Why aren't blacks protesting against the name of Wilson High like @ Princeton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My two cents:

1) Are we going to reject the Wilson name because of his serious transgressions but embrace Marion Barry despite his transgressions?

2) Part of having a human history is learning from it. There are multitudes of imperfect past leaders. Let's take their positives and more importantly, learn from their negatives and evolve as a species.

The answer to #1 is probably yes. You be in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need people to tell the truth about Alice Deal also!

I've always wondered who Alice Deal was. Google is no help.

The answer is not very exciting perhaps, but you will find it here: http://www.wdchumanities.org/docs/2011DCCHP/DCSchoolsHistandHeritage2011.pdf

[Anonymous]

A neighbor who is a retired foreign service officer told us that, while he was sad about anyone dying, he was glad to see Barry finally leave the DC political scene. He said that Barry reminded him a lot of various corrupt, inept, charismatic but buffoon-type strongmen he had seen in some of his Third World postings. He also said that in many other parts of the world the mayor of the capital city is expected to be a serious, consequential political figure, and our neighbor said it was frustrating to try to explain to non-Americans how the capital of the most important country on the planet had elected a crooked, incompetent, crack-addled racist hack to run the city.

[Anonymous]

I don't get the point, Wilson was a great man and most great men in our history books did horrible things to the losing side of what ever cause they championed. In fact I can't think of many if any great men though out history or even men we remember who didn't do something terrible. Stuff doesn't get named for people who plant trees.

We should do a better job of teaching African history and their contributions to this country but it makes it sort of hard for other cultures to honor their native history when the history of the world for the last 6-700 years has been to exploite Africa and Africans. Most people who lived during that period were either involved or complicit or not relevant enough to be remembered and it isn't like the Exploitation has even stopped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the point, Wilson was a great man and most great men in our history books did horrible things to the losing side of what ever cause they championed. In fact I can't think of many if any great men though out history or even men we remember who didn't do something terrible. Stuff doesn't get named for people who plant trees.

We should do a better job of teaching African history and their contributions to this country but it makes it sort of hard for other cultures to honor their native history when the history of the world for the last 6-700 years has been to exploite Africa and Africans. Most people who lived during that period were either involved or complicit or not relevant enough to be remembered and it isn't like the Exploitation has even stopped.

Don't also forget the recent history of Africa, in which Africans exploit other Africans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the point, Wilson was a great man and most great men in our history books did horrible things to the losing side of what ever cause they championed. In fact I can't think of many if any great men though out history or even men we remember who didn't do something terrible. Stuff doesn't get named for people who plant trees.

We should do a better job of teaching African history and their contributions to this country but it makes it sort of hard for other cultures to honor their native history when the history of the world for the last 6-700 years has been to exploite Africa and Africans. Most people who lived during that period were either involved or complicit or not relevant enough to be remembered and it isn't like the Exploitation has even stopped.

He ruined the lives of Americans. You are right that great leaders always have some kind of skeleton in the closet but you need to read US history to understand the exact nature of what he did. He got into office and ensured that people lost their careers and livelihoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the point, Wilson was a great man and most great men in our history books did horrible things to the losing side of what ever cause they championed. In fact I can't think of many if any great men though out history or even men we remember who didn't do something terrible. Stuff doesn't get named for people who plant trees.

We should do a better job of teaching African history and their contributions to this country but it makes it sort of hard for other cultures to honor their native history when the history of the world for the last 6-700 years has been to exploite Africa and Africans. Most people who lived during that period were either involved or complicit or not relevant enough to be remembered and it isn't like the Exploitation has even stopped.

He ruined the lives of Americans. You are right that great leaders always have some kind of skeleton in the closet but you need to read US history to understand the exact nature of what he did. He got into office and ensured that people lost their careers and livelihoods.

Yes but most white men of power ruined lives of non-white people over the last 700 years, should we ignor them all and wipe their legacies? Or should we honor their good while teaching the complete picture of what happened? He is honored because of his ties to the university and that he ascended to the highest rank our country can bestow. What next? Wiping Tomas Jefferson from UVA who raped his slaves and set up two hundred years of white dominance in America, seems to me that is far worse than a period correct bigot. Which brings up the point that of course he was a segregationist, you had to be to get elected back then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the point, Wilson was a great man and most great men in our history books did horrible things to the losing side of what ever cause they championed. In fact I can't think of many if any great men though out history or even men we remember who didn't do something terrible. Stuff doesn't get named for people who plant trees.

We should do a better job of teaching African history and their contributions to this country but it makes it sort of hard for other cultures to honor their native history when the history of the world for the last 6-700 years has been to exploite Africa and Africans. Most people who lived during that period were either involved or complicit or not relevant enough to be remembered and it isn't like the Exploitation has even stopped.

He ruined the lives of Americans. You are right that great leaders always have some kind of skeleton in the closet but you need to read US history to understand the exact nature of what he did. He got into office and ensured that people lost their careers and livelihoods.

Yes but most white men of power ruined lives of non-white people over the last 700 years, should we ignor them all and wipe their legacies? Or should we honor their good while teaching the complete picture of what happened? He is honored because of his ties to the university and that he ascended to the highest rank our country can bestow. What next? Wiping Tomas Jefferson from UVA who raped his slaves and set up two hundred years of white dominance in America, seems to me that is far worse than a period correct bigot. Which brings up the point that of course he was a segregationist, you had to be to get elected back then.

Wilson turned back the clock. He could have come into office and refused to do anything more to help AAs achieve equality. If he had just done that, I'd say, okay he was a man of the times. But he actually reversed the progress that had been made under previous presidents. Jefferson could not live up to his convictions but he didn't make things even worse for people than they already were.

Say, for example, our next president comes into office and says that gay people should not be allowed to work in the federal government and ensures that people are fired for being gay. That would be similar to what Wilson did to AAs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the point, Wilson was a great man and most great men in our history books did horrible things to the losing side of what ever cause they championed. In fact I can't think of many if any great men though out history or even men we remember who didn't do something terrible. Stuff doesn't get named for people who plant trees.

We should do a better job of teaching African history and their contributions to this country but it makes it sort of hard for other cultures to honor their native history when the history of the world for the last 6-700 years has been to exploite Africa and Africans. Most people who lived during that period were either involved or complicit or not relevant enough to be remembered and it isn't like the Exploitation has even stopped.

He ruined the lives of Americans. You are right that great leaders always have some kind of skeleton in the closet but you need to read US history to understand the exact nature of what he did. He got into office and ensured that people lost their careers and livelihoods.

Yes but most white men of power ruined lives of non-white people over the last 700 years, should we ignor them all and wipe their legacies? Or should we honor their good while teaching the complete picture of what happened? He is honored because of his ties to the university and that he ascended to the highest rank our country can bestow. What next? Wiping Tomas Jefferson from UVA who raped his slaves and set up two hundred years of white dominance in America, seems to me that is far worse than a period correct bigot. Which brings up the point that of course he was a segregationist, you had to be to get elected back then.

Wilson turned back the clock. He could have come into office and refused to do anything more to help AAs achieve equality. If he had just done that, I'd say, okay he was a man of the times. But he actually reversed the progress that had been made under previous presidents. Jefferson could not live up to his convictions but he didn't make things even worse for people than they already were.

Say, for example, our next president comes into office and says that gay people should not be allowed to work in the federal government and ensures that people are fired for being gay. That would be similar to what Wilson did to AAs.

And Lincoln wanted to send the freed slaves to Africa. By today's standards, that would be considered pretty bad. Yet we honor and memorialize Lincoln, virtues and vices together.

[jsteele]

Given that nobody has suggested that there is even the slightest effort to change the name of Wilson High School and the additional fact that the same posters are making the same tired posts that they've already made on even more tired threads, I am going to lock this thread.