Gretha Stenger was photographed holding a wildly offensive sign that garnered significant anger online.

In photos captured by a local blog called Redheaded Blackbelt, dozens of protesters are shown in front of the Humboldt County courthouse on May 16 complaining about measures taken to protect people from the spread of COVID-19.

Two women are pictured holding a sign with the words, “Muzzles are for dogs and slaves. I am a free human being” next to a photo of Escrava Anastacia, a Brazilian slave who has become a revered saint among Brazilian Catholics and Umbanda practitioners.

The photo of Stenger drew thousands of comments on Facebook and Twitter, with many saying it highlighted the offensive trend of white people using African chattel slavery as an allegory for quarantine and stay-at-home orders.

Stenger, who directs plays for North Coast Preparatory Academy in Bayside, California, sent a tepid apology to The Times-Standard.

“Holding that sign up at the lockdown protest was a grave mistake and I ask forgiveness from all those who I have caused pain. As I had no sign of my own, it was handed to me by another protester and a photographer took the picture before I considered the racist implications," Stenger said. "My intent was to take a stand for the freedom of all human persons and I mistakenly held a sign that conveyed the opposite. Please know that I respect the dignity of all people and I sincerely regret any suffering it has caused."

The apology did little to quell the anger online about how Anastacia was being used by white people. But the controversy has not stopped hundreds of white women from continuing to protest against public health measures.

Violent-White-Women

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