Idaho credit union employees reprimanded over blackface costume.
An Idaho credit union has issued an apology after posting photos of several employees dressed in blackface for a Halloween costume depicting the Jamaican bobsled team.
The photo, which drew criticism on social media, shows four women in black facepaint with what appear to be afro or braid wigs, yellow stocking caps and a cardboard "bobsled" labelled "Jamaica" — a depiction of the 1988 Olympic team and the popular '90s movie "Cool Runnings."
The photo had been deleted from a gallery of Potlatch Number 1 Federal Credit Union employees' Halloween costumes, but commenters demanded an explanation.
Company president and CEO Chris Loseth on Wednesday posted an apology on Facebook.
While dozens of other posts and comments on Facebook and Twitter condemned the costume regardless of Mr. Loseth's statement, others expressed understanding and pledged continued support for the credit union, which operates 14 branches in Idaho and Washington.
In recent years, the topic of blackface and other themes of insensitivity in Halloween costumes have prompted heated debate.
In Boise, Idaho, a restaurant owner apologised this summer after painting his face black for an advertisement that drew intense backlash online.
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