The commander of the American Legion post in Frewsburg has resigned after a Halloween party held over the weekend included two people in blackface.

A spokesman for the American Legion confirmed that James Rossing of Samuel L Derby Post 556 resigned on Tuesday.

In a statement, the national organization for the group said, “The American Legion was outraged to learn that two individuals wore blackface during a Halloween event at one of our posts. The American Legion Department of New York conducted a full investigation. As a result of the investigation, it received the resignation of the Post 556 commander the next day. He is also no longer a member of The American Legion.”

The American Legion said the two individuals wearing the blackface were not members of The American Legion but were members of the Sons of the American Legion. They resigned effective immediately.

“There is no place in The American Legion Family for racist activities or behavior,” the organization said.

Photographs from the Carroll Rod and Gun Club event that included two people reportedly dressed as Black lawn jockeys were widely shared on social media.

The Carroll Rod and Gun Club posted several photos from the annual Halloween party. At least three of those photos showed two people dressed in white clothing with red vests and hats and carrying prop lanterns. The two individuals also are seen wearing black gloves and black face coverings with enlarged lips and eyes.

Paula Rondeau shared the photos on Facebook. Her post was then shared more than 360 times.

The Carroll Rod and Gun Club, which deleted some of its photos from the party, released a statement on Monday.

“We would like to acknowledge the controversy some people have taken over a recent Halloween Costume party,” the club said. “We are a private club which consists of over 1,100 members of ALL ethnic groups, of which were in attendance that night.”

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University addressed lawn jockeys — statues that depict a caricature, sometimes in blackface, wearing horse-racing attire and holding a lamp or a hitching ring. They are often viewed as a symbol of racism.

In 2020, Franklin Hughes with the Jim Crow Museum discussed a social media post that attempted to justify the statue’s use by saying they were used on the Underground Railroad.

In a Q&A on Ferris State University’s website, Hughes said it’s possible that people may have used lawn jockeys to guide slaves to freedom.

“However, there is no evidence that this practice was commonplace,” he said.

The Jamestown Justice Coalition shared the photos on its Facebook page. It also released the following statement Tuesday:

“Year after year, there are reports of people wearing blackface, Indigenous Headdress caricatured costumes of Mexican people and a plethora of other obviously offensive Halloween costumes. The excuse that this is done tastefully or in good fun disregards that this is all done at the expense of those being depicted. Black people and all other people of color are not costumes and each time these actions are excused the path to racist treatment, harassment, and violence is paved.”