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    TheEldreadMichael Harriot
    2/28/19 2:26pm

    On Tuesday, George Washington parents were sent an emailed newsletter that referenced the school’s “African-American Heritage Month assembly” in March that included a form allowing them to opt their kids out of attending the event.

    Skipping out on a Black History Month assembly is cool beans, but God forbid you decide to opt out of the national anthem.

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      Old white guyTheEldread
      2/28/19 3:58pm

      Or the pledge of allegiance.

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    JamieMichael Harriot
    2/28/19 2:11pm

    We are being trolled and tried for their amusement now. It’s no longer head scratching. It’s actually pull off earrings, vaseline up, and go outside.

    Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF
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      Dan HJamie
      2/28/19 2:18pm

      This LaLa GIF is everything right now....RIP...

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      JamieDan H
      2/28/19 4:25pm

      Miss him...

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    cdwag14Michael Harriot
    2/28/19 2:09pm

    As Black History Month concludes this story is a fitting end... and scene

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      PsiPhiGrrrlcdwag14
      2/28/19 4:09pm

      We should keep pushing for schools and organizations to do better (in funding and programs) all year long. It would also be great to see us pay ourselves first and see how much better off we are by next Black History Month:

      https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2018/black-impact-consumer-categories-where-african-americans-move-markets.html

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    ThirdAmendmentManMichael Harriot
    2/28/19 5:40pm

    I’m sure they also gave black students the option to opt out of White History...

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      R0n1nThirdAmendmentMan
      2/28/19 6:18pm

      You know that’s a graduation requirement. Can’t opt out.

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    Freak0nautMichael Harriot
    2/28/19 3:03pm

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      PsiPhiGrrrlFreak0naut
      2/28/19 3:52pm

      Time to use those Harriet Tubman stamps:

      https://www.wired.com/story/stamp-puts-harriet-tubmans-face-on-a-20-dollar-bill/

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    Old white guyMichael Harriot
    2/28/19 4:11pm

    “Activities during the assembly will include:

    - a deep dive into jazz, focused around the incredible work of Kenny G

    - handing out cotton to help some of the children understand what it was like way back when

    - hands-on cotton picking demonstrations

    - singing of spirituals and slave songs

    - participating in the role-playing game “Underground Railroad”. But they’re not going to say who’s a slave and who’s the slave catchers.

    - demonstrating the proper way to perform ‘jazz hands’, and explain how all black people should walk around this way at all times, so police officers don’t think they’re holding a weapon and need to be shot

    This will be followed by an open-panel discussion about race between our two african american histories instructors, Clay Craquer and Miss Becky Whytass, both of whom have a deep understanding of the black experience from their months of working at Colorado State Prison.”

     

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    Old white guyMichael Harriot
    2/28/19 4:01pm

    Why the fuck is black history being so ignored at Denver Public Schools that they need a one-day assembly?

    It’s not a one-day assembly. As the permission slip implies, it’s a one period assembly, as the kids opting out would go to period 2 like everyone else.

    that referenced the school’s “African-American Heritage Month assembly” in March

    OK, I see a problem. The Denver Public School district doesn’t even understand the concept that February is Black History Month. Excuse me, they’re celebrating African American Heritage Month. Hmmm, never heard of that.

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    Teacher Non PersonMichael Harriot
    3/01/19 1:43am

    I teach in Denver Public Schools (I’m a white teacher, but I’m not a white savior and I’m not posting here for accolades) and I can confirm that DPS treats black students terribly. I have a lot more evidence than I will include here, but I have grading to do.

    In DPS, black students with behavior problems are funneled into the A.N. program (affective needs), which puts them in a room where they get social skills instruction rather than academic instruction. I have had several black students who are “A.N” students, who could be very successful in my class, put into my class and then taken out because they are having issues in other classes. They are literally not allowed learn in my classroom because they can’t get along with another teacher in another class. These kids are smart and capable but since they cause ‘drama’ (drama that a non-racist teacher could deal with) they are treated as mentally impaired and eventually begin to behave as expected. I have only taught at schools that are mostly Latinx, but the classes I’ve taught for low-performing students have most of that grade’s black students in them. Most of these students belong in my honors classes.

    I’m currently teaching a (black) former A.N student in an advanced senior seminar. I’ve known this kid for a while and had been told about all of his deficiencies. He came into my class needing support, and gave me a bunch of attitude, and I told him that I was here for him but he had to do the reading on his own. He came to me two weeks later to tell me that my class was the first time he had read 75 pages of a book on his own. This week I pushed our homework back a day and he told me that he was still going to read ahead. He’s now on page 200 and he is such a brilliant reader and writer. He just needed to be told that he was expected to it independently.

    I’m not afraid of black students. I tell them that they aren’t all that tough when they get in my face and then they calm the fuck down. I don’t call security when a black student says something inappropriate, and, surprise surprise, those students don’t hate me or try to get kicked out of my class. If the only power a student has is to scare adults that is the power that they will gravitate towards. Students of any color prefer the power to make the adults around them love them. 

    Black students are just as wonderful and brilliant as other students. Teachers who are scared of black students should not be teachers. Period: end of story. And I’m so sorry if you are the parent of a black student who has a teacher or who goes to a school that doesn’t love them. Fight for your kids until they are loved as they deserve.

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    feather-throttle-not-hairMichael Harriot
    2/28/19 9:08pm

    Goddamnit. Non-black person here....we need this education. Badly. Actually you guys don’t need me to tell you that but ugh.

    If we didn’t want to learn about black history, we shouldn’t have had slaves in this country for 100 years. We shouldn’t have had segregation, we shouldn’t have been or continue to be really fucking racist.

    But since we did/had/were/are, its part of our history and we better goddamn make sure we learn about it.

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