Black Students Ordered to Give Up Seats to White Students in Louisiana
 

Black students ordered to give up seats to white children
Status of Red River Parish bus driver is unknown.
August 24, 2006


By Vickie Welborn
vwelborn@gannett.com

COUSHATTA -- Nine black children attending Red River Elementary School were directed last week to the back of the school bus by a white driver who designated the front seats for white children.

The situation has outraged relatives of the black children who have filed a complaint with school officials.

Superintendent Kay Easley will meet with the family members in her office this morning.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also is considering filing a formal charge with the U.S. Department of Justice. NAACP District Vice President James Panell, of Shreveport, said he would apprise Justice attorneys of the situation this week. He's considering asking for an investigation into the bus incident and other aspects of the school system's operations, including pupil-teacher ratio as it relates to the numbers of white and black children, along with a breakdown of the numbers of black and white teachers employed.

"If the smoke is there, then there's probably fire somewhere else," Panell said in a phone interview from New Orleans. "At this point, it is extremely alarming. We fought that battle 50 years ago, and we won. Why is this happening again?"

Easley would not comment much on the allegations Wednesday, saying it is a personnel issue. She acknowledged that she has investigated the claim. And she confirmed that the bus driver did not run her route Wednesday, nor would she today.

Asked if the driver would work for the rest of the year, Easley said, "I'm not going to answer the questions. "» You're getting all that you're going to get from me. I'm sorry."



Read the rest here:http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...0332/1002/NEWS

Well.....we know what team SHE'll be rooting for on Survivor! :mad:

This is the part of the article that really pissed me off:

And the nine children had to share only two seats, meaning the older children had to hold the younger ones in their laps.

A new solution reached Monday by School Board officials has a black bus driver driving across town to pick up the nine black children.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

:eek: oh my goodness.

it's sad that people are still set in their racist ways. and to take it out on some defenseless children is just wrong.

btw, aren't sharing seats like that on school buses illegal? or at least not encouraged?

naacp should file a charge...soon!

That's a doggone shame in 2006. She really shouldn't be allowed to work around impressionable young people. She might not be able to affect every single student, but she might give one black child or one white child the wrong idea on how things work in society.

:mad: OMG...I can't believe this is still happening TODAY! The bus driver needs to be fired. I agree with the investigation of the entire school board. Racism must run deeper than that level.

Rosa is rolling over her grave over this...:mad::mad:

She sure is. :( :(

WTH?!! Oh I'm pissed...

OH HAYLE NO!! When is the date of the March? We can't wait on Jesse and them. Why aren't they talking about this on tv?

Good question. I found out about it via e-mail.

I'm free this weekend if we are marching!!! Let me know so I can get my ticket.

:mad:

Mentioned on CNN.Com this evening - post date of 7:49pm.

I really do hate to say it but I'm really not suprised. I live in Baton Rouge and although things aren't that overt here, Louisiana is a very very racist state!!!

In complete agreement. I'm not the least bit surprised that this happens. It does require me to shake my head in disgust, but it is what it is...SOME BULL!

BOOOOOO:mad:

We need to write them a letter, march, protest, something!

Disgusting behavior. Part of me wants to imagine that this was some big misunderstanding, but I can't think of any reason not involving space aliens.

It is flat out illegal to transport more students than the bus can hold and the danger the children were put in, on top of the degredation is just plain wrong :(

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I am so angry. They should hang that driver out to dry!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmm, I think that you're always going to have bad apples who do their little part to further racism. I think that the bus driver should be fired and prosecuted for endangering the children, and if there is evidence of other discriminatory practices, then those should be investigated. Beyond that, I think that there are bigger fish for the NAACP (and African American community as a whole) to fry.

This is exactly why I have "race talks" as my father used to call them with my children, they need to know where they came from and know where the line is drawn.

It's ironic because I was reading a books last night and my son skimmed over a passage and asked how effective was the Montgomery bus boycotts and I went into this whole lecture on how blacks were and in this case, still are treated and he was amazed. Being set in their ways are an under statement for this racist acts such as this. With the attitude the drivers superior I have no doubt anything will happens to him unless a rally or charge is developed. That's how we dealt with the issue in the past and it proved to be successful and that's exactly the same action that should be taken now.

We can get a letter writing campaign started as well.

This story leaves me with a lot of questions:

Were these the only Black children on the bus?

Are there assigned seats for ALL children? If so, who assigns them?

Was there some type of racial tension between the children or some type of history?

Has anyone outside the children and the driver witnessed the behavior?

etc....

I hope and pray that this story isn't as black and white (pardon the pun) as it seems.

I commented in the other thread, but I recieved some info from someone in the area that I have no way of verifying so, allegedly:

All seats were assigned last year. The younger black children who were moved were new to the route. They sat in seats assigned to other kids. They were asked to go sit with their siblings.

Clearly there are too many children on the bus, but as none of the above is currently verifiable (nor is it known whether even if all the above is true the woman in question made a racist comment in the process of moving the children).

But what is the internet for if not rumor..

Someone mentioned that this wasn't on the news. CNN had a story on eariler tonight about this. I showed the story to my stepdad and he was like :eek::mad:.

BOOOOOO...you're taking all of the "race excitement" out of this story. ;)

In all seriousness though, the story was presented in a manner in which race was at the forefront. News engines know that THAT will get this racialized country going. I have reserved comment whenever people ask me about this because I'm waiting to hear the full story and not the sensationalized versions of it. Could be overt racism and it could be what your source reported to you. I'm waiting for emotion to give way to information. :)

Reason would be good. I think the truth is always between the extremes. And sadly, as someone who has worked in the media for most of the past 20 years, sensationalism, including racialized sensationalism, sells. That's one reason why I'm glad I work in the strain of print media that I do.

No offense, but if it wasnt on the news, there may be good reason. If there was a situation here re: racism, then I think they'll be punished. I'm not trying to keep anyone from getting angry, but there are bigger issues for us to address.

I hope most black people don't hjave to deal with such things again. however, I also hope black americans bring a realistic mindset into discussions regarding popular American culture...I'm drunk. Hope everyone else is too.

LOL

You actually make more sense and tone down the antics when you're drunk. I don't condone binge (and underage??) drinking but a few shots of red wine per day before posting will do you some good. :D