(Article republished from ThePostMillennial.com)
It turns out that the young boy, Holden Armenta, is actually from a Native American family, and his grandfather sits on the board of the Chumash Tribe in Santa Ynez.
Update: This child is actually Native American https://t.co/tencnVoszh
— ALX ?? (@alx) November 29, 2023
New footage from the game shows young Holden leading the tomahawk chop, with black players from the Chiefs joining in, and applauding his enthusiasm.
JUST IN: The young boy who was labeled as wearing ‘blackface’ by Deadspin is Holden Armenta.
His mother, Shannon Armenta confirmed that her son was the one at the middle of the controversy on her Facebook page.
It gets even better: Chiefs players saw Holden during the game and… pic.twitter.com/jdIDhcul3Z
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 29, 2023
The Deadspin article not only falsely accused the boy of anti-black racism, but anti-native racism. "It takes a lot to disrespect two groups of people at once. But on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, a Kansas City Chiefs fan found a way to hate Black people and the Native Americans at the same time" Deadspin's article reads.
But after the article's release and the viral response that followed, young Holden's mother took to Facebook to slam the woke media and reveal Holden's indigenous identity. "This has nothing to do with the NFL. Also, CBS showed him multiple times and this is the photo people chose to blast to create division. He is Native American" Shannon Armenta posted.
Holden's grandfather, Raoul, serves in the Chumash Band's government.
The social media account Real Kansas City Chiefs Fans posted "During Sundays broadcast Holden Armenta from California a Native that belongs to the Chumash Tribe. His dad is on the Chumash Tribe board up in Santa Ynez. Everyone is making a massive deal out of this and only trying to show one side of his face to push their narrative." They later corrected that in fact it was his grandfather, not his dad on the board.
Correct I can’t edit the post.
— Real Kansas City Chiefs Fans (@RealKCChiefs) November 29, 2023
"This is what happens when you ban books, stand against Critical Race Theory, and try to erase centuries of hate. You give future generations the ammunition they need to evolve and recreate racism better than before" the Deadspin article stated.
The hit piece's author, Carron J. Phillips, whose social media boasts of being an award-winning writer and Pulitzer nominee, faced backlash for targeting the young fan, but doubled down on his criticism yesterday. Many social media users pointed out that the young person was not in "black face" at all, but actually had his face painted red and black. The revelation that the boy is Native American has only served to intensify the criticism of Deadspin and its woke writer.
Phillips tweeted on Monday "For the idiots in my mentions who are treating this as some harmless act because the other side of his face was painted red, I could make the argument that it makes it even worse. Y’all are the ones who hate Mexicans but wear sombreros on Cinco."
Phillips disabled replies on his X post, as the people kept speaking out in defense of the kid.
TPM's own Libby Emmons weighed in, saying: "This man ruins the life of some poor kid for the crime of wearing face paint at a football game and he really thinks he’s the good guy."
This man ruins the life of some poor kid for the crime of wearing face paint at a football game and he really thinks he’s the good guy. https://t.co/fLPCCNeSCX
— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) November 27, 2023
Libs of TikTok let Phillips have it, posting "Why is @Deadspin @carronJphillips trying to ruin this little kid’s life? They’re accusing him of blackface but conveniently left out his full face which was painted for the game"
Why is @Deadspin@carronJphillips trying to ruin this little kid’s life? They’re accusing him of blackface but conveniently left out his full face which was painted for the game https://t.co/kFfgAL4aDHpic.twitter.com/750u5sfETE
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 28, 2023
TPM's Savanah Hernandez teed off on Phillips, saying "I would expect nothing less from an 'award winning journalist' and 'Pulitzer Prize nominee'… Our society is so soft and coddled that a 12 year old with face paint on is enough to bring “men” like this to their knees. Pathetic"
I would expect nothing less from an “award winning journalist” and “Pulitzer Prize nominee”…
Our society is so soft and coddled that a 12 year old with face paint on is enough to bring “men” like this to their knees. Pathetic ? https://t.co/0VnF8hvZTj
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) November 27, 2023
Phillips' other contributions to sports journalism include an article blaming the fact that Simone Biles isn't as popular as Taylor Swift on racism and another demanding that the Jacksonville Jaguars kneel during the national anthem this year.
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