A black high school student was banned from performing with her dance team because her skin color clashed with her costume, a lawsuit claims.

Camille Sturdivant was also allegedly told by choreographer Kevin Murakami that her darker skin tone would distract audience members from looking at other dancers.

The hateful slurs are said to have been leveled at Sturdivant while she was a member of the Dazzlers dance team at Blue Valley High School in Overland Park, Kansas.

Camille Sturdivant, pictured right, alleges that she was mistreated while on her high school dance team because of the color of her skin (Picture: University of Missouri Golden Girls/Facebook)

In a racial discrimination lawsuit seen by the Kansas City Star, Sturdivant, who graduated from the school in May 2018, also recalled finding racist messages between Murakami and dance tea coach Carley Fine.




The pair are reported to have complained about Sturdivant’s successful audition to join the Golden Girls dance team at the University of Missouri, where she now studies.

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Murakami wrote: ‘THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. I’m so mad.’

Fine replied: ‘It actually makes my stomach hurt…Bc she’s (expletive) black. I hate that.’

Sturdivant is said to have stumbled on the texts after being given Murakami’s phone to play some music for a performance.

The messages reportedly left her ‘sickened’. She showed them to her parents, who showed them to the principal.

Sturdivant is said to have suffered racial abuse while attending Blue Valley High School in Overland Park, Kansas (Picture: Google Maps)

Fine was fired the next day, but Sturdivant’s suit claims she was back on school property shortly afterwards.

The young student and her family were also told that a team banquet paid for by dancers’ parents had been canceled.

But they are said to have discovered that all other members of the team, as well as Fine, had dinner in the hotel where the banquet was due to take place on the same night.

During the final dance before graduation, all students except Sturdivant and the Dazzlers’ other black dancer wore ribbons bearing the initials CL – Carley Fine, it is claimed.

Sturdivant and her African-American teammate, who was not named, are also said to have been excluded from photos of the event taken on school property.

School principal Amy Pressly, Fine and Katie Porter, the parent of another dancer on the 14-member team and a school district teacher have been named as defendants.

The suit seeks unspecified damages.

A Blue Valley Schools’ District spokesman said: ‘Respectful and meaningful relationships between staff and students are at the heart of Blue Valley’s culture. Discrimination of any kind has no place here.

‘The District expects staff to treat all students with respect at all times, and any report that this expectation has not been fulfilled is taken very seriously.

‘As stated in the Complaint, on May 1, 2018, Mrs. Sturdivant showed Dr. Pressly the text message between Mr. Murakami and Ms. Fine. Ms. Fine’s employment with the District was separated the following day on May 2, 2018.’