She was warned several times, but she decided that this is a conversation that should be had.

Lillian White is a former teacher at Great Hearts Western Hills in the San Antonio area. The past few months she has been prepping for students to come back into her classroom. During this time, teachers were in the school working on the plan for the upcoming school year.

Teachers were wearing face masks and Lillian White was wearing her custom 'Black Lives Matter' face mask. She said for a week or so she wore the face mask and had no issues. In fact, she received several compliments from other teachers. However, a week before students were scheduled to return, Lillian was told about a face mask policy.

Face masks must have no external messages on them. She was warned several times when she continued to come in with the face mask in the week leading up to students returning. Lillian says she was fired for wearing the mask, just a few days before school started.

“This is human rights and it should be something that is promoted at our school. It’s an excuse to not talk about it by saying this is politics, talk about it on your own time. It’s just an excuse because they’re uncomfortable with the conversation,” White said.

The school district also released the following statement on the situation. "Great Hearts was founded and exists today to serve the innate dignity and worth of every human being. We stand with the Black community and all who are suffering. Great Hearts deplores bigotry and its crushing effects on all those subjected to it. Great Hearts is committed to an America where racism, violence, and injustice do not happen, because such acts find no home in the hearts of a great people.”

Lillian says even though she doesn't work for the school. She is hoping they adopt an anti-racism action plan that she is working. " I think that all this backlash, especially the negativity from parents and the fact that I was fired because of this, means that this is a conversation they still need to have,” White said.

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