The mother of a young football fan who wore a headscarf and painted her face red and black at a Kansas City Chiefs game has blasted Deadspin for accusing it of “doubling down” on racism against the black and Indigenous community – noting that her son is Indigenous. America.
Holden Armenta was the unexpected focus of an article by senior writer Carron Phillips that focused on a photo of the boy standing to the side, showing him wearing blackface without mentioning the red part.
“NFL needs to speak out against Kansas City Chiefs fans in Blackface, native headdresses,” read the headline, which accused the boy of “doubling down on racism.”
Phillips, a former New York Daily News reporter, also slammed Holden’s headdress and “Tomahawk Chop” gesture, claiming the boy “found a way to hate black people and Native Americans at the same time.”
“It takes a lot to disrespect two groups of people at once,” Phillips wrote in the article, which has since been punctuated by a community note on X branding it “deliberately deceptive.”
Deadspin Senior Writer Carron Phillips accused the boy of “doubling down on racism.” @carronJphillips / X Phillips published a screenshot from CBS’ coverage of the game showing only half of Holden Armenta’s face painted black. Screenshot of the deadline
“This is what happens when you ban books, oppose Critical Race Theory, and try to erase centuries of hatred,” he wrote. “You’re giving the next generation the ammunition they need to grow and reinvent racism better than ever.”
The boy’s outraged mother, Shannon Armenta, shared multiple images of her son getting fired up at the game — while suggesting Deadspin focus on photos that hide the fact that half of her son’s face was painted red.
“This has nothing to do with the NFL,” he wrote, suggesting the photo was chosen solely “to create division”
“He’s Native American – just stop,” she wrote of her son.
The picture does not show the other half of his face painted red. Shannon Armenta / Facebook
In fact, Holden’s grandfather, Raul Armenta, sits on the board of the Chumash Tribe in Santa Ynez, California, according to the Millennial Post.
Raul is listed as a “business committee member” who was first elected to the board in 2016 on the tribe’s website.
“He hopes to continue the legacy of building a strong economic foundation for future generations of the Chumash tribe,” it read.
Holden Armenta’s mother, Shannon, posted on Facebook that her son is Native American. Shannon Armenta / Facebook
Community notes have been added to posts sharing Deadspin articles on X.
“The child is not wearing ‘black face’,” he said. “Deadspin’s article was deliberately misleading as several fans in attendance stated the other half of his face was painted red.”
But Phillips reportedly doubled down on his claim in a since-deleted X post.
“For the idiot in my name who thinks this is a harmless act because one side of his face is painted red, I can make an argument that it makes it worse,” he wrote in the post, according to Post Millennial .
“You guys are the ones who hate Mexicans but wear sombreros on Cinco [de Mayo].”
In his writing about Armenta, Phillips also blamed the National Football League for condoning racism. Shannon Armenta / Facebook
In his piece on Armenta, Phillips also blamed the National Football League.
“If the NFL had banned cuts to Chiefs games and been more aggressive in changing the team’s name, then we wouldn’t be here,” he wrote.
“While it is not the league’s responsibility to stop racism and hate from being taught at home, they are the league that relentlessly participates in prejudice.”
The Post has reached out to Phillips, Deadspin, and Shannon Armenta for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
