Joel Mungo found a banana by his door six times before he told administrators.
A Black history teacher in Virginia is taking legal action against a white student who he claims has continuously taunted him with a banana.
As NBC affiliate WAVY reported, it was in October when Joel Mungo of Virginia’s Menchville High School first noticed that a banana “was perfectly placed in the doorway” of his classroom. In the months following, the fruit was spotted six more times in the same exact position, resulting in the suspicion that it was a “deliberate act.”
Mungo complained to administrators, who reviewed surveillance video footage and identified the suspect: a 10th grader in one of his classes. He presented the student with an opportunity to “come clean,” but unfortunately, the high school sophomore “played dumb.”
“I asked him, ‘Hey did you do this?’” the teacher recalled, to which the student replied, “No, no idea what you’re talking about.’” Mungo then sent him to the assistant principal’s office, holding on to his belief that the teen was targeting him because of his race. “I’m the only Black teacher he has,” Mungo explained. “He has six other teachers. No other teachers were involved.”
According to the history teacher, the student’s parents were contacted and initially appeared to be “truly embarrassed.” They later grew “irate” after learning that their son was being suspended for two days. The entire incident frustrated Mungo, so he decided to take some time away from work.
“Just to have some type of hate crime is absolutely ridiculous. I was sickened,” he said.” I was highly upset. So upset, I took the next day off. I didn’t go to work that Friday.”
After thinking about the situation, Mungo has decided to sue the student with the hopes to send a message that acts of racism “will not be tolerated.”
"This will not be tolerated" - Mungo the negro
“I’m just fed up with the racism around, especially at our academic institutions. Coming from the HBCUs and other colleges, the bomb threats, the nooses, the bananas and now it’s streaming into public education,” he said. “It’s time to take a stand and just let people know it will not be tolerated. I know I’m not tolerating it. You have to speak up. You can’t allow it to go on because then it will just continue to go on.”
