Austin Symphony Orchestra Fires Player Over Racist Remarks

The Austin Symphony Orchestra terminated its contract with musician Brenda Sansig Salas following a series of racist comments she made on Facebook last Saturday. Within hours, Austin Opera followed suit, as did some area schools, with which Sansig Salas taught private lessons.

The comments were made Saturday afternoon on the Facebook page of Orion D. Wilson, band director for the Pflugerville school district, in response to a post criticizing the president. Sansig Salas both defended Trump and attacked African Americans, including Pres. Obama, blaming them for the unrest and violence following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The comments in the thread have been scrubbed from the post, but they can be still be found on multiple Facebook pages, such as that of Rouse High School band director Ryan Johnstone, in screenshots of the thread. They include the following, directed at African Americans taking part in the thread:

“Trump didn’t kill someone, but in your black minds, everything is his fault.”

“Have you checked out the 1/2 black president swine flu H1N1, and EBOLA? What has your 1/2 black president done for you?? The ONLY REASON he was elected was because he is 1/2 black. People voted on racist principles not on the real issues. The BLACKS are looting and destroying their environment. They deserve what they get. Playing the RACE CARD IS RACIST.”

“Trump isn’t rioting. The blacks are. He’d be damned if he didn’t shut down the country. Stop your hatred.”

Read more: https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/arts/2020-06-02/aso-fires-player-over-racist-remarks/

I wonder if she will be filing for unemployment?