HOS Dressed as Pharaoh for Super Hero Promo video during the month of Passover... wtf?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most Jews that are actually involved with their Judaism would say this raises eyebrows. Maybe not full blown anti-sem but certainly an indication to explore more. This school has taken approach to celebrate all holidays, but when we were there over a decade ago it was 80 percent Christmas in December, and then some dreidel crafts and Diwali thrown in. However the admissions department will portray it as equal and inviting for all. If you are truly diverse in a non-Christian sense, this is not the best fit for you. And that is okay. Schools have a right to choose their identity.

You must have been here ages ago. We find it quite diverse. My kids have been enlightened to many holidays because the diverse parents are allowed to come in and share about their cultures, which we really appreciate.

NP here. I've never been to Congressional and only know about it from DCUM, but this post doesn't make me feel better. So the school sponsors Christmas activities but deigns to allow "diverse" parents to be on display about their holidays? Ick.

DP. Where does it say that the school sponsors Christmas activities? And what better ways to expose kids to other cultures than have people from those cultures share their experiences? I don't think it would be better to have teachers/administrators, who probably aren't from those communities, take on that role if there are others who can do it better.

You say "ick," but how would you do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s offensive because the theme of the video was Super Heroes. Head of school dressed as Pharoah as a super hero close to the Jewish holiday of Passover in which Pharoah enslaved the Jews. Whether you argue the fiction or truth of the story, it is insensitive and clueless. There also is a strong undercurrent of Anti-Semitism with Egyptian symbology in recent CPAC controversy. It was either clueless or offensive. But since it has come to light, it should be addressed.

DP, but also, a Pharoh is not a superhero. Superman, Spiderman, whatever, but a Pharoh? WTF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol poor guy is probably thinking “Damn it. I should have just worn a cape!”

Yes, that would have been the wise decision if the theme is "superhero"

[Anonymous]

No dressing up as anything other than your own identity. No cultural appropriation. Stick to your identity labels people!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we get back to the civil war dresses? In Virginia?!?

Seriously, lets stop worrying about those pesky Jews and get back to racial insensitivities that people actually care about.

Those Jews should walk a mile in a black persons shoes before they complain about a superhero costume

Yeah, right on. Those $700 Nike Lebrons will walk nicely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is absolutely mind boggling! Here are a bunch of non Jews telling us that this is offensive and insensitive and tone deaf while most Jewish posters say that it’s nothing of the sort. What the hell is going on here? We have real antisemitism to deal with. Synagogues being defaced. Males who cannot wear a kippah in certain areas out of fear of being attacked. This is NOT antisemitic.

Thank you! I feel the same way. Maybe I read Tablet and Forward too much, but there are real hate crimes going on. This is just . . . whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we get back to the civil war dresses? In Virginia?!?

Seriously, lets stop worrying about those pesky Jews and get back to racial insensitivities that people actually care about.

Those Jews should walk a mile in a black persons shoes before they complain about a superhero costume

Maybe don't say "those Jews" when you are trying to down play anti semitism.

Also, prejudice is not a competitive sport. There can be racism AND antisemitism, and anti-Asian sentiment. Islamophobia too . . .etc.

[Anonymous]

None of us can change how another receives a message. If someone felt it was inappropriate or offensive to them, then it was. If not, that's cool, too.

Though I'm stopping short of believing it was done with malice and am willing to give some grace on what appears to be a misunderstanding. There are things that each of us may do that could be offensive to people from different cultures, religions, upbringings, or sensibilities. Piling on doesn't provide a solution - only conversations and shared perspectives will.

And while not exactly one of the major religions of the world, I do look forward to the defense of Wicca on DCUM this Halloween in response to those who dressed as caricatures of witches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if you read this teachers Twitter feed, it also talks about “American Expansion” and how amazing it was that we “acquired all this land in only 70 years!” Omg, so tone deaf

Also I would not want my kids photos being used on a teachers personal Twitter feed that is open to the world to see.

I’d love to hear from Congressional parents. The pharaoh was awkward, and not sure I under its place in a video about superheroes, but whatever.

More concerning seems to be what kids are learning in your classrooms. Is the school community ok with these approaches?

(And on the photos Q, don’t schools need a waiver before posting photos of kids?)

And these days (or anytime), I would not want my child dressed in antebellum costume memorialized on social media forever...

100 percent this. Also, since there are two issues in close succession (pharoh and this) my sense is that this school just is not as sensitive as it is trying to proclaim. Maybe it needs to do the deep dive, and realize that the culture here of attempting surface level tolerance and diversity is no match for actually educating its staff and students on these matters.

100% this. If the school does not get how these appear, they are missing the entire narrative on D+I in our country.

Great that the teacher is known to be progressive. She should surely then be able to see why posting photos of young white females in antebellum attire for posterity on social media is just a horrible idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congressional parent here... that teacher everyone is taking down is actually the most liberal-minded, social justice evangelical, anti-racist and incredible teacher at the school. You can’t get through a conversation with her without hearing about oppression and our role in fighting it. You’re going after the wrong person and all from a social media post that you don’t have context for. Also, we do sign a waiver re photos.

Someone needs to tell her she's going overboard and needs to find a balance.

And maybe also tell the school that they don’t need to retweet it either.

[Anonymous]

Interestingly, the school has removed the fundraising video and the teacher removed the "fun" Antebellum photo shoot tweet (which also removed Congressional's re-share). Removing content is a solid indicator that they know they messed up, however Congressional doesn't seem to be willing to put that in writing on its social media... "hey, we are listening and some of our recent actions fall short of the inclusive culture we are trying to build."

Instead, they are saying "nothing to see here, move along please."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interestingly, the school has removed the fundraising video and the teacher removed the "fun" Antebellum photo shoot tweet (which also removed Congressional's re-share). Removing content is a solid indicator that they know they messed up, however Congressional doesn't seem to be willing to put that in writing on its social media... "hey, we are listening and some of our recent actions fall short of the inclusive culture we are trying to build."

Instead, they are saying "nothing to see here, move along please."

I'd suggest you stick to discussing what you know. The HOS sent out a message to the school community saying they had taken down the video and explaining why.

[Anonymous]

Well whenever Congressional School Falls Church is searched on this site, people will learn about it. And then they can ask their own questions at admissions events and see if the answer meets their needs. As far as I’m concerned, this school is diversity in name only. Just because you hire a POC doesn’t mean you have reached the goal— the board, leadership, and faculty must be committed to actual change. That means apologizing for this incident publicly, and showing they are willing to learn and grow from it. Not a bad lesson for their students btw. Perfection is not the goal, but certainly some humility and transparency about this would be a good start. Given how they handled the sexual assault incident, I highly doubt they are there yet. But it’s never too late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interestingly, the school has removed the fundraising video and the teacher removed the "fun" Antebellum photo shoot tweet (which also removed Congressional's re-share). Removing content is a solid indicator that they know they messed up, however Congressional doesn't seem to be willing to put that in writing on its social media... "hey, we are listening and some of our recent actions fall short of the inclusive culture we are trying to build."

Instead, they are saying "nothing to see here, move along please."

I'd suggest you stick to discussing what you know. The HOS sent out a message to the school community saying they had taken down the video and explaining why.

A private statement doesn't change public perception.

We were considering Congressional .... a statement to the school community does nothing to help me understand what is happening with the school or its reaction to two (at best) culturally insensitive flops.

[Anonymous]

They should post the statement here and on their website