On Thursday’s CNN This Morning, co-host Don Lemon picked up on the story from Philadelphia of a racist video surfacing of highschool women mocking Black Historical past Month, and exploited it to an horrifically partisan diploma to hold forth in opposition to Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s schooling insurance policies.

And, although he arrange the phase by noting that the ladies concerned are in highschool, he later incorrectly claimed they had been in faculty and prompt that they may not have behaved so badly if that they had realized about black historical past in highschool.

Lemon set the phase up by telling viewers to “simply sit and watch this one and take it in, and take a look at to determine precisely what’s going on right here,” including: A video of a racist incident circulating on-line, sparking protests and at the least two suspensions at a Philadelphia highschool. The video — there it’s, a part of it — reveals a woman spraying black paint on one other woman’s face whereas making feedback referencing Black Historical past Month.“

Correspondent Jean Casarez confirmed viewers the despicable video in query that confirmed a gaggle of women with blurred faces (however who seem like white) with one spray portray a second woman’s face whereas making mocking feedback about Black Historical past Month.

The CNN reporter knowledgeable viewers that two of the ladies attend a Catholic faculty, and that a number of black college students from the varsity had allegedly been despatched copies of the video, though the incident didn’t occur on faculty property. She learn an announcement from the varsity suggesting that the ladies had been suspended.

As an alternative of specializing in the racist nature of those college students and elevating questions on how they had been raised to do such a factor, the depressing Lemon took the chance to lecture Governor DeSantis in regards to the instructing of black historical past:

I hope Ron DeSantis is watching and paying consideration. I hope that people who find themselves saying that we should not — we must always solely train sure facets of our historical past are watching. There’s nothing humorous about Black Historical past Month as a result of that is what we must be studying — the significance of Black Historical past Month as a result of these children assume it is a joke.

Though he had already acknowledged earlier that the ladies had been highschool, the CNN host then prompt that they had been in faculty:

And it is maybe as a result of they did not study it earlier than they obtained to school, and perhaps they would not be exhibiting this form of conduct if they really knew the historical past of this nation, proper? And the true historical past of this nation and the significance of at the least reverence and a focus to the black individuals who helped to construct this nation slightly than making enjoyable, spraying somebody, saying, “Oh, it is Black Historical past Month!” It is not humorous.

Governor DeSantis, after all, didn’t do away with the instructing of black historical past in colleges, however as a substitute imposed rules to stop the politicization of the topic.

This episode of CNN This Morning was sponsored partly by Ring and ADT. Their contact data linked.

Transcript follows:

CNN This Morning
February 9, 2023
6:32 a.m. Japanese

DON LEMON: All proper, so that you simply sit and watch this one and take it in, and take a look at to determine precisely what’s going on right here. A video of a racist incident circulating on-line, sparking protests and at the least two suspensions at a Philadelphia highschool. The video — there it’s, a part of it — reveals a woman spraying black paint on one other woman’s face whereas making feedback referencing Black Historical past Month. So what is going on on? Jean Casarez joins us. She’s been this video, and she or he has a report on it. So what occurred right here?

JEAN CASAREZ: Let’s simply state the details. Listed below are the details. In keeping with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, three women are on this video. Two attend Saint Hubert Catholic Excessive College for women. A 3rd woman — she doesn’t attend the varsity. Now, within the video, a woman is seen spray portray the face of one other woman black, throwing round racist insults, all whereas a number of women are watching. They sit by — they giggle. Let’s watch a bit of little bit of this.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL #1: You are a black woman! You understand your roots! It is February!

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL #2: Your mother is rarely letting anybody in.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL #1: You are nothing however a slave. After this, you are doing my laundry.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL #2: The White woman simply takes this [expletive] [inaudible].

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL #3: I am black and I am proud!

CASAREZ: A black mum or dad whose daughter attends the Catholic faculty advised CNN the video was despatched on to his daughter and niece together with different black college students. Now, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia tells CNN the precise distribution is unknown at this level of time. What is understood is that the video was taken exterior of college, after faculty hours, after which placed on social media. “These allegedly accountable aren’t current in class and are being disciplined appropriately. We take this chance to be abundantly clear that there isn’t any place for hate, racism or bigotry at Saint Hubert’s or in any Catholic faculty. It isn’t acceptable below any circumstances or at any time.” The assertion goes on to say that normal threats have now been made in opposition to the varsity group after the video surfaced on social media. They’re BEING reported as they arrive in to the Philadelphia Police Division and legislation enforcement. They’ve been on the campus because the video surfaced. Philadelphia’s department of the NAACP expressed in an announcement Wednesday sturdy disappointment within the video and known as on the varsity to, “guarantee motion takes place instantly.”

LEMON: I do not actually know what to say.

CASAREZ: I do know. It is past phrases. I imply, what is the motivation? What is the mind-set? What’s, I imply, that is blatantly.

LEMON: Look, , we have all been younger at one level — a few of us nearer to, , at the least for me, to you guys. You’ve got been youthful — you are youthful than I’m — however once I was in faculty, , individuals would do silly issues. Individuals would overtly use the n-word, however I believed that by the point we obtained to 2022, 2023, that issues can be completely different. These children ought to know higher. They’re children, , and I wish to lower them slack that they are children, however their actions are reprehensible.

CASAREZ: Yeah.

LEMON: And it isn’t humorous.

CASAREZ: No.

LEMON: And it shouldn’t — it should not occur, however it positively shouldn’t be unfold. They need to know higher the implications of — this can final eternally. That is going to stay with them eternally.

CASAREZ: I believe it’s going to be very fascinating to see what occurs as a result of, , what’s their mind-set right here? What are they pondering? And it was finished off campus, and we all know from a current U.S. Supreme Court docket choice of a highschool woman that did not get —

POPPY HARLOW: I used to be simply going to carry up the SCOTUS choice.

CASAREZ: — what she —

HARLOW: That is precisely proper.

CASAREZ: — what she didn’t — she did not obtain cheerleader or one thing, and off-campus she made a video that was completely disparaging —

HARLOW: Yep.

CASAREZ: of the principal and college students and academics, and it went all the way in which as much as the U.S. Supreme Court docket. And so they mentioned, “It is off-campus — freedom of speech.”

HARLOW: That is proper.

CASAREZ: It may be finished.

HARLOW: It is actually fascinating second within the First Modification battle —

CASAREZ: It was.

HARLOW: — over all of this and penalties —

LEMON: Properly, I —

HARLOW: — and accountability —

CASAREZ: Yeah.

HARLOW: — simply on a authorized entrance.

LEMON: I hope Ron DeSantis is watching and paying consideration. I hope that people who find themselves saying that we should not — we must always solely train sure facets of our historical past are watching. There’s nothing humorous about Black Historical past Month as a result of that is what we must be studying — the significance of Black Historical past Month as a result of these children assume it is a joke. And it is maybe as a result of they did not study it earlier than they obtained to school, and perhaps they would not be exhibiting this form of conduct if they really knew the historical past of this nation, proper? And the true historical past of this nation and the significance of at the least reverence and a focus to the black individuals who helped to construct this nation slightly than making enjoyable, spraying somebody, saying, “Oh, it is Black Historical past Month!” It is not humorous.

CASAREZ: Which works with, the Archdiocese is saying, “Suspension, expulsion, , we’re taking measures.”

LEMON: Yeah.

CASAREZ: Is that sufficient?

LEMON: No, no. It is not sufficient.

HARLOW: All of this.

LEMON: You study it while you’re youthful. That is the place you get it. Thanks, Jean Casarez.

CASAREZ: Thanks.

LEMON: Respect that.