Community members and school district leaders are sounding off about a photo showing five white people showing up to a high school volleyball game in Georgia in blackface, calling the matter “deeply offensive.”
The picture shows five people standing side by side with black paint covering their faces and bodies at a blackout-themed game at Whitewater High School in Fayette County. Each person was wearing a white curly or afro-style wig and smiling to show their teeth. Each also had a letter on their chest, spelling “RYLEE” in the photo.
Once the picture began circulating online, it sparked outrage and drew questions from residents, NAACP groups, and even state leaders.
“I’m trying to figure out why in 2025, this is not entertainment, this is not cute, this is not fun. Why would someone in 2025 do this? In a school where our babies go to learn, when our families go to a volleyball game for entertainment, they shouldn’t be faced with this,” Democratic state Rep. Derrick Jackson told reporters at a news conference.
Several parents and community members flocked to a school board meeting to air their frustrations, calling the incident hurtful and “dehumanizing.”
“If you’ve never had a blackface incident at your child’s school, you don’t know the pain I felt when I saw that picture,” parent Adrian Cooley said.
In light of the incident, local NAACP leaders demanded that the district amend their code to include language that specifically prohibits blackface at school functions.
“I got a notice that said, ‘oh, they had a blackout game, well blackout means simply just wearing black, not on your face, you know, because that in itself is offensive,” said Fayette County NAACP Vice President Quentin Pullen.
A man who knew the people in the photo read a statement on their behalf at the school board meeting, claiming that they had no ill intentions and were at the game to support a Whitewater volleyball player whose name was spelled on their bodies.
“There was no racial intent behind the actions. As soon as those involved came out, administration asked them to remove it from their faces, and they did so willingly. They apologize to anyone that was offended,” he said.
According to Fayette Co. NAACP President Kevin Pratt, at least two of the people seen in the photo were Fayette County students, and the others were friends and relatives of the Whitewater player.
Whitewater High School Principal Krystin Hall confirmed that none of the individuals pictured are current Whitewater students.
Fayette County Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Patterson said that school administrators at the game quickly confronted the group when they entered, but they shouldn’t have been allowed to attend the game.
“We want to state clearly: it is never acceptable to paint one’s face black,” Patterson wrote in a statement. “This action is deeply offensive, and it does not reflect the values of our schools and our community … Moving forward, we are committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”
District officials are currently reviewing the district code and training staff on how to appropriately respond to these situations in the future.
