Thread: Isn't This Racism ??

NY GIRL DRAWS SUPPORT FOLLOWING WHITE NATIONALISM POEM: Seven-year-old draws heat comparing Christopher Columbus to a pirate.
www.EURweb.com
March 17, 2006
*Seven-year-old Autum Ashante has a bunch of white folks up in arms and a number of black leaders defending her right to free speech after reciting a poem that compares Christopher Columbus and Charles Darwin to pirates and vampires.
On Feb. 28, the youngster read her poem, “White Nationalism Put U In Bondage,” at two high schools in New York City. She caps each perforamnce by asking students to stand and recite the "Black Child's Pledge," an oath of responsibility and black pride.
During the “Pledge” portion read at a Peekskill High School assembly, white students standing with black students were told by Autum to sit down, prompting the school district's superintendent to send recorded messages to parents of its 3,000 students apologizing to anyone who was offended.
"Someone decided to call parents and apologize," barked Councilman Charles Barron, a former Black Panther who stood on the City Hall steps with Ashante Tuesday (March 14) to speak out in her defense. "Some are talking about banning her from speaking in the school system. You don't have to agree with everything we say, but we have a right to say it. We are very, very proud of you, Autum."
Judith Johnson, the Peekskill superintendent, said Ashante has not been banned from speaking in the district again, stating, "Never, ever would we do something like that. But telling white kids you can't recite the pledge and to sit down - in a multicultural district you can't do that."
Ashante is homeschooled with a curriculum by the Black Homeschoolers Association, said her father, Batin Ashante, of Mount Vernon. The aspiring actress and poet recited her poem before the small crowd of well-wishers, Barron staff members and reporters at City Hall, drawing responses of "Tell it!" and "Hallelujah!" reports AP.
Barron said the girl’s 162-word poem was all about "peace, power and pride about her heritage." He praised her for being "brave" and "outspoken in telling the truth,"
During a question and answer session, Ashante told one reporter to use the term "African" instead of "African-American." She also said she wrote the poem herself, receiving help from her dad only with “spelling and pronunciation.” When asked how she felt about some white students and parents being upset, she replied: "I feel bad, but I know it was the right thing to do."
Later Tuesday, Ashante was scheduled to appear at an event with Al Sharpton.

7-Year-Old Girl’s Poem, ‘White Nationalism Put U in Bondage,’ Causes Stir
Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2006
By: Nia Ngina Meeks, BlackAmericaWeb.com
When most people reference the intellect and curiosity of the average seven-year-old girl, few expect little beyond fascination with the comings and goings of Dora the Explorer or the latest hot new toy.
That a girl at this age is able to -- and did -- drop poetry filled with questions and challenges about standard-issue history lessons has been the talk of the nation since Autum Ashante blew away middle- and high-school parents in upstate New York with her comparisons of Christopher Columbus and Charles Darwin to "pirates" and "vampires."
Autum made her presentation on Feb. 28 at a school in Peekskill, N.Y. upon invitation. Known as a prodigy who has performed at the Apollo Theater and at New York City’s African Burial Ground ceremonies, some educators and parents were put off nonetheless with her selection, “White Nationalism Put U in Bondage.”
In the weeks following the presentation, the avalanche of letters to the editor in the local newspaper continues. The story has also caused quite a buzz in the online world, with columnists and bloggers across the spectrum weighing in, proclaiming everything from Autum’s genius to her misguidance. That she is homeschooled in Mount Vernon, N.Y. by her father, a member of the Nation of Islam, and recited the Black Panther Party’s children’s pledge after asking the black students alone to stand and recite it with her have further fueled debate.


The Peekskill Public School District issued an apology via a taped recording after the presentation.
Superintendent Judith Johnson, who is black, has been quoted in press reports last week saying that while Autum had the right to express herself, the venue was not the proper one for such a recitation. Rather, Johnson argued, the poem should have been offered in a classroom setting where more discussion could have ensued.
The true failing in this situation was among the adults involved, not the child, Hampton University’s Adolph Brown III told BlackAmericaWeb.com. Brown serves as chair of the psychology department and runs the Virginia Beach-based Family Child and Wellness Center.
“When leadership takes a stance to say, ‘I have to apologize because whatever was said was offensive,' of course that’s going to be the atmosphere that will have lingered. For those who were looking for a chance to be offended, they found it,” Brown said. “People often react with emotion and not with thought. So often, we, as a society, react on our thoughts, our feelings. This was a great launching pad for discussion of race, a discussion of diversity. This could have been an awesome teachable moment for the students, for the teachers.”
Such a moment could have been realized with better preparation on the part of the teacher who invited young Autum and the staff who would handle the assembly, Brown said.
“The adults did not do their homework. They did not promote critical education and learning and debate here,” he said. “It’s the educator’s responsibility to take the message and process it for whatever teachable moments you can find in it.”
Conservative rants hold that Autum spewed hatred that is a result of “identity politics” and point to her father’s professed ideology as a cause.
But whether the ideas were hers alone or spawned by her parents shouldn't even be an issue, said Lawrence Patrick III, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Black Alliance for Educational Options. The more compelling point was that a seven-year-old articulated a view with the passion to stir thought, even if it is considered controversial.
Patrick said he could relate to her passionate oratory. As a gradeschooler, the Detroit native once started a militant black nationalist newsletter, unbeknownst to his parents, “because it was something I was into and interested in, and expressed on my own.”
“It’s unfair to homeschoolers to say she has these thoughts because she is being indoctrinated,” Patrick told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “Children are indoctrinated in public, private, religious schools -- every construct has some level of indoctrination. You’re just being indoctrinated with 30 other kids.
“I’m not endorsing what the girl said ... but if I had to choose between millions of black parents indoctrinating how their children think about the world and the status quo, I’d go for the indoctrination. Maybe then we wouldn’t have so much negativity, where children think the only way to be powerful is to commit an act of violence," he said.
“Clearly this girl is gifted," added Patrick, "whatever the source of her ideas. That’s the thing we should be marveling at.”
Even if the student had been white and uttering a reverse view, Brown said, there would still be an opportunity to probe, dissect and search for meaning.
For noted poet Nikki Giovanni, brilliance outshines controversy. She said she would gladly welcome Autum to Virginia Tech University, where she serves as a distinguished professor.
“She deserves her right to speak out,” Giovanni told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “Freedom of speech is very important. If you can’t call a lie a lie, you’re complicit in it. She doesn’t have to say, ‘I hope I don’t hurt your feelings.’ The job of the artist is to disturb the peace, not to bring comfort. That’s what church is for. She did her job."
Giovanni expressed hope that the child "keeps that spirit and bearing."

Originally Posted by tiffya

[....] I That father should be ashamed of himself for filling that child full of hate and ignorance like that.

What hate? What ignorance?
If you are referring to her education in American History, I think you would find it to be accurate. Why would the father be ashamed of her education?

Why don't you do some research on 'how to be a human being', it might serve you well.

BTW I don't appreciate being 'part of your study/research'. I feel you are posting here under false pretenses and trying to manipulate people for your own purposes. Get a life.

Have a Happy New Year and stop your nonsense, it's not appreciated. And you can quote me on that.

Originally Posted by MIKAER

"Ring a ring o' roses,
A pocketful of posies.
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down."

Bubonic plague? What is the link in your arguement?

Originally Posted by pepperpot

You are a child going in circles just spouting out a tune.....

Need I say it again......

Originally Posted by MIKAER

[COLOR="Red"]The problem with ad hom arguements is they always end up off topic. It is becomes more important to attack your opponent than to hold your position.

But we have not been off topic. We have responded to your replies, such as they are. But instead of replying with your own opinion you only C&P. There are several different post by Jolie in this thread that have to do with the subject.

This is a discussion forum, which means we discuss the information put forth. We are not ignorant on the subjects set forth, we have an opinion on them.

As a white person I am expected to be PC and not say anything that is going to be insulting toward blacks or their actions. But on the other hand, it is okay for a black person (child or adult) to stand up and insult the entire white race. It is okay for a black person (child or adult) to say that all their problems in life is caused by white people.

I used the city in which I live to make a point. This excuse is not valid. This city proves that it is not the white man holding the black man down. It is the blacks themselves. This is not considered a PC opinion and would be considered biased by many, even though it is true. I volunteered to hand out materials during the 2006 primaries at one of our local voting stations. One of the candidates came up to his workers and told them to be sure to tell people to vote for a certain candidate because the opponent was white. How is that for deciding who to vote for? Even though the white candidate was the best man for the job and the black candidate had no experience at all. I actually voted in the general election for the white candidate (who won the primary in spite of the Ford Campaign). You see, I did not vote for him because he was white...there were 3 candidates, a white republican, a white democrat and a black independent that claimed to be a democrat. I voted for Mr. Cohen because I felt that he was the best for the job. Oh, did I mention that I am republican and that Mr. Cohen was our democratic candidate? The point to this rambling is that if blacks continue to vote in officials because of race, they are going to continue to face the problems they are facing. I am not saying to not vote for a black candidate, but to vote for the candidate that is best for the job. You would just have to understand Memphis politics to capture the whole picture of this statement.

So, if a black person (child or adult) can stand up and make derogatory remarks based on their opinion/understanding of history, then a white person has that same right. Do you not agree with this statement?