Was photo a racial stereotype?

“An absolutely disgusting photo,” said Darlene Tye, a transplant from California who is especially sensitive to how Southerners are depicted in the media. The missing teeth and what she described as unkempt attire reinforced a stereotype about people from the South, she said.

Valerie Cox objected to the photo for other reasons. After attending the concert with friends, she went to Jacksonville.com and was disappointed to find only five photos, and nothing like she expected.

“I was shocked to see the main photo representing the festivities was of an older African-American man who was missing most of his teeth,” she said. “There were thousands of other people in attendance who better represented the crowd. As an African-American, myself, I feel insulted,” Cox said.

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