After Receiving $200,000 NFL Grant, Chicago Nonprofit Under Scrutiny For Tweet Of White Woman Cutting Black Boy's Dreadlocks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 2016 tweet of a photo of a white woman smiling as she cuts dreadlocks from a black boy's head has resurfaced, and its bringing scrutiny to the Crushers Club.
The boxing gym became a safe haven for youth in Englewood starting in 2013.
The nonprofit garnered a $200,000 grant from the NFL and rapper Jay Z's Roc Nation label.
"This is going to enable me to go to that next level with these young men," said Crushers Club found Sally Hazelgrove.
But Hazelgrove's organization is now under a microscope after the old tweet found its way back to the forefront.
When asked if she considered the optics before tweeting a photo of a white woman cutting a young black man's hair, Hazelgrove said, "I didn't because I've never seen color a day in my life."
But her critics believe Hazelgrove's word choice was wrong when she called the haircut part of the teen's "desire for a better life."
Critics include award-winning filmmaker Ava Duvernay and NFL safety Eric Reid.
The attention sparked a trending hashtag on Twitter.
"I don't care how much hatred comes at me," Hazelgrove said. "I have nothing but love in me for everyone.
"They see that something looks wrong, but it's not actually wrong," said Kobe Richardson, the teen seen in the controversial tweet.
Richardson told CBS 2 he made the decision to have his hair cut because of how often he was racially profiled.
"Every time I walked down the street, the police stopping me daily," he said.
Hazelgrove's questionable online activity didn't end there. She also used the nonprofit's Twitter account to write "ALL LIVES MATTER" and later tweeted "I love God my family my country youth and our law enforcement, so I"m an anomaly in Chicago."
"I did tweet that as well," she said. "Not much forethought to be honest. I wish I'd been more careful with social media."
She said she will be more careful moving forward but is unwilling to apologize for who she is and how she feels.
"I can't help my race, but I operate from my heart," she said. "I'm going to be more careful."
