"Devastatingly sad beyond words": Utah Blackface video at Cedar City Walmart sparks mass outrage online

A group of white Utah students are being viciously slammed on social media after wearing blackface. The youngsters were dressed as prisoners and gained traction through a TikTok video that captured them in a Cedar City Walmart.

The video was posted on Halloween night, October 31, 2022. In the TikTok video, three youngsters were seen wearing faux prison uniforms and had their bodies painted black, while another group was wearing fake police uniforms.

Needless to say, the video of the youngsters in blackface has gone viral on the short-video sharing platform. The initial video was captioned "Who are these kids in Cedar City Utah" and also said, "Please spread this so we can find them!”

In the video, the participants were seen smirking and laughing. An onlooker, who was behind the camera, said:

“You guys are not going to get into college… you guys are not going to get any scholarships, because this is a hate crime.”

One of the participants wearing blackface chimed in and stated that they did not go to school. While laughing and turning towards his friends, one of the boys said:

"We all dropped out of high school, it’s OK”

The woman speaking behind the camera responded and said:

“I still don’t think it’s appropriate for you guys to be doing this… it’s really not funny.”

According to KSLTV, social media users were attacking a Cedar Valley High School male student for wearing blackface in the video. The matter reportedly worsened, leading to the Utah County Sheriff’s deputy having to park outside the teenage boy’s home.

However, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and the Alpine School District have announced that no student from the aforementioned institution took part in the viral TikTok video.

Needless to say, netizens were enraged by the video and by the students in blackface and took to social media to call them out. One person even said: "It's devastatingly sad beyond words."

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Netizens enraged over viral Utah blackface video

Internet users were disappointed to see the teenagers wearing blackface in the current political climate. Many argued that any form of prejudicial practice is wrong and that the youngsters should have been aware of it.

Several netizens expressed disdain over the TikTok video’s participants. A few tweets condemning their actions wondered why people felt compelled to practice racism while others that they were shocked by the "gross" act.

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Utah Governor issues statement condemning the teenagers’ actions

Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, issued a statement against the racist costumes. He said:

“We strongly condemn racism in all it’s forms and we call on every Utahn to reject such offensive stereotypes, slurs and attitudes.”

The exact location of the Walmart where the incident occurred remains unknown. However, a spokesperson for the retail corporation revealed that the youngsters were escorted out of the store as they became aware of the matter.

The spokesperson said:

“We don't tolerate discrimination or demeaning behavior of any kind and are incredibly disappointed by what is shown in this video. After learning these people were in the building, our associates immediately instructed them to leave the property”

The Iron County School District announced that they were aware of the viral blackface video circulating across social media. They announced that although the teenagers were not part of their schools, an investigation into the matter is under process.