Reply to Take a knee during Pledge of Allegiance in VA Elementary school?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am reading this thread with some dismay. I'm surprised at the posters who don't believe there is still racism in America and in the world.

Take Lebron James--he's making more money than most of us will ever make, he's considered a superior athlete and a talented individual admired by many. His house is probably in a "very secure" neighborhood. Yet, even he had someone spraypaint the N-word on his front gate.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/sport/lebron-james-racist-graffiti-incident/index.html

I'm not sure that white Americans can picture what it's like to have words spraypainted on their homes? I'm a white woman--I can't picture coming home to "c*nt" spraypainted on my home? These things do not generally happen to most white Americans, even poor ones, let alone wealthy ones.

I think there are many many other instances of these kinds of insults. Can white Americans picture being afraid of being shot by police officers who might stop you for a speeding ticket? Can white Americans picture being unwelcome because your neighbors are convinced their house will depreciate in value because you B.O.U.G.H.T. a home at market value? [/quote]

Where did you grow up?  Pleasantville? I am not denying racism.  I am saying that the lives of people on DCUM are not as idyllic as yours seems to be.

Although I disagree with NFL players kneeling, I am ready to defend their right to do so.  [b]However, I don't think elementary school is necessarily the right place to start that conversation,[/b] and I certainly do not think elementary school teachers should protest while teaching.  [/quote]

To the posters who are concerned about the "right place," and argue that schools are not the right place for students to kneel (or for that matter other posters who have said that football stadiums are not the "right place" for football players to kneel), I just disagree. The right place is the place where your protest is lawful and where your protest will educate others. There's only so much point in protesting racism with the members of your family, many of whom are likely of the same race as you, in the privacy of your home. Surely the point of protest is to foster conversation, awareness and learning about the injustice that concerns you?

While I think teachers have an individual right to kneel, I'd absolutely agree that it's not legit to bring personal politics into the classroom (they are public employees, at least teachers at public schools are.) I don't know that this is "illegal" but in my mind a pubic employee should represent as much of the public as they reasonably can... So that would be an example of the kind of protest I could not condone. Just as I would say that protesters who destroy property that is not their own should never be supported.

But outside of these kinds of examples, a safe lawful protest is best done in public and is most likely to produce a meaningful conversation about racism if it's visible.[/quote]

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