A Black Virginia high school history teacher is suing a white tenth-grade student after the pupil was caught leaving a banana in the doorway of his classroom for months.
Joel Mungo, a veteran history teacher who has worked at Menchville High School for 21 years, said starting in October 2021 he noticed a banana placed in his classroom doorway.
'Someone left a banana at my door. The banana was perfectly placed in the doorway,' Mungo told WAVY 10.
The incident could have been written off as a coincidence but then he said it became a reoccurring incident - with the banana placed in the same spot at least once a month.
And after six instances he had enough.
'It was clearly a deliberate act,' Mungo said.
Mungo is one of the few black teachers at the predominately white Virginia high school.
Bananas have been weaponized by racists towards black people, meant to liken them to monkeys who are known to eat the fruit.
Joel Mungo, (pictured) a history teacher at Menchville High School for 21 years said starting in October 2021 he noticed a banana placed in his classroom doorway
'Someone left a banana at my door. The banana was perfectly placed in the doorway,' Mungo said
Mungo turned to school administrators who pulled up surveillance footage of one of his white 10th grade students walking down the hallway with the fruit in hand
Mungo turned to school administrators who pulled up surveillance footage of one of his white 10th grade students walking down the hallway with the fruit in hand.
After finding the culprit Mungo said he gave the student an opportunity to fess up, but he denied any wrong doing.
'I gave the student a chance to come clean. I asked him, ''Hey did you do this?'' He said ''No," he played dumb, "No idea what you're talking about." So I said "OK, go down to the assistant principal." I'm the only Black teacher he has. He has six other teachers. No other teachers were involved,' Mungo told WAVY 10.
Mugo said when he contacted the parents they initially seemed 'embarrassed' but once the student was suspended for two days they became 'irate.'
Mungo said he was so upset by the situation that he took a day off from work.
'It's 2022. Just to have some type of hate crime is absolutely ridiculous. I was sickened,' he said.
'It's 2022. Just to have some type of hate crime is absolutely ridiculous. I was sickened,' Mungo (pictured) said
Mungo (pictured) is one of the few black teachers at the predominately white Virginia high school
An attorney said Mungo would probably have a better case against Menchville High School than the student himself
The racist act has disturbed
