Comments on Real Talk: JustUs?: The Jena 6

Thanks for the comments and for checking out the b...

2007-09-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the comments and for checking out the blog.

Incognito: I agree about some kind of curricular intervention in schools. However, as an educator myself, I realize how swamped many teachers already are with trying to serve the maximum amount of students with minimal resources. I think that maybe these race-relations type programs should be government funded and ran by community members. Regarding Sharpton and Jackson, I've heard a lot of criticism about both of them. I'm not saying that I support everything they do and how (or why) they do it, but I do respect the fact that they are doing something. With that said, I do think that African Americans need some new faces, ideas, and strategies in leadership.

From LA: Thanks for the article link. I clicked on it to read up on the points you made, but it said the page or article was not found. Anyhow, thanks for the info, and for clearing up any misinformation I may have had.

This report came out 1 hour agohttp://www.9news.co...

2007-09-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

This report came out 1 hour ago
http://www.9news.com/news/world/article.aspx...
Consider:

_The so-called "white tree" at Jena High, often reported to be the domain of only white students, was nothing of the sort, according to teachers and school administrators; students of all races, they say, congregated under it at one time or another.

_Two nooses - not three - were found dangling from the tree. Beyond being offensive to blacks, the nooses were cut down because black and white students "were playing with them, pulling on them, jump-swinging from them, and putting their heads through them," according to a black teacher who witnessed the scene.

_There was no connection between the September noose incident and December attack, according to Donald Washington, an attorney for the U.S. Justice Department in western Louisiana, who investigated claims that these events might be race-related hate crimes.

_The three youths accused of hanging the nooses were not suspended for just three days - they were isolated at an alternative school for about a month, and then given an in-school suspension for two weeks.

_The six-member jury that convicted Bell was, indeed, all white. However, only one in 10 people in LaSalle Parish is African American, and though black residents were selected randomly by computer and summoned for jury selection, none showed up

P.S. I'm not sure you can judge Hannity's stance o...

2007-09-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

P.S. I'm not sure you can judge Hannity's stance on race relations from his lack of response to Sharpton.. unfortunately, forgive me for saying this, but people like Sharpton and Jackson can be major turn-offs. Not because of what they have to say, but because of how they say it.

Absolutely right.. the fact that the "whites" tree...

2007-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

Absolutely right.. the fact that the "whites" tree even existed, to begin with, speaks volumes. It just proves how important it is to strike at the roots of racism and if you can't do that in the homes, you have to do that in the schools. I think they should start instituting race relations courses in the school curriculum.. not just for blacks and whites, but for all races. Shoudln't have to, but it's obvious it's necessary.

But it takes both side to see past "color".. the blacks have to be just as willing to integrate as do the whites etc.