The video of an irate parent in London, Ont. picketing his son's school over the alleged use of the 'N-word' by a principal has ignited a conversation about racism in the southwestern Ontario city.​

Armed with a placard that caught the attention of many parents picking up their children from Arthur Ford Public School, Mike Dixon said he had to speak out about an incident that allegedly unfolded in the principal's office last June.

"[The principal] asked the kids over and over again if they used the N-word. But she actually used the word 'n---ger.'"

"She kept repeating the word to them again and again," explains Dixon, describing what his 11-year-old son told him after he and another black student were called into the office.

'She used the word repeatedly' - Mike Dixon, parent

The two boys were roughhousing, according to Dixon, and may have used the word between them as slang.

"I am not comfortable even having it on a sign, but when a principal uses it behind closed doors, it's an abuse of power," said the father of five.

Police visit

Video footage filmed the afternoon Dixon protested outside the school shows one parent telling him to "grow up" and another saying the language on the sign was "inappropriate," then one angrily threatening to call the police.



Dixon said police arrived as he was leaving the area and he spoke to them, and then officers came to his house again later that night.

"They told me they came because of the school, because of the disturbance at the school. I mean, it was a peaceful protest."

Dixon said he was moved to raise awareness after he asked the school and its board to acknowledge the incident. He said he was further enraged when the board offered to help him deal with his problem with the principal.

"This is not my problem!" the 36-year-old London native said, adding racism is that the root of the matter.

Mike Dixon's children will be allowed to transfer out of Arthur Ford Public School in London, Ont. (Amanda Margison/CBC)

School board

The Thames Valley District School Board, when contacted late Friday afternoon, said it could not comment on the situation due to issues of confidentiality.

Spokesman Richard Hoffman said under no circumstance is racism tolerated and pointed to the board's mission to make all schools welcoming and prejudice-free.

A letter from the principal did go home to parents the day after Dixon's protest, saying the "school and board have worked diligently together to resolve the situation."

The board did confirm Dixon's children have been granted permission to attend another school in the area, a request that was approved after the father's protest.

Dixon said he is satisfied with that and, while he has not filed a human rights complaint, he said he is looking at his options.