Is this offensive, or am I too sensitive?

[DivineComedienne]

Every spring, my son’s school holds a show in which the entire school participates. Each grade is assigned a country, and the kids do a short singing performance (and sometimes dancing) of songs that represent that country. At the end, there is a finale that includes students from all grades, and they sing a song about peace or unity or something similar. All the parents come to watch this extravaganza.

Normally, I leave after my son’s performance, but last year I stayed for a few minutes and watched a couple of the other grades perform. When the class representing Mexico came up, I was rather appalled to see little boys dressed in sombreros, serapes and big black moustaches. The girls were dressed in colorful dresses that I assume represented traditional Mexican festival clothes.

Am I wrong to be offended by the boys dressed like the Frito Bandito? I think it’s the moustaches that offend me the most. I’m white, but I just think this is perpetuating a stereotype. My son’s grade is doing Italy this year, so it’s not an issue for my kid (yet), but I’m not sure whether to say anything to the principal or not. Am I being overly sensitive, or is this truly offensive?