(CNN) About 1,000 students walked out of their Illinois high school on Tuesday after four male pupils wore blackface and made derogatory comments in videos posted to social media, school officials said. The posts showed four white students wearing blackface and their Homewood-Flossmoor High School sweatshirts, according to CNN affiliate WLS . In protest of the videos and what they said was an underwhelming school response, students walked out of class at noon for several minutes and marched down the street. In the past, white performers wore blackface as a way to mock African-Americans in minstrel shows as lazy, ignorant, cowardly or hypersexual. Longer term, the school leadership said a recent strategic plan includes diversity and cultural competency training for all staff and students.

Source: CNN May 01, 2019 17:26 UTC