As discussions about racism in schools and the education system continue, a viral video has surfaced that has caused online outrage, revealing a white teacher who warmly hugged all her white students while disregarding a Black student.
A now-viral TikTok video gained significant attention and backlash as it depicted a teacher disregarding a hug request from a Black student
The TikTok video shared by @missasworld has amassed 4.2 million views since its posting, showcasing a controversial scene where a white teacher, in a passionate and loving manner, hugs all the children except for a Black elementary school student.
The 20-second video captures the white educator, who was referred to as an “eduKaren,” strolling through the school hallways during her retirement walkout, warmly hugging every student with genuine care and kindness, except for one specific student who she avoided hugging arguably because she’s black.
In the clip, the “eduKaren” can be seen extending hugs to all of her white students, but when a Black girl eagerly opened her arms for a hug, the teacher seems to be ignoring her and instead gave her a pat on the shoulder.
Outrage spread like wildfire online in response to the video.
The video sparked widespread outrage online, with many views accusing the educator of refusing to hug the little girl only because of her race. Such behavior was not unexpected for one viewer, commenting, “Why are you guys surprised? they can’t help it, they have a hole in their heart. kid or no kid the hate is deep.”
Others expressed sympathy towards the young student who was expecting a warm hug from her teacher just like the other kids. One person remarked, “Now that I seen it even the 2nd lady didn’t hug her it’s sad because our kids won’t ever tell us about this type of hurt.”
Another viewer chimed in, “Little girl was hurt and embarrassed, I was that girl in elementary school. She’s going to remember this moment.”
In response to both the users in the comment section and other individuals who attempt to find excuses for the teacher’s behavior and similar incidents, someone opposed by asserting, “They always try to justify their ACTIONS when the MEDIA show the world who they really are.”
Twitter users were quick to react and engage with the viral video, leading to a flurry of discussions and debates.
The short clip featuring the white teacher’s refusal to hug the Black student gained traction on other social media platforms like Twitter, with one user reposting it and writing, “[At] this moment, that little Black girl was taught something about race even though no words were exchanged, and she won’t forget it.”
A different user noticed that the little girl in the video is not the only one who was ignored. “She ghosted TWO Black kids there,” they pointed out.
“Because you see her completely ignoring a second kid near the first one she insulted. And the other teachers behind her see it, appear to recognize it as disrespectful racism, and try to overcompensate for her evil.”
The original creator addressed viewer reactions and provided an explanation for posting the clip in the first place.
Amid accusations of filming the teacher and posting the video on TikTok solely for the purpose of gaining views, the OP, known as Miss A, asserted that she wasn’t original source of the video.
She responded to one of the comments by explaining, “This was actually posted on the community page. This happened in New Waverly, Texas … This was [the teacher’s] retirement walkout, and [the school] recorded it and posted it on their social media, and I just so happened to come across it.”
Miss A revealed that she chose to share the clip in light of the ongoing discussions about racial bias within the education system.
“No one seems to believe us,” she said, “I thought, why not post it here as proof that we’re not making this up?”
Regardless of one’s interpretation of the intentions behind the white teacher’s actions in the video, the reality of racism based on race within the education system remains all too common, even in a society that is witnessing growing tolerance among different races.
Kate Smith, a self-proclaimed word nerd who relishes the power of language to inform, entertain, and inspire. Kate's passion for sharing knowledge and sparking meaningful conversations fuels her every word.