[Colette]

To Lori (Original Archives): I would like to rebut your post on three counts. First, the class in question was not majority white, it was 90 percent black, and the teacher was making an effort to find something the children would identify with and enjoy. Second, as to ‘African Americans might find it difficult to hear a white person read the text,’ it was not the children or the parents in general who objected. One person photocopied portions of the book out of context and sent it around the neighborhood for the express purpose of creating an angry mob. Some people (of all colors) get a sense of pride from protesting, whether their protest is legitimate or not, and take offense at every opportunity without bothering to investigate the facts. Third, I take issue with your assertion that, because of racial politics, white people should tiptoe around black people. Why? For fear of setting them off? It isn’t a matter of sensitivity, it’s just a matter of institutionalized fear of being accused of racism. The idea that saying the wrong thing will set off this sort of explosion and riot is detrimental to any real understanding, and insulting to the reasonable, mature, majority of black people who don’t run around screaming racism and shouting threats every time they hear something they don’t like.

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Name : Colette, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Seymour, State : WI, Country : United States, 

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