University of Louisville president, staff wear sombreros, bushy mustaches for stereotypical ‘Mexican [View all]
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University of Louisville President James Ramsey wore a sombrero and a rainbow-striped poncho at a stereotypical Halloween party for his staff Wednesday.
Ramsey’s wife Jane Ramsey gave her husband and at least 15 staffers hats, bushy mustaches and veils that mimicked bygone Hollywood depictions of Mexican bandits and their outlaw lovers, The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported.
The group posed for a picture while wearing the garb and holding up maracas during a luncheon at Amelia Place, the president’s university-owned mansion. Ramsey’s chief of staff issued an apology Thursday after the photo showed up online in a Courier-Journal story about the historic property and prompted an outrage.
Latino students - whose presence at the school mirrors Kentucky’s 3.4% Latino population - condemned the costume party.
“I was appalled,” said freshman Leonardo Salinas. “It's not just offensive to Mexicans; it's offensive to the immigrant community as a whole. Someone thought, ‘Oh, this is a good idea.’ How did it not click in anybody's mind that it was a very bad idea?”
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/louisville-president-staff-wear-stereotypical-costumes-article-1.2417301
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