By Hannah Metzger | Westword
Two young Black girls went before Denver City Council to ask for help for their school. Instead, they became the victims of a racist tirade.
Fourth- and fifth-grade students from Monarch Montessori spoke during the council’s weekly public comment session on Monday, May 13, requesting assistance in getting a yurt for their school. But less than a minute into their testimony, a voice from the online Zoom shouted at the girls to “go back to fucking Africa,” followed by a series of insults and racial slurs.
Council staff unsuccessfully tried to mute the anonymous speaker, but the racist rant continued for around thirty seconds, with the female-sounding voice repeatedly calling the children the N-word before the Zoom was eventually disconnected.
“The words were vile, as was the character of a person who would actively seek to say these words to two beautiful and courageous young girls,” Council President Jamie Torres said in a statement issued the day after the meeting.