A racist LeBron James poster sparked an investigation in a New York school district earlier this week.
The poster featuring the Los Angeles Lakers star was shown at the New Hartford Festival of the Arts and was created by a student in a junior high art class in the New Hartford Central School District, according to the Rome Daily Sentinel.
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LeBron James of the Lakers during game four of the Western Conference playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The poster was meant to be a part of a fictional cereal box for “Monkey Premium Cereal.” The tagline read, “Eat Monkeys, Jump Like Monkeys!” At the bottom the poster read, “Jump like LeBron James” along with a picture of the Lakers star dunking.
The display was featured at the arts show on Saturday, according to the paper. It immediately went viral as photos appeared online.
“It is disheartening that racist work was not only created, but then overlooked and allowed to be displayed,” Superintendent of Schools Cosimo Tangorra Jr. wrote in a letter to the community.
LeBron James of the Lakers during the Western Conference playoffs on April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
“We understand that there are students, families, staff and community members who may not feel safe, accepted or welcome as a result of what transpired. Our school community deserves access to a supportive learning environment where everyone feels respected, included and safe.
“We have fallen short of that goal, and we must do better. As a district, we will continue working to ensure all students and their families feel valued, and it requires increased education, dialogue, and action from the entire school community.”
The student who made the poster and the staff members who oversaw its creation and display at the art show were contacted, the Daily Sentinel reported.
James has not commented on the incident.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the Pelicans game at the Smoothie King Center on April 16, 2024, in New Orleans. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
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New Hartford is about 250 miles north of New York City.
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