Key Takeaways:
- On Friday, officials from Walt Disney World announced that a visiting Texas high school drill team had achieved this goal by using stereotypes about American Indians.
- The Port Neches-Groves school district’s Superintendent Mike Gonzales and Indianettes director Cortnie Schexnaider did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Walt Disney World officials stated Friday that achievement by a visiting Texas high school drill team that used stereotypes about American Indians, including chants of “scalp them,” did not reflect the Florida resort’s values.
The “Indianettes” drill team from Port Neches-Grove High School put on a show in the Magic Kingdom this week. In an emailed statement, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said the event “did not reflect our core values, and we regret it.”
According to the statement, an audition tape provided by the school to be selected to undertake at the theme park resort was inconsistent with the actual performance.
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New measures, according to Wahler, have been put in place to prevent this from happening again. She didn’t go into detail.
Members of the drill team can be seen tapping their hands over their mouths and whooping as a drum beats in the background in what is stereotypically referred to as a “war cry” in a video of the performance posted on Twitter.
Superintendent Mike Gonzales of the Port Neches-Groves school district and Indianettes director Cortnie Schexnaider did not immediately respond to comments. On the other hand, the district stated KFDM-TV in Beaumont, saying they are “aware of the concern regarding our band and Indianettes’ performance at Disney World.”
“In our school district, we value diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our district is approaching 100 years old, and our Board of Trustees is dedicated to making the best decisions possible for our students, staff, and the Port Neches and Groves communities, “According to the district.
According to a PN-G spokesperson, this is the eighth time PN-G has performed the routine at Disney World. According to the spokesperson, Disney has never inquired about the planned performance in advance.
Port Neches is a petrochemical refinery about 13 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of Beaumont, Texas, on the Gulf Coast. As per the school district’s website, the Indianettes have been a fixture at Port Neches-Groves High School for 50 years.
Source: CTV News
