Teachers In Trouble Over Black History Month Posters
Mar 4, 2010 Political
Three teachers in Los Angeles are in trouble after they gave posters of Dennis Rodman, RuPaul and OJ Simpson for kids to carry in a Black History Month parade. Evidently, some black people are not as appropriate as others:
Children from other classes at the school displayed photos of more appropriate black role models, such as Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and President Obama, Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry said. New York Daily News
I understand the apprehension over all this. OJ Simpson was accused of murder and was only found not guilty because they were able to find the only 12 people in the world who thought he did not do it. He is now in jail for using a gun to get back his belongings. Simpson though, was a great athlete before his troubles.
Dennis Rodman is just a weird person though he has had his troubles. But he too was a great athlete.
The article states there were posters of Michael Jackson and though Jackson was a great singer and extremely talented he was not without his legal troubles which involved sexual molestation of children.
Why is it that Jackson is appropriate and Simpson and Rodman are not?
[note]The NAACP honored Johnnie Cochran for the skill he used to defend Simpson. The indication was that it was OK to use race as an issue. In other words, Simpson was the victim.[/note]
What I am most perplexed about is the idea that RuPaul is a problem. RuPaul Charles is a guy who happens to be a drag queen. He has been very successful with this career and has his own show. RuPaul is also a singer who has recorded songs and music videos. What about RuPaul makes him an inappropriate choice?
Is it because RuPaul, when in drag, is a pretty good looking “lady” and the other women were jealous?
I though that the schools were all about diversity. I can understand the reluctance over Simpson and Rodman (though the inclusion of Jackson pretty much negates the issue) but I can’t understand why RuPaul is a problem, especially among folks who are supposed to be big on diversity.
The other thing that I want to know is did the teachers pick the person on the poster or did the children.
In any event, this seems like much ado about nothing.
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Tags: black history month, michael jackson, rodman, rupaul, simpson