Students disciplined for posters promoting white student for African American award

[CrimsonTide4]

Students disciplined for posters promoting white student for African American award
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
(01-21) 21:06 PST OMAHA, Neb. (AP) --

Officials disciplined students who papered their nearly all-white high school with posters advocating a white student from South Africa for the school's "Distinguished African American Student Award."

Peggy Rupprecht, spokeswoman for the Westside Community Schools district, said administrators at Westside High School discovered more than a hundred of the posters throughout the school first thing Monday -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"The content of the posters, they believed, was inappropriate and insensitive to some members of our school community," Rupprecht said.

Citing privacy policies, Rupprecht said she could not specify what the penalties were or how many students were disciplined. But the mother of the boy pictured on the posters said he was suspended for two days.

The award has been given the last eight years to an outstanding black student as part of the school's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, she said.

The poster pictured junior Trevor Richards, 16, smiling and making a thumbs up sign. A message at the top encouraged votes for him for next year's award.

Karen Richards said her son and his friends were not trying to hurt anyone.

"My son is not a racist," she told the Omaha World-Herald. "He has black friends, friends from Bangladesh and Egypt. Color has never been an issue in our home."

"It was a very innocent thing," she said.

Two of her son's friends were disciplined along with him, she said. A fourth student was punished for circulating a petition Tuesday criticizing the practice of recognizing only black student achievement with the award, she said.

Tylena Martin, a junior, said the poster had been on the door to her homeroom class where she is the only black student. She said she felt hurt by the posters and the backlash that ensued.

According to 2002-2003 state statistics, 56 Of Westside's 1,632 students are black.

[ChaosDST]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4

"My son is not a racist," she told the Omaha World-Herald. "He has black friends, friends from Bangladesh and Egypt. Color has never been an issue in our home."

Do people still use these "I'm not racist, some of my best friends are black/Korean/Egyptian" responses?

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by ChaosDST
Do people still use these "I'm not racist, some of my best friends are black/Korean/Egyptian" responses?

I guess the "classics" never go out of style.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by ChaosDST
Do people still use these "I'm not racist, some of my best friends are black/Korean/Egyptian" responses?

Of course they do but they freak out when you call them on it because after all, they don't see themselves as dirty ol' racists like David DuKKKe.

[TonyB06]

I think this is overkill. Unless it was excessive papering (vandalism?), the kid is from South Africa, and is now, I'm presuming, an American, so he's eligible. Yeah, it may have been done to piss off the "black" Af-Ams but we need thicker skin; there's not a reason I can see to penalize the kid. I think it's this type of overreaction (by the school) that leads to a lot of the "politically correct" discussions we hear.

[abaici]

Originally posted by TonyB06
I think this is overkill. Unless it was excessive papering (vandalism?), the kid is from South Africa, and is now, I'm presuming, an American, so he's eligible. Yeah, it may have been done to piss off the "black" Af-Ams but we need thicker skin; there's not a reason I can see to penalize the kid. I think it's this type of overreaction (by the school) that leads to a lot of the "politically correct" discussions we hear.

I agree. Only allowing Af-Ams to be eligible for the MLK award leaves a bad taste in my mouth anyway.

[enlightenment06]

Whether having an award which goes strictly to an African-American is a debateable topic, none of those kids have the right to complain when they are in such the majority. Does it really make that much of a difference in their life? I feel like racial classifications were made to control us, and then when we try to use it for our own protection or advantage, race becomes an issue everyone should get past. When we try to play the game the rules get changed. Where's the justice in that?


this isn't directed at anyone, I just had some pent up energy from another thread I had to express and I wanted to come home to express it.

[abaici]

Originally posted by enlightenment06
Whether having an award which goes strictly to an African-American is a debateable topic, none of those kids have the right to complain when they are in such the majority. Does it really make that much of a difference in their life? I feel like racial classifications were made to control us, and then when we try to use it for our own protection or advantage, race becomes an issue everyone should get past. When we try to play the game the rules get changed. Where's the justice in that?


this isn't directed at anyone, I just had some pent up energy from another thread I had to express and I wanted to come home to express it.

WOO WOO WOO, it's ok!! I hear what you are saying. But, I still don't think a Black person should receive the MLK award. It's fine to have an award for a deserving African American scholar, but I think that another person (or no one at all) should be the representative. Why MLK?? To have the award as it is seems as if the school is trying too hard to be inclusive. When people do that, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am not against race selective (for lack of a better term) awards, but why MLK? I think the MLK award should perhaps go to the student who has exhibited humantarian skills. That just makes more sense to me. But, JMO!

[enlightenment06]

Originally posted by abaici
WOO WOO WOO, it's ok!! I hear what you are saying. But, I still don't think a Black person should receive the MLK award. It's fine to have an award for a deserving African American scholar, but I think that another person (or no one at all) should be the representative. Why MLK?? To have the award as it is seems as if the school is trying too hard to be inclusive. When people do that, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am not against race selective (for lack of a better term) awards, but why MLK? I think the MLK award should perhaps go to the student who has exhibited humantarian skills. That just makes more sense to me. But, JMO!

yeah we have an MLK award here at GW and it's not race selective. I agree that the legacy of MLK probably wouldn't include an award that was just for Black folk. Now a Marcus Garvey Award....

[aurora_borealis]

Wow, that is pretty astounding.
If color has never been an issue in this woman's home, why did she have to mention it? If it wasn't an issue she wouldn't feel the need to point it out.

I cosign on the MLK Jr award being for all students. Any student that is living Dr. King's dream, and working toward similar goals could be eligible.

OT: I am still very annoyed with the Virginia Jackson/King/Lee Holiday. Out of all days to honor the Confederacy, they chose that one. I read the paperwork on it, and they did it in 1996, wth? Confederacy or not Dr King was about peace, love, nonviolence, and eqality.

[Strive]

So it finally happened. One writer wrote (paraphrasing) that as a people, Blacks or African Americans or Color, need to stop using the word African American because a white person born in Africa and nationalize in America can qualify for every grant, scholarship, fellowship, loan, or whatever.
Those things were for blacks only.

But anyway, the young man qualified for the award.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I have met a few people from Africa. Most of the are white. Africa is pretty diverse.

[TonyB06]

Originally posted by Strive
So it finally happened. One writer wrote (paraphrasing) that as a people, Blacks or African Americans or Color, need to stop using the word African American because a white person born in Africa and nationalize in America can qualify for every grant, scholarship, fellowship, loan, or whatever.
Those things were for blacks only.

...I must have missed this. who said that?

[aurora_borealis]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
I have met a few people from Africa. Most of the are white. Africa is pretty diverse.

OT again: but where I currently attend school it is predominately white, and hispanics/latinos are the second largest group. That being, most of the black people here are actually international students from African countries, and a few from the Caribbean islands. We have no NPHC groups of our own, but my understanding is that students from here affiliate through the other large State U eight miles away.

[DoggyStyle82]

Originally posted by Strive
So it finally happened. One writer wrote (paraphrasing) that as a people, Blacks or African Americans or Color, need to stop using the word African American because a white person born in Africa and nationalize in America can qualify for every grant, scholarship, fellowship, loan, or whatever.
Those things were for blacks only.

But anyway, the young man qualified for the award.

People, we had this discussion once before with people erroneously stating that we should not use that term for this very reason. That is a fallacy. There are distinctions between Nationality (the country in which one is born or acculterated) and Racial Classification. Generally, in the U.S, the term "African American" relates to racial zenotype and not nationality. White South Aficans do not qualify as "African Americans" and these kids knew that. They were being wise-asses. I'm not into political correctness, nor separating races in school, which this award does. It isolates the black students as not being regular, or somehow deficient to need their own award because they are not good enough to compete for the general award. I'm sure the school must feel that this is needed because of some socio-economic imbalances in the community, but it is actually set-up for both races to feel that one is inferior.