The black body paint is part of a "blackout" game, in which students paint themselves in the school's colors. This isn't an uncommon practice, but it is one that has become increasingly frowned upon as minority groups have spoken up about the obvious racist connotations. Arizona State University asked its students to refrain from painting their faces black for the annual blackout game in 2015.<doc-sep>A video of Covington Catholic High School students covered in black body paint has hit the internet. The Kentucky private school is already experiencing a public relations nightmare thanks to the behavior of some of its pupils at a January 18 protest. As Native American elder Nathan Phillips drummed and sang, some of the school's students, many wearing Make America Great Again hats, mocked Phillips and even chanted, “Build the wall.” Footage from the event drew intense backlash. Now the school could soon be under fire for footage from a 2011 basketball game. The clip shows Covington students dressed in black for a “blackout,” a tactic meant to intimidate an opposing team and facilitate a home court advantage, reports HuffPost. The validity of the custom was questioned when observant viewers noticed a few of the students were wearing black body paint with their facial features outlined in white. The face paint closely resembled the blackface makeup used to mock Black people when minstrelsy was popular. Additionally, students can be seen yelling at Black players from the opposing team. VIDEO: https://t.co/pFgrJA1N0Q From :06 to 1:06 you can see a teacher or coach of #CovingtonCatholic leading the teens in a chant-- several of the Covington students are in blackface. At this game, black players on the opposing team were verbally abused. pic.twitter.com/gqyNRUjYXD — Marcus Henry Weber (@MarcusHWeber) January 21, 2019 The user who posted the video, Marcus Henry Weber, claims the school deleted the clip after he flagged it on Twitter: The original video was deleted (of course) by Covington Catholic, but I saved it and re-uploaded it HERE: https://t.co/lEAxRqFyRC — Marcus Henry Weber (@MarcusHWeber) January 22, 2019 Arlen Parsa, a filmmaker who posted his thoughts on the school on Twitter, claimed Covington has been deleting much of the internet content that might be used to paint it as a racist institution: #CovingtonCatholic's race problem is not limited to the almost all-white student body however. Before the school hastily removed its teachers directory yesterday, I reviewed it. Every. Single. Teacher. Is. White. (at least of those 80 listed yesterday before they took it down) pic.twitter.com/HTVcK9xTBk — Arlen Parsa (@arlenparsa) January 20, 2019 Covington was closed on Tuesday; school officials said this was because it has received violent threats, according to NBC. “All activities on campus will be cancelled for the entire day and evening,” school principal Robert Rowe said in a letter to parents. “Students, parents, faculty and staff are not to be on campus for any reason. Please continue to keep the Covington Catholic Community in your prayers.” Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news. Now, check these out: The Trump Administration Is Trying To Take Away Civil Rights For Students Of Color Parents Sue Kentucky School Following Suicide Of 10-Year-Old Son Who Was Allegedly Choked, Called A 'N****r' By Peers Ex-Cop Who Fatally Shot Laquan McDonald Sentenced To Nearly 7 Years In Prison<doc-sep>Supporters of Covington Catholic High School — the Covington, Kentucky, institution at the center of a fake news story falsely suggesting that students from the school had harassed a Native American at the March for Life in Washington, DC, last Friday — are pushing back against a claim that students from the school have worn blackface in the past. VIDEO: Covington Catholic High students in blackface at past basketball game https://t.co/8wnZIAaH2n pic.twitter.com/BrzKsHLpaC — New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) January 21, 2019 Two sources at Covington told Breitbart News that the students were not wearing “blackface” but had been participating in “blackout” sporting events several years ago, like other color-themed events for school spirit that had nothing to do with race. The UK Daily Mail reported Monday evening that the school has been “called out for allowing other youngsters to wear “blackface” at pep rallies in the last 10 years.” It reprinted screenshots of YouTube videos — since deleted — in which students from Covington Catholic students painted their faces and bodies in black at a basketball game. The Daily Mail claimed that in one photograph, ostensibly from 2015, “students wore blackface and jeered as an African American player from the school’s opponent stood in front of them.” At no point in the story did the Daily Mail consider the question of whether the paint actually referred to race, or was a demonstration of school spirit. The Daily Mail acknowledged that the school held an event called “blackout,” but claimed that at a similar “blueout” event, “there were no photographs of anyone with their bodies painted blue at the ‘blue out’ event.” Similarly, the left-leaning New York Daily News published an article Monday about the “blackface” claim. The article began, however, not by reporting the “news” about the “blackface” claim, but by taunting Covington Catholic High School junior Nick Sandmann, who had issued a statement Sunday defending the students’ actions and denying that they had said or done anything racist. The Daily News article began as follows: This won’t help Kentucky student Nick Sandmann’s case.<doc-sep>
After several media outlets walked back their reporting on Covington Catholic high school students' interaction with a Native American man during the March for Life, a New York publication attempted to smear the students by accusing them of wearing blackface. The New York Daily News published an article on Monday that included a photo "said to be featuring Covington Catholic High School students clad in blackface during a 2015 basketball game." They included a tweet from Marcus Henry Weber, a "Cannabis industry, film production professional, citizen journalist" who said the students in blackface were verbally abusing the black players on the opposing team. They went on to report that the "photo’s origins couldn't be verified," but later added that the "official Covington Catholic High School YouTube account published a video last January boasting its basketball school spirit, and several clips, including one from 2012, showcase attendees chanting in black face." Covington Catholic alum Ryan Toler pushed back on the characterization from the Daily News, saying he was shown in the background of one of the images in the article. He added, "ITS CALLED A BLACKOUT THEME. WE HAD SCHOOL SPIRIT. WE DO THIS TO EVERY SCHOOL NO MATTER THE RACE OR ETHNICITY. Stop trying to force a fake story to drive your false narrative." Lmaoooo. I was at this game SEVEN YEARS AGO. SEVEN! I’m shown in the background of this image. ITS CALLED A BLACKOUT THEME. WE HAD SCHOOL SPIRIT. WE DO THIS TO EVERY SCHOOL NO MATTER THE RACE OR ETHNICITY. Stop trying to force a fake story to drive your false narrative. https://t.co/9CRZZFxpeW — Ryan Toler (@ryantoler_) January 22, 2019 "The black body paint is part of a ‘blackout' game, in which students paint themselves in the school's colors," the Daily News said. "This isn't an uncommon practice, but it is one that has become increasingly frowned upon as minority groups have spoken up about the obvious racist connotations." The narrative from the Daily News follows the media backtracking on its initial narrative that the Catholic high school students were surrounding the Native American elder, Nathan Phillips, with a "mob mentality." It was initially reported that they were racists for chanting, "Build the wall," the Washington Free Beacon reported.