A live stream of a daycare center classroom captured caregivers apparently feeding white kids before Black children in Georgia, sparking accusations of racism against the center.
The classroom at the Kids ‘R’ Kids location was reportedly being live-streamed so that parents could check in on their kids to see how they were doing throughout the day. One parent of a 2-year-old boy, Adryan McCauley, noticed how white children were eating lunch while the Black children in the class were not. McCauley took a screenshot of the scene, which features all the children sitting at tables. Plates of food are only in front of the white children.
“They were skipping all of the black kids it seemed like,” McCauley told CBS46. “All the white kids got their lunch, and all the black kids had to wait. From the videos and pictures that we saw today, we are just completely disturbed.”
McCauley said the boy’s mother “immediately” went to the Roswell daycare center to pick him up after witnessing the live stream. He added that she confronted the director of the center while there. “‘I’m not really sure because I’m not in the classroom, maybe it’s a dietary thing,’” he recalled the director telling the child’s mom.
According to the Daily Mail, the family of the 2-year-old posted the screenshot to Instagram, where it went viral.
“This is truly unbelievable. You better know this won’t be the last time you hear from me on this,” user @marquis_dagreat wrote, along with the screenshot. “Why does every white kid have their food? Not one black child has food in front of them! Thank God for cameras in classrooms because there is no way to hide this racism!”
“In the year 2021 this is truly unbelievable. As blacks we always strive to send our kids to schools in Suburban area’s [sic], but I’m telling you first hand that is not always best,” they continued. “This is not a black or white issue this is simply wrong!”
The account tagged the Kids ‘R’ Kids corporate office in its post. The corporate office responded on Thursday by calling the screenshot “disturbing” and cutting ties with the location in question.
“Our company has decided to terminate that franchisee’s Kids ‘R’ Kids contract and branding, effective immediately, leaving them to operate independently,” President and CEO David Vinson said in the statement, posted to Instagram. “We apologize to the family, the community and all of those impacted by this situation and will use this as a learning tool to remind our Kids ‘R’ Kids staff on the importance of diversity and inclusivity.”
Vinson added that the corporate office will help locate alternate preschool options for families displaced by the decision.
It remains unclear if the daycare will continue operations.
Dee Gillespie, director and owner of the location, said, per Daily Mail, “We know the act was random, and the photo doesn’t show the entire room; we believe if the parents viewed the videos they would understand.
“I wish they could see the compassion we have,” Gillespie reportedly added.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kids ‘R’ Kids and marquis_dagreat.
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