Who is Riverside teacher Candice Reed?

A VIDEO showing a teacher from John W North High School in Riverside wearing headgear resembling the Native American costume has sparked an online backlash.

The teacher was later identified as Candice Reed.

Who is Candice Reed? 

Candice Reed is known as a teacher for the Riverside Unified School District, located in Riverside, California.

Reed is a match teacher at the school and has since gone on leave after a viral video showed her doing the Tomahawk Chop in the classroom while teaching a lesson.

The viral video shows her starting to jump around after a few seconds. 

She shows the dance moves to her students before actually performing them and is even seen on top of a bench at one point as she continues to dance.

Headgear was worn which was made of paper with a couple of feathers attached to it. 

Why has Candice Reed gone viral? 

The video of Reed performing the Native American dance has been viewed as racist by some.

It was later revealed that the video was filmed by a Native American student who said he “felt that violence was being committed against him.”

Instagram user, Shadae Johnson, originally posted the video on the platform, stating that “these behaviors can no longer be swept under the rug.”

“Yesterday a Native American student filmed this video in his Math class,” Johnson wrote. “After several minutes of the teacher war hooping & tomahawk chopping the student began filming because he felt that violence was being committed against him and he had the right to record.

“This was taken at John W. North high school in Riverside, CA. 

“At first the student noticed the teacher was pulling out a fake feather headdress and when she put it on he thought, ‘what is she going to do?’

“I am sharing this video because these behaviors can no longer be swept under the rug! As adults, we must stand up for our youth.

“Please help us in getting the word out and SHARE! This student looks indigenous, has a Native first name and identifies as Native American. 

“We need to end discrimination and violence against indigenous youth in schools! We’re not in the 1960s anymore, she should know better.”

What did the school say about the video?

After the video went viral, the school released a statement calling the behavior “unacceptable.”

“These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices,” the school said.

“Her actions do not represent the values of our district. The teacher has been placed on leave while the District conducts an investigation.”

After Reed went viral, old pictures from a yearbook surfaced online showing that she has been dong this “dance” for years.

In the yearbook, Reed said that she wears the headdress to emphasize geometry basics.

“I find that if I tell them a story using math along the way, it’s like a memory device!” Reed said at the time. “It just may stick with them forever.”

At this time, Reed has not commented on the video.