioning teachers about awards given to students.
According to Ellis, the official told her that she had a meeting with the teachers and she stated that they were not to pass out any awards that would be offensive or raise a red flag but they did it anyway. She said district officials told her that her concerns should have been addressed immediately and that award ceremonies similar to this one will not happen anymore in the future, according to KATV.
The mom now just wants an apology from the district, saying "These teachers have messed up. They were wrong. The superintendent knew they were wrong. The principal knew they were wrong. They need to be held accountable for what they have done."
