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!!!