Three white employees at Grace College & Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, were recently fired because they dressed as rappers and posed for a fake album cover.

According to the Indy Star, “everyone was dressed as rappers” for the Christian school’s “whimsically themed wrap day” for marketing employees, where lettuce wraps are served and rap outfits are donned. But apparently, five people posing for a mock rap album was too much:

The photo shows [Evan] Kilgore [special projects coordinator] and four other employees, all white, dressed as rappers. One man appears to be wearing an Afro wig. Kilgore has "Thug Life" written on his knuckles and a fake teardrop tattoo. Another employee wears a backward baseball cap and shows a fake tattoo. Most are showing fake gang signs. "N.G.A." appears in the top left corner. 

“N.G.A.” stands for “Not Grace Appropriate.” It’s a widely-used phrase on campus to jokingly point out behaviors considered sinful or anything prohibited. 

The photo circulated on social media and earned criticisms of “white privilege” and other accusations of racism. One said, “What point are you trying to make? That you're gangster, thug, or hood? … And the only time they (the terms) seem to be okay is when white people use them to make light or fun of the situation."

Grace College President Dr. Bill Katip released a statement condemning the photo and restated how the school is “committed deeply to diversity and inclusiveness:”

Earlier this week, an insensitive and inappropriate photo was posted by a Grace College employee on the employee’s personal Facebook page. A Grace College department was referenced in the post and Grace employees were pictured in the photograph posted. This post elicited a significant amount of criticism, concern and hurt from our alumni, students, parents, friends and others.

It is important for the public to know that Grace College is committed deeply to diversity and inclusiveness, and conduct that demonstrates insensitivity to these values will not be tolerated. Grace leadership has taken steps to ensure that this sort of incident will not recur, and several of the individuals involved are no longer employees of Grace College.

This incident has initiated a reexamination of the policies and training at Grace related to diversity and inclusion. While we strive to create a welcoming environment, it is apparent that we can and must do more to help ensure people of all backgrounds are treated with respect and feel welcomed on our campus. These ongoing efforts will start immediately and will include the input and participation of current students, faculty and staff, alumni, board members and other thought leaders on diversity.

Kilgore, who is a graduate of Grace College, told the Indy Star, “I am feeling overwhelmed and hurt. We thought it would be a funny parody of the Grace College culture." 

"June 15th would have been my one-year anniversary," he added. "I do not believe this was handled in the most graceful manner."