FILE: Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) draws the foul from New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Bledsoe (5) at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell used Twitter on Sunday to respond to a Utah school’s decision allowing parents to opt their children out of Black history month activities.
Mitchell is referring to a decision by Maria Montessori Academy (Academy) in North Ogden, Utah. Last week, parents of children at the school were told they had the option to keep their children out of the planned Black history month activities at the school.
Academy Director Micah Hirokawa said that some parents had asked to opt their children out of the activities, and though he said it went against his personal beliefs, he sent the letter to parents informing them of their options.
“I believe that all of us, and especially our children, need to participate in Black History Month and, in the process, learn how to appreciate and love those who may be different than us,” Hirokawa said.
He also cited his own family’s history with Japanese internment camps as another reason he was personally against allowing parents at the Academy to opt out of Black history month events.