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Black Weatherwoman Fired For Responding To Racist FB
(December 16, 2012)Black Weatherwoman Fired For Responding To Racist FB Commenter’s Hair Remark?
Rhonda Lee
Black people can’t seem to breathe in their own skin. Or, in the case of a Louisiana weather woman, their hair.
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On Nov. 14, a Facebook commenter by the name of Kenny Moreland criticized KTBS 3-TV’s annual “Three Minute Smile” segment, which gives children a 3-minute shopping spree through a local Walmart. Moreland was not pleased that the past winners were children of color. Below is his comment and Lee’s response:
A month earlier, another Facebook commenter, Emmitt Vascocu, wrote directly about Lee, or his words, “the black lady that does the news.” He mentioned that she needed to wear a wig, saying that her natural hair is not fit for TV.
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Lee responded with much more grace and dignity than most. But that apparently was not good enough for the station. The 25-year-veteran told Journal-isms that she notified the station of Vascocu’s offensive comments, but they remained live. And, for commenting, she was apparently fired. The station released a statement explaining Lee’s dismissal:
Lee told CNN’s Soledad O’Brian that she was not aware of the company’s social media policy and was never warned about any unsatisfactory actions. She also said that there is no hard copy of the policy.