Travesty of the day
Oct. 24th, 2008 11:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rdwaynewrightA new feature to go with the story of the day because there are as many bad stories in the politcal arena as there are good ones. This one is so despicable it would be a disservice to the students involved if it wasn't publicized.
From: Pennlive
Racial remarks weren't countered
Thursday, October 23, 2008
We still have a long way to go to bridge our racial divide, not only as a nation, but also in our own back yard.
On Oct. 21, SciTech High School invited students to John McCain's rally at the Forum. While the majority of our students back Barack Obama, about 10 percent support McCain.
Throughout this election campaign SciTech High students have had the good fortune of being able to hear Obama, Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean. Many wanted to hear McCain's perspectives for their own learning and decision-making process.
The SciTech students were role model participants, and regardless of their political affiliation found value in the experience. Outside, some of the students put on their Obama buttons (buttons they respectfully removed while at the McCain rally). A few students cheerfully hugged and jostled their friends who were supporting McCain.
What happened next in front of the Forum was unacceptable. A white female loudly demoralized the student group, specifically the African-American students, by making several derogatory comments and suppositions about welfare. Our students simply walked away, and in the process had to guide one of the SciTech chaperones so that she could not confront the ignorant women shouting obscenities toward the 14-18-year-old students. Several adults and community leaders were in earshot, but no one with the exception of the chaperones defended the students' honor.
One person's vocal ignorance started the storm, but it was the silence of the standby majority that was deafening.
-- MICHAEL REED, Principal, SciTech High School Harrisburg
From: Pennlive
Racial remarks weren't countered
Thursday, October 23, 2008
We still have a long way to go to bridge our racial divide, not only as a nation, but also in our own back yard.
On Oct. 21, SciTech High School invited students to John McCain's rally at the Forum. While the majority of our students back Barack Obama, about 10 percent support McCain.
Throughout this election campaign SciTech High students have had the good fortune of being able to hear Obama, Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean. Many wanted to hear McCain's perspectives for their own learning and decision-making process.
The SciTech students were role model participants, and regardless of their political affiliation found value in the experience. Outside, some of the students put on their Obama buttons (buttons they respectfully removed while at the McCain rally). A few students cheerfully hugged and jostled their friends who were supporting McCain.
What happened next in front of the Forum was unacceptable. A white female loudly demoralized the student group, specifically the African-American students, by making several derogatory comments and suppositions about welfare. Our students simply walked away, and in the process had to guide one of the SciTech chaperones so that she could not confront the ignorant women shouting obscenities toward the 14-18-year-old students. Several adults and community leaders were in earshot, but no one with the exception of the chaperones defended the students' honor.
One person's vocal ignorance started the storm, but it was the silence of the standby majority that was deafening.
-- MICHAEL REED, Principal, SciTech High School Harrisburg
