Ex-Houston official says flood-hit Camp Mystic, where girls went missing, is 'all-white'

Sade Perkins, a former Houston Food Insecurity Board member, faced backlash on social media after posting a TikTok video

Published on: Jul 7, 2025, 01:31:31 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Sade Perkins, a former Houston Food Insecurity Board member, faced backlash on social media after posting a TikTok video, claiming Camp Mystic, which was hit by catastrophic floods, is a ‘white girls camp’. This comes as authorities confirmed that at least 70 people have died and many children are missing in the Texas Hill Country after floods hit on Friday.

Sade Perkins was slammed for her video on flood-hit Camp Mystic (X and AP)

Eleven campers and a counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River remain unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, Perkins, who was appointed to Houston's Food Insecurity Board by former Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2023, posted a 2.5-minute clip on TikTok.

“I know I’m going to get canceled for this, but Camp Mystic is a white-only girls’ Christian camp. They don’t even have a token Asian. They don’t have a token Black person. It’s an all-white, white-only conservative Christian camp,” Perkins says in the video.

The video sparked severe backlash. Houston Mayor John Whitmire addressed the controversy on Sunday.

“The comments shared on social media are deeply inappropriate and have no place in a decent society, especially as families grieve the confirmed deaths and the ongoing search for the missing. The individual who made these statements is not a City of Houston employee,” the mayor's office said on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“She was appointed to the City’s Food Insecurity Board by former Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2023, and her term expired in January 2025. Mayor John Whitmire has no plans to reappoint her, and the City is taking immediate steps to remove her permanently from the board,” the mayor added.

In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic, searchers have found 16 bodies since Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of dead there to 59, including 21 children, said Sheriff Larry Leitha. It is the worst-hit county.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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