The YWCA Muskoka has announced that Fyonna Vanderwerf has resigned from its board after pictures of her dressed in blackface surfaced on Facebook.
Vanderwerf has deleted the photo and since posted a video, openly apologizing for the incident, which was posted below, but has since been removed.
In the video, Vanderwerf said, “I want to own up to a stupid mistake made six years ago, at a family party in the Dutch tradition. I deeply regret the decision to attend a Sinterklaas event over six years ago dressed as Zwarte Piet, which was part of a holiday tradition in the Netherlands for over two hundred years.”
Vanderwerf said she takes responsibility for the picture and insists there was no malice involved.
However, she has since filed a harassment complaint with police, claiming someone in the community is purposefully circulating the image in order to defame her.
Vanderwerf is a volunteer with Muskoka Victim Services and director-at-large of the Manna Food Bank.
The YWCA Muskoka had named her a Woman of Distinction in 2013, which was the same year the photos were posted.
It has since released a statement:
The leadership of YWCA Muskoka was made aware that a Board member had a photograph on social media portraying herself as Black Pete. We are learning more about the legacy of colonialism and racism in a global context. YWCA Muskoka takes the concern of harm very seriously and we are working hard to practice anti-oppression, inclusion and diversity.
The Board member has resigned from the Board. The Muskoka Board is proactively reviewing the equity and diversity policy and procedures, social media policy and procedures, and remains committed to human development, education, and training on anti-oppression practices for its volunteers, staff and representatives.
Vanderwerf has removed all of the posts from her Facebook account and has not yet responded to our email for more information or comment.
https://www.facebook.com/fyonnavanderwerf1/videos/10164677400410035/