The Mask

A student wants to do a dance skit in a school talent show while wearing an Obama mask. Can't do that - it's offensive:

A mask similar to one President Barack Obama himself wore in a "Saturday Night Live" skit prompted a Portland school principal to ban a boy from performing while wearing it at his elementary school talent show after deciding the rubber likeness of the 44th president was "inappropriate and potentially offensive."

Dru Lechert-Kelly, 11, a fifth-grader at Llewellyn Elementary School in Southeast Portland, decided to dress up like his role model and dance to a popular YouTube song that features an Obama look-alike dancing to a parody called "I Can Do Whatever I Like."

Dru performed the skit in front of teachers and students during a rehearsal for Llewellyn's annual talent show Thursday. He wore a navy blue suit, white shirt, red tie, black shoes and an Obama mask purchased at a costume shop. The choreographed routine ended with Dru on the floor in the splits.

"He practiced for weeks," said Scott Lechert, 50, an instructional designer, who along with his partner, Paul Kelly, 55, a physical therapist, adopted Dru from a Romanian orphanage in 1999 at age 1 1/2. Both dads helped Dru design his stage props -- a desk with a large presidential seal stuck to the front with duct tape. And both coached their son to "have lots of bop" and "use your shoulders" during his routine.

After Thursday's performance, the "crowd went wild," Dru said. But so did some of the adults in the audience.

"I talked to the parents who are coordinating the talent show, and they feel it's inappropriate and potentially offensive," Llewellyn Principal Steve Powell said.

When asked what was offensive about Dru's skit, Powell refused to discuss it.

"I won't say why it's inappropriate," he said. "I'm not saying anything to The Oregonian. Why? Because I don't want to."

Powell said he hadn't seen Dru's performance but has watched the parody on YouTube.

Lechert had to break it to his son: One of the talent show organizers had called to say that Dru could perform his skit but that he wouldn't be allowed to wear the mask.

On Friday, Dru decided not to perform at all -- opting instead to attend a roller-skating party.

The reasons, according to Dru: The skit doesn't make sense without the mask, and he's a little too shy to do it without the mask.

"If I don't have the mask," Dru said Friday, "it's just some kid up there dancing around."

As for Dru's parents, they find the whole thing confusing as well.

"I understand the history of black face and how African Americans were caricatured by it," Lechert said. "However, we now have a popular biracial president who is admired by white and nonwhite people. At what point will it become OK for an 11-year-old admirer to dress up as the president without fear of offending someone?"

This dance doesn't even represent a negative sterotype or outright mocking. It's a clever combination of politics and a song that was a hit on YouTube and obviously would have been a hit at the school.

However, in this "postracial" world, people are petrified that they might be called a racist. Ironic, isn't it?