Black Elementary Schoolgirls Told to ‘Go Back to F–ing Africa,’ Called N-Word During Racist Tirade that Disrupted Denver City Council Meeting

Two Black elementary schoolchildren who spoke in front of the Denver City Council earlier this week were verbally attacked by an audience member via Zoom who called them the N-word and told them, “Go back to f–ing Africa.”

The kids were part of a chaperoned group of students from Monarch Montessori School who were set to speak at a city council meeting on Monday to advocate for multiple school plans.

The two young Black girls, one in fourth grade and the other in fifth grade, are part of a student leadership committee at their school. They went before the council to promote an idea to build a yurt, which would be used for music classes and provide additional classroom space.

Westword reports that less than a minute into their speech, a female-sounding voice interrupted their remarks via Zoom and launched into a racist rant that lasted for about 30 seconds as council staff scrambled to boot the caller from the meeting.

During the tirade, the caller used statements like, “You f–ing little n–rs,” and “You should remove the n–rs or, better yet, the Jews that brought them here.” The outburst made one girl break out in tears. She had to be escorted from the podium by her teacher while the other bravely chose to start her speech over.

“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. “These youth gathered the bravery to bring their voices to their city council representatives to improve their school and community. We honor and praise these two young voices and condemn anyone who would attack them and any other member of our community.”

The outburst derailed the part of the meeting reserved for public comment, thwarting plans for two more Monarch Montessori students to speak about establishing safe and accessible crossing areas around the school. However, all the students were allowed to give their speeches to council members afterward in private. Some council members also stayed after the meeting to provide support and speak with their families, according to a spokesperson.

Giovanni Breaux, the girls’ teacher, said it was painful to witness her students be subjected to such heinous behavior.

“Obviously, as a Black woman, bringing these young Black students to the city council and getting them so excited. It was something she was doing for the very first time. Seeing them so excited and then having to face it was excruciating,” Breaux said. “Everyone’s response was jaws hitting the floor.”

Monarch Montessori Executive Director Laura Pretty said the school is organizing an event alongside the school board to celebrate the children for their bravery.

“I was so proud of the girls for the work they did to prepare and to go before the City Council to speak,” Pretty said. “To have something like that happen, it worries me that it could scare a young person away from engaging in democratic systems and using their voice to advocate for things that they care about.”

City council administrative staff is investigating the incident, which they called a “breach.” Staffers usually mute all members of the public who watch the council meetings through Zoom until they’re called on to speak.

Call logs revealed the name of the person responsible for the rant was “Charla Nash,” but council administrators think it’s a fake since it’s the name of a woman who made headlines after being attacked by a chimp in 2009. They’re currently working to determine how that person disrupted the call and work to enact better preventative measures.

“That they had to endure these racist actions and words in our chamber brings us pain,” Torres said, according to Westword. “The Denver City Council condemns any hate speech and wants those responsible to know it only serves to motivate us on city council, two of whom are African-American, six of whom are Latina, and all of whom will continue to serve proudly as anti-racist council and community members.”