A Blevins School Board member who wore blackface in photos that circulated on social media in the fall made a public apology Monday night.
Superintendent Billy Lee said Ted Bonner spoke to about 40 people in the Blevins High School gym at 6 p.m.
"He just apologized for his wrongdoings," Lee said.
Lee said it was the fourth apology that Bonner has given since the photos surfaced, but this one was for the community. One of Bonner's fellow board members set up the event, the superintendent said.
Lee said that as far as he knew, Bonner has no plans to step down from the School Board.
Bonner's continued presence on the School Board has been a point of protest for many, including the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP.
The protests arose after Bonner was seen in photos posted and shared on social media sites with his face painted black. He also was wearing overalls and a straw hat in the photos, and holding a sign that read "Blak [sic] Lives Matters."
Rizelle Aaron, president of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP, called in November for Bonner to step down, referring to the photos as an "offensive and hateful" act that showed a "lack of social consciousness."
Blevins is a town of about 310 residents in Hempstead County, about 16 miles north of Hope. Nearly 30 percent of the population in the county is black while about 60 percent is white, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.
State Desk on 02/01/2017