Investigation Launched After Racist Poster Depicting LeBron James as a Monkey Appears at New York School Art Show

It has been claimed that a racist poster that compared Lebron James to a monkey was somehow permitted to be displayed over the weekend at a school art show in New York.

The yearly K–12 art exhibition for students in the New Hartford Central School District took place on Saturday.

However, one entry went too far since it included a picture of James front and center in an advertising for a phony cereal brand called “Monkey Premium.”

The poster featured an image of James jumping up for a dunk and said, “Eat Monkeys, Jump Like Monkeys!”

In addition, the “art” predicted that viewers would “jump 2–5 inches higher for about 2 hours after eating.”

After the story was originally reported by WIBX, New Hartford superintendent Cosimo Tangorra Jr. sent a statement to the Daily Sentinel, stating, “It is disheartening that racist work was not only created, but then overlooked and allowed to be displayed.”

Tangorra allegedly declared that an investigation had been launched into the incident in an email sent to the community on May 6.

Tangorra told the Daily Sentinel that although the student had been notified, their identity could not be made public for privacy concerns.

We acknowledge that the events that occurred may not have made certain students, families, staff, or community members feel secure, welcome, or welcomed. Tangorra stated, “Everyone in our school community should have access to a safe, supportive learning environment where they feel valued, included, and respected.”

“We need to improve as we haven’t met that objective.” As a district, we will keep trying to make sure that every student and their family feels important, and that calls for more awareness-raising, communication, and involvement from the whole school community.