Black History Month is Racist

[Toothfairy]

Parents these days are so damn ignorant.

Fox News’ morning show “Fox & Friends†is generally insensitive, often factually wrong, sometimes downright offensive. Thursday morning, the show became a parody of itself when it interviewed two white Virginia parents, Rebecca and Charles, who are outraged because their 8-year-old daughter’s school district held a Black History Month event.

“Everywhere that we looked were students, high school students, wearing shirts that said ‘Black Lives Matter, I Can’t Breathe,†said Rebecca. “As I was flipping through my program, it had ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.â€

Although Charles wanted his daughter removed from the event immediately, Rebecca decided to allow her to stay to sing with her choir.

“Students started coming out on stage saying things like, ‘I’m from Ferguson, Missouri. I was told to put my hands up. I did and I was shot seven times. My name isMichael Brown,†Rebecca recalled. “I immediately realized that this was not something that was a good idea for my daughter to be seeing.â€

After the assembly, Rebecca and Charles’ daughter asked why cops shoot “good peopleâ€â€“ a conversation that Charles just wasn’t ready to have!

“It took me off guard. We really had to have a discussion with our daughter in great detail about current events we should never have had,†he said. “We should have been notified as parents, and we were not. There has been no apology. There has been no ‘This will not happen again.’ And that needs to be done.â€

Of course it's fox news

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/19/all_whi ... nth_event/

[nomoxian]

This is one of those rare times where I read a story about an American school doing something good

[Peas n carrots]

This seems to be a tactic with racists/misogynists etc...if you point out they are being racist/sexist, then they come back at you with "you are racist against whites/men etc."

[pattygbucks]

“Students started coming out on stage saying things like, ‘I’m from Ferguson, Missouri. I was told to put my hands up. I did and I was shot seven times. My name is Michael Brown,â€

So you support a performance that has children reciting a narrative that has been determined not credible? Then would you object to a performance that has children saying something like "I am a Christian. I attended church daily and prayed often, I'm George Washington"

An Excerpt from DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REPORT REGARDING THE

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE SHOOTING DEATH

OF MICHAEL BROWN BY FERGUSON, MISSOURI POLICE

OFFICER DARREN WILSON:

Although there are several individuals who have stated that Brown held his hands up in an unambiguous sign of surrender prior to Wilson shooting him dead, their accounts do not support a prosecution of Wilson. As detailed throughout this report, some of those accounts are

inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence; some of those accounts are materially inconsistent with that witness’s own prior statements with no explanation, credible for otherwise, as to why those accounts changed over time. Certain other

witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts, admitting that they did not witness the shooting or parts of it, despite what they initially reported either to federal or local law enforcement or to the media. Prosecutors did not

rely on those accounts when making a prosecutive decision.

While credible witnesses gave varying accounts of exactly what Brown was doing with his hands as he moved toward Wilson – i.e., balling them, holding them out, or pulling up his pants up – and varying accounts of how he was moving – i.e., “charging,†moving in “slow

motion,†or “running†– they all establish that Brown was moving toward Wilson when Wilson shot him. Although some witnesses state that Brown held his hands up at shoulder level with his palms facing outward for a brief moment, these same witnesses describe Brown then dropping his hands and “charging†at Wilson.

[BrownieMomma]

An appropriate conversation for high school students does not necessarily translate into an appropriate event for 8yo's.

If only Mom had submitted to her headship....

[anjulibai]

So you support a performance that has children reciting a narrative that has been determined not credible? Then would you object to a performance that has children saying something like "I am a Christian. I attended church daily and prayed often, I'm George Washington"

An Excerpt from DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REPORT REGARDING THE

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE SHOOTING DEATH

OF MICHAEL BROWN BY FERGUSON, MISSOURI POLICE

OFFICER DARREN WILSON:

Although there are several individuals who have stated that Brown held his hands up in an unambiguous sign of surrender prior to Wilson shooting him dead, their accounts do not support a prosecution of Wilson. As detailed throughout this report, some of those accounts are

inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence; some of those accounts are materially inconsistent with that witness’s own prior statements with no explanation, credible for otherwise, as to why those accounts changed over time. Certain other

witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts, admitting that they did not witness the shooting or parts of it, despite what they initially reported either to federal or local law enforcement or to the media. Prosecutors did not

rely on those accounts when making a prosecutive decision.

While credible witnesses gave varying accounts of exactly what Brown was doing with his hands as he moved toward Wilson – i.e., balling them, holding them out, or pulling up his pants up – and varying accounts of how he was moving – i.e., “charging,†moving in “slow

motion,†or “running†– they all establish that Brown was moving toward Wilson when Wilson shot him. Although some witnesses state that Brown held his hands up at shoulder level with his palms facing outward for a brief moment, these same witnesses describe Brown then dropping his hands and “charging†at Wilson.

Ack, a troll!!!!

[anjulibai]

I'm calling BS on the original story. I just don't think this happened.

[pattygbucks]

Ack, a troll!!!!

Maybe I don't understand the definition of the word. Just curious, why do you consider me a troll?

[sparkles]

Granted, this is Fox so I'm not surprised, but what's missing here is context. If the entire focus of the event was on the recent racially charged events in Ferguson and elsewhere, then I think I'd be uncomfortable with it as well, especially for young children, and that it's best left for age-appropriate, in-classroom discussion, where it most definitely belongs. If it was a small part of a larger celebration of Black History Month, then the parents and Fox need to STFU.

[formergothardite]

Are there any clips from this program? Every school program I have attended has been filled with parents making videos.

[2xx1xy1JD]

So you support a performance that has children reciting a narrative that has been determined not credible? Then would you object to a performance that has children saying something like "I am a Christian. I attended church daily and prayed often, I'm George Washington"

An Excerpt from DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REPORT REGARDING THE

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE SHOOTING DEATH

OF MICHAEL BROWN BY FERGUSON, MISSOURI POLICE

OFFICER DARREN WILSON:

Although there are several individuals who have stated that Brown held his hands up in an unambiguous sign of surrender prior to Wilson shooting him dead, their accounts do not support a prosecution of Wilson. As detailed throughout this report, some of those accounts are

inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence; some of those accounts are materially inconsistent with that witness’s own prior statements with no explanation, credible for otherwise, as to why those accounts changed over time. Certain other

witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts, admitting that they did not witness the shooting or parts of it, despite what they initially reported either to federal or local law enforcement or to the media. Prosecutors did not

rely on those accounts when making a prosecutive decision.

While credible witnesses gave varying accounts of exactly what Brown was doing with his hands as he moved toward Wilson – i.e., balling them, holding them out, or pulling up his pants up – and varying accounts of how he was moving – i.e., “charging,†moving in “slow

motion,†or “running†– they all establish that Brown was moving toward Wilson when Wilson shot him. Although some witnesses state that Brown held his hands up at shoulder level with his palms facing outward for a brief moment, these same witnesses describe Brown then dropping his hands and “charging†at Wilson.

I would support the school subsequently having discussions about this. Talking about how a story can be so powerful that it takes hold of everyone, even if it isn't actually true. Talking about how there are lots of examples of people reacting to false information, and giving examples. Talking about reasons why "hands up, don't shoot" was so easily believed, and what made the Ferguson police department lack credibility. Talking about how myths/false beliefs were sometimes used to fuel racism. Talk about how we know that things we hear or read but haven't seen ourselves are actually true.

My son is 10 and has been following the story on the news from the beginning. 8 yr old kids can handle the discussion - the question is whether the adults in their lives are prepared to have it.

[VelociRapture]

An appropriate conversation for high school students does not necessarily translate into an appropriate event for 8yo's.

If only Mom had submitted to her headship....

I agree. I think it really depends on a few factors: age of the audience, maturity of the audience, setting of the event, etc.

I think that its a good thing that schools are attempting to have a conversation about race relations in this country. I'm hopeful that educating kids from a young age that racism is still exists and is wrong could help change things at some point - maybe not immediately, but someday. I'm not sure that having students walk onto stage like that or basing the entire assembly on this situation would be a good idea for a bunch of third graders though. I can't judge though because I honestly don't know whether that was the case or not.

I would support the school subsequently having discussions about this. Talking about how a story can be so powerful that it takes hold of everyone, even if it isn't actually true. Talking about how there are lots of examples of people reacting to false information, and giving examples. Talking about reasons why "hands up, don't shoot" was so easily believed, and what made the Ferguson police department lack credibility. Talking about how myths/false beliefs were sometimes used to fuel racism. Talk about how we know that things we hear or read but haven't seen ourselves are actually true.

My son is 10 and has been following the story on the news from the beginning. 8 yr old kids can handle the discussion - the question is whether the adults in their lives are prepared to have it.

I think that it is a good idea to discuss some aspects, but maybe not everything; 8 year old can handle a good amount of information, but they can't handle everything so it might be good to tailor the assembly or discussion to fit their developmental stage. I don't know if it was particularly helpful to have the students walk out and say that stuff (again, I wasn't there so I can't judge). Maybe putting the focus more on the things you mentioned and why people react the way they do to this story and others like it would be a better approach.

[polecat]

So you support a performance that has children reciting a narrative that has been determined not credible? Then would you object to a performance that has children saying something like "I am a Christian. I attended church daily and prayed often, I'm George Washington"

Maybe it's not been on the national news, but the city of Ferguson is going through incredible tumult right now. Several cops have been fired or suspended, and the city manager, a judge and a clerk have also been ousted. It's "funny" that half the damn place is racist, but of course, not Darren Wilson. Did I mention that Wilson was recently a speaker of note at a fundraiser for another cop who's been suspended for assaulting and stealing from someone -- a case that isn't nearly as he said/he said as Wilson's case, a case in which the officer in question is most likely guilty as sin.

Thing is, just because a grand jury and the JD didn't find anything against DW doesn't mean he's actually innocent. It just means there wasn't enough evidence to prove a charge. Regardless -- it's not exactly the school's place to promote that narrative, but there are positive ways they can discuss the incident in a forward-moving direction without focusing on the he said/he said aspects of the case, such as why people were so angry (riots and protests do not occur in a vacuum) and how this reflects back to a sad, dark history in which black people WERE being gunned down openly and without consequence. We can show kids the long way we've come and explain how much further we still have to go.

*gently stepping off soapbox before someone can shove me off*

[Antimony]

Maybe it's not been on the national news, but the city of Ferguson is going through incredible tumult right now. Several cops have been fired or suspended, and the city manager, a judge and a clerk have also been ousted. It's "funny" that half the damn place is racist, but of course, not Darren Wilson. Did I mention that Wilson was recently a speaker of note at a fundraiser for another cop who's been suspended for assaulting and stealing from someone -- a case that isn't nearly as he said/he said as Wilson's case, a case in which the officer in question is most likely guilty as sin.

Thing is, just because a grand jury and the JD didn't find anything against DW doesn't mean he's actually innocent. It just means there wasn't enough evidence to prove a charge. Regardless -- it's not exactly the school's place to promote that narrative, but there are positive ways they can discuss the incident in a forward-moving direction without focusing on the he said/he said aspects of the case, such as why people were so angry (riots and protests do not occur in a vacuum) and how this reflects back to a sad, dark history in which black people WERE being gunned down openly and without consequence. We can show kids the long way we've come and explain how much further we still have to go.

*gently stepping off soapbox before someone can shove me off*

Nah, nah I dig the soapbox thing.

The other note is that the grand jury proceedings were decidedly suspect. There's been a bit of research on it but the Young Turks did a pretty good tearing apart of it (and Wilson's interview). The Ferguson police were shown to be particularly corrupt, out right racist, etc and evidence suggests that the GJ prosecutor never intended to even attempt to well, uh, actually prosecute.

Also, the mother isn't being very clear. The school DISTRICT did this performance but "Everywhere that we looked were students, high school students, wearing shirts that said ‘Black Lives Matter, I Can’t Breathe,â€. It sounds to me like she took her child to a performance put on by an older school and then got upset when it wasn't age appropriate.

If you look at the poster shown by the Fox Clip, it clearly says "Orange County High School Presents". She did apparently have her 8 year old in the choir but it's also up to her to decide what material she allows her daughter to participate in. High schools can put on much more gruesome, dark, and (often) truthful performances.

When my high school performed Sweeney Todd, we got complaints from parents who were bringing their children to see it that it was too violent. Like, um, maybe don't bring your kids to bring Sweeney Todd. We ended up having to put content warning signs all over the school entrance.

Also, ALL OF THIS ASIDE, while this is a conversation that is sad to have with 8 year olds, it is a conversation most black families will have had with their children by this age. Tamir Rice was 12. Twelve. I do not believe schools should have to apologize for controversial material. And as for the father being a cop, if he cannot have the self-awareness to see the problems in his own system, screw him.

The best cop I ever met was teaching one day of my 30-day intensive training to work at a women's shelter. He gave us a lecture on the law and then just kind of took a deep sigh and said, "Look, you can't trust all of us. I'm sorry. We don't always have the laws to protect the people we need and we're sometimes just as sexist as every other person on the street. I'm sorry. I want a good relationship with this organization and I want to be able to help but some of my coworkers do not." He was right. I've known women who called the police for domestic violence calls and hung up on or told to deal with it. (Sources on more of how this is a problem, www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/20 ... ds/380329/ and http://womenandpolicing.com/violencefs.asp). if the system can be this flawed over gender, it should not come as a surprise to anybody that police violence could have a racial component.

If this father cannot admit that some of his colleagues are corrupt, racist, etc. then he isn't being honest with his child and he isn't doing his job properly. If he can't suck it up when life gives his daughter difficult questions, then he isn't doing his job as a parent. If the idea that the lives of black students upsets him, he isn't doing his job to protect or serve, parent, or just you know like, be part of his community either.

[VelociRapture]

Maybe it's not been on the national news, but the city of Ferguson is going through incredible tumult right now. Several cops have been fired or suspended, and the city manager, a judge and a clerk have also been ousted. It's "funny" that half the damn place is racist, but of course, not Darren Wilson. Did I mention that Wilson was recently a speaker of note at a fundraiser for another cop who's been suspended for assaulting and stealing from someone -- a case that isn't nearly as he said/he said as Wilson's case, a case in which the officer in question is most likely guilty as sin.

Thing is, just because a grand jury and the JD didn't find anything against DW doesn't mean he's actually innocent. It just means there wasn't enough evidence to prove a charge. Regardless -- it's not exactly the school's place to promote that narrative, but there are positive ways they can discuss the incident in a forward-moving direction without focusing on the he said/he said aspects of the case, such as why people were so angry (riots and protests do not occur in a vacuum) and how this reflects back to a sad, dark history in which black people WERE being gunned down openly and without consequence. We can show kids the long way we've come and explain how much further we still have to go.

*gently stepping off soapbox before someone can shove me off*

Excellent point. Someone can be guilty as sin and just be lucky enough to get away with it due to a lack of evidence.

I don't know whether Wilson is a racist. I don't know if he intentionally meant to kill Michael or not. I don't even know whether or not he honestly felt his life was in danger at the time of the shooting. What I do know, however, is that this young man was killed by an Officer of the law. The least that could have been done was an actually transparent investigation into the matter.

That said, I do find it a bit disgusting that Michael's mother went on a facebook rant regarding the shooting of two Ferguson Police Officers and how no one should pray for them. I understand she is incredibly upset and is in a state of deep grief - she experienced something that no parent should ever have to deal with - but I do think its wrong to lash out at two officers who were injured in the line of duty who haven't been accused of any specific wrongdoing.

Nah, nah I dig the soapbox thing.

The other note is that the grand jury proceedings were decidedly suspect. There's been a bit of research on it but the Young Turks did a pretty good tearing apart of it (and Wilson's interview). The Ferguson police were shown to be particularly corrupt, out right racist, etc and evidence suggests that the GJ prosecutor never intended to even attempt to well, uh, actually prosecute.

Excellent points. I really wish that the Prosecutor had gone about things in a much different manner, but as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong) he didn't technically do anything wrong by going through a Grand Jury first. I don't think throwing all the evidence available at the Jury was the right choice and that, as a voice for the people, he should have actually done the job he was supposed to do.

Also, the mother isn't being very clear. The school DISTRICT did this performance but "Everywhere that we looked were students, high school students, wearing shirts that said ‘Black Lives Matter, I Can’t Breathe,â€. It sounds to me like she took her child to a performance put on by an older school and then got upset when it wasn't age appropriate.

If you look at the poster shown by the Fox Clip, it clearly says "Orange County High School Presents". She did apparently have her 8 year old in the choir but it's also up to her to decide what material she allows her daughter to participate in. High schools can put on much more gruesome, dark, and (often) truthful performances.

That makes a huge difference to the story! I can understand if she was upset because she felt the material was too much for her 8 year-old to deal with - but she has the option of removing the child from the assembly if she wants to. Unless her daughter would have been punished academically for not performing, I don't see an issue with being an adult and just leaving.

Also, ALL OF THIS ASIDE, while this is a conversation that is sad to have with 8 year olds, it is a conversation most black families will have had with their children by this age. Tamir Rice was 12. Twelve. I do not believe schools should have to apologize for controversial material. And as for the father being a cop, if he cannot have the self-awareness to see the problems in his own system, screw him.

I agree that this is a conversation that most minority families have to have starting from a young age - it's really depressing that they do, but its also necessary because they do face more risks than white kids do. A High School shouldn't have to apologize for this type of assembly - I do think an Elementary School should tailor it a bit to fit the audience though (at the very least, they would still be having the conversation which is a great thing).

I say this as a young white female from the North who has never had to face these type of situations personally - I can't say why this family reacted this way and I do think some white families are racist, but I also think there are some families who simply don't know how to broach the topic or at what age to do so. Race is such a tricky topic in this country and there are people on both sides who approach it in the wrong way (ie. claiming all black people are thugs or all whites are racist assholes). I think that that a lot of white parents are scared to approach the topic because we don't want to be viewed as racist and we don't want to say (or do) anything that would come across that way. I think that the conversation about race should try to touch on that a bit so that all parents can feel comfortable broaching the topic to their young kids.

I want to have kids and I want to teach them that Racism does exist and that everyone needs to do their part to help battle against it. . . but I honestly have no clue how to even start talking about it. I'll probably have to do a good amount of research to be sure we do a good job with that.

If this father cannot admit that some of his colleagues are corrupt, racist, etc. then he isn't being honest with his child and he isn't doing his job properly. If he can't suck it up when life gives his daughter difficult questions, then he isn't doing his job as a parent. If the idea that the lives of black students upsets him, he isn't doing his job to protect or serve, parent, or just you know like, be part of his community either.

This entire paragraph wins. I have a lot of respect for Police Officers - they risk their lives to protect others and their jobs are incredibly difficult. . . but this man is delusional to think that all Cops are good people and he isn't doing his child any favors by pretending otherwise.

[formergothardite]

I can find a video of the students discussing Eric Garner during the program, but not Michael Brown. Can anyone else find a video of the Michael Brown part?

[2xx1xy1JD]

Good point that this was at a high school. Yes, students in high school discuss current events and controversies. That's appropriate. As I said above, my only concern would be about whether the school made it clear initially that the investigation was ongoing before accepting one version of events, and whether they will have the discussion I suggested now that the Department of Justice report is out.

I'm not saying that the DoJ report of the final word. There clearly are issues in Ferguson, and this case exploded because the average black resident was able to relate to the idea of being stopped unfairly. The original reason for stopping Michael Brown was beyond trivial. There's a difference between saying "no racism at all" and "a shooting was justified as self-defense". It also appears as though there is currently strong evidence that shots were fired in the police car, and that the "hands up" evidence was simply not credible at all.

Circumstances force parents to have difficult discussions with kids all the time. Is it easy to explain to a child that family was killed in the Holocaust, or about 9/11, or about why the new kid in class came here as a refugee, or about ISIS, or about why kids go hungry, or any other problem? Not everyone has the privilege of ignorance.

Re police and domestic violence: My worst example was a cop who responded to a client's complaint that her ex was violating the terms of his probation and harassing her. The client told me that he tried to "resolve" the issue, and then asked her if she wanted to talk about the problem over dinner with him. I made note of the conversation and told her that he was completely out of line. She turned him down. He subsequently twisted a conversation that he had with me, arrested her and charged her with mischief, and she was actually taken to jail until she was bailed out. Luckily, I had my notes of the dinner invite conversation and the case against her was eventually tossed out, but this was an appalling abuse of power with a woman in an extremely vulnerable position. Unfortunately, I will be far more reluctant to cooperate with that police department again.

[DGayle]

I can understand parents being concerned that schools are doing this with kids, and parents are finding out later, instead of trying to make it a community discussion so that parents can carry on conversations at home. But it's clear that those particular parents are really just, "Ew, black people." It sounds like they had a heads up.

Whether you think Brown should have been killed or that he was murdered (I think the latter--it's a PD that has systematically targeted black people, and this is NOT merely my opinion!), it's goddamned FOOLISH to overlook what's been happening. Black people ARE being targeted, and if you don't care, think about how that can affect your white ass. Maybe your doctor is killed, or your kid's boyfriend or girlfriend is the dead person next time. Maybe your precious child is caught in the crossfire. If black people don't matter, then think about yourself, and hopefully that'll make you give some kind of a damn.

[Curious]

Since I am in VA, I decided to google a bit and see if any non-Fox entities were discussing it. I found a few links, but most of them were what I would call biased.

This one nation.foxnews.com/2015/03/16/starnes-parents-furious-over-schools-anti-cop-assembly lists some of the other parts of the program (allegedly):

And get a load of the special readings for the show:

"VOICES: THE EXHAUSTING TASK OF BEING BLACK IN AMERICA."

"DOES MY BLACK LIFE MATTER"

"THEY DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT US"

From what I have read this was a High School event and none of those topics seem really out of line for that age group. IMO, they are all topical and make sense to have at an assembly. What better time to make kids think about the differences people go through when they are not in the majority than when they are youngish.

Look at all the college aged kids lately that have shown they don't understand that people other than themselves matter. How many frats have gotten in trouble in just the last few weeks?

Here is also an NBC affiliate covering it: http://www.nbc29.com/story/28533144/ora ... -political

[DGayle]

High school?! I thought those parents were bitching about 1st grade or something. High school is VERY appropriate. Those kids are getting to the point where it's especially dangerous to be black in America, and even the white kids need to be aware of the issues.

[Geechee Girl]

I was expecting this thread to be about some idiot questioning why there isn't a White History Month.

[Toothfairy]

There are some white people aka Republicans mostly saying that it's racist for blacks to have their own magazine, tv channel, and month. But if whites were to get the I own stuff its racist. Hello morans you do have your own stuff. You also have white privilege.

[Toothfairy]

High school?! I thought those parents were bitching about 1st grade or something. High school is VERY appropriate. Those kids are getting to the point where it's especially dangerous to be black in America, and even the white kids need to be aware of the issues.

Parents these days are too scared to talk with their kids. There's a division between minorities(Hispanic, Black) and whites here in America. I know that me as a white person gets treated differently than a black person. It's easier for whites to get jobs and have freedom of rights than a black person. I always talk about race to my kids. My daughter even took a sociology class last spring. It getting to the point that parents want to sheltered their kids from this kind of thing. They act like it doesn't exist and blacks just need to get over it. How can a group of people move on when they're still being discriminated against?

[samurai_sarah]

How terribly distressing! Maybe the parents would have preferred for their kid to learn about racism the way most "ethnic" children in a predominantly white environment do? It was fun trying to understand why someone I'd never met hated me, when I was six years old. /sarcasm

[dairyfreelife]

Don't you know black people have it better and it's their own fault for their circumstances? They choose to stay in the housing projects and think the government owes them everything. They get college for free because they are black so they don't have an excuse to not go to school. Maybe black people should think about why they are targeted and present themselves better because if they didn't dress like hoodlum thugs then no one would think about bothering them. They are in jail because they commit more crimes. No one whines the way black people do and other people have it way worse than they do, so it's their own fault they are in the position they are in. The media always whines about it when a black person gets harmed by a white person, but they say nothing when a white person is killed by a black person because the media is racist to whites. They can get out. They can pick themselves up by their bootstraps. Want to not be seen as a criminal, don't look like one then black people!

-All things I have heard from people regarding any case involving a black person being murdered by a white person or mixed white person (ex Zimmerman).