Woke Ariz. DEI proponents falsely accuse black DJ of wearing blackface

Two local Arizona diversity advocates are up in arms after they call a school district racist for hiring a DJ to perform black-faced — but it turns out the DJ was black.

Stuart Rhoden and Jill Lassen – who specialize in diversity, equity and inclusion – have criticized the Scottsdale Unified School District’s Hopi Elementary PTA for their decision to hire Kim Koko Hunter, 56, a local black DJ, at a charity event.

Both Rhoden and Lassen, who are involved in diversity work in the school district, beat the school after seeing a picture of Hunter, only to later learn his race, according to the Arizona Daily Independent.

“The DJ the Hopi PTA hires[d] was actually a Black man,” Hopi PTA President Megan Livengood wrote in response to Lassen in a message obtained by the outlet. “It is offensive that you feel that I or the PTA condones or encourages racist behavior by posting on social media.”

According to The Independent, Lassen, a librarian, responded by saying: ‘You’re right, we should have reached out and asked before making such accusations. I cannot understand the pain, anger and frustration you felt after you and others volunteered countless hours for your event. Again, my sincere apologies.”

But Rhoden, who is a lecturer at Arizona State University, didn’t seem particularly apologetic, posting a side-by-side picture of Hunter to Facebook to show that the DJ has blacked out his face despite being black.

“Let me be clear, a black man, apparently black faced, is a very different discussion than a white person,” he wrote on Facebook. “However… it seems at least he’s made up darker if not ‘Black Face’ or I’m completely wrong and it’s the patio lighting.”

Rhoden serves on the district’s Justice and Inclusion Committee and Lassen is co-chair of the Scottsdale Parent Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

According to Hunter’s Facebook Live, after the event, an organizer called someone he works with and asked if he was black.

“They thought the DJ over there or the person over there had a black face, and the person they thought had a black face was me,” Hunter said.

“Wait a minute, in her defense,” he told his friend on Facebook, “how many chips in the ice did you see?”

“They probably thought the same thing I did: wow, there are no black people here,” he said, laughing.

Hunter then mocked the accusation that he was a black man making a black face.

“Wasn’t I black enough? How black do I have to be for people to know I’m actually black,” he said.

Rhoden and the Scottsdale School District did not respond to requests for comment. Lassen could not be reached immediately.