210 Stonewall Ave.

obviously it is still in 2 locations. When you meet with someone at the BoE, you go to the LaFayette Education Center. Not the Stonewall location. Wait a minute......Stonewall Jackson, on the back of t-shirts has been banned from FRMS, can the BoE be located on Stonewall Avenue and still be politically correct??? Or Free from a racial lawsuit because of the location?

Help us all.......

I doubt if any of this is even brought up. They are in hush-hush mode right now, waiting for it to blow over. And remember, although the BOE website states that the "board welcomes and encourages interaction with citizens, community organizations, and various representatives of the media" (now *that's* funny!), it also states that anyone who wishes to be placed on the agenda has to make a request 10 days in advance of the meeting. Kind of precludes anyone from raising this issue on Monday.

Even though they require a 10 day advance notice to be placed on the agenda, it doesn't mean that the parents can't unite at the meeting and make plans what to do next. It doesn't mean the issue won't be brought up. It doesn't mean that we have to boycott the meeting because we are afraid they won't listen. The meeting is about school boundaries. All of this applies to school boundaries, does it not?

Ron,
It has changed alot in the past 10 years! You said it all right there in your post, all the good teachers left FRMS and SCHS because they were fed up with having to deal with the racist BS handed to them by the administration and the students! Do you think a good teacher is going to stay in such a tense environment? No way! And neither would you or me when I could move to a new job down the street making the same money and not have to put up with such crap!

And because it is the "Heart of Dixie" and for so many years proudly declared itself so, Alabama paid a price. Many of its best and brightest still flee when they can (Auburn University grads especially!) and many others who might otherwises come here for jobs and investment refuse because of the state's checkered past.

While the rest of the south prospered and boomed in the '80s and '90s, Alabama remained stagnant thanks to bad politics and inept leaders. Just recently, thanks to hard work and the spill over from Georgia and surrounding states, has that begun to change -- but even modest job and population growth beyond natural (births-deaths increase) here takes hard, hard work ... while Georgia, and the rest of the south, can't seem to stop it! Since 2000, Alabama has added about 150,000 people ... while Georgia has grown by nearly 1 million, Florida by 2 million, even Mississippi is growing faster! The reasons why are many and complicated:

The tax structure remains mired in a plantation mentality, giving huge tax breaks to large landowners while funding government and schools on revenue from income, occupany and local sales tax almost exclusively! That means growing towns have good schools; dying towns have declining schools. Don't believe what you see on MTV; Hoover High is the exception, NOT the rule in Alabama! The poorest counties of the "black belt" are shocking in their dispair. Ever been to Tuskegee? You'd never forget it!

And even when rural communities WANT to do better, it often takes an act of the legislature to do the simplest of things -- like float bonds to build a new fire station, or give raises to sherrif's deputies! That could all change if they'd update the state constitution, but it hasn't been rewritten since reconstruction and nobody has the courage to weaken "home rule" now!

Cities can annex at will, but counties have almost no role to play except for maintaining roads, a county court system, and collecting taxes. Unincorporated land is almost worthless because counties can't provide services (water, sewer, etc) or even police or fire protection. That just benefits the big landowners. Earlier this year, the state legislature approved a back-to-school sales tax holiday just like we have in GEorgia. But it was pointless until all the cities in the state passed ordinances agreeing to it as well, becasue in Alabama all retail lies insidse incorporated areas and city ordinances related to taxes have precedent over state laws. In Alabama, cities collect taxes and send what's leftover to Montgomery, which largely explains why state govt. is always broke. In Georgia, of course, the state collects and then refunds what's due to the local level. Crazy? Some don't think so!

That Alabama is beautiful, and historic, and not worth all the bad jokes, but much of it was brought on by white Alabama which still today seems obvlious to the shocking poverty in the "black belt" counties stretching across the southern part of the state.

BY THE WAY ... In 2002, The phrase "Stars Fell on Alabama" was added to Alabama's license plates and the familiar "Heart of Dixie" emblem reduced to a much smaller size. (A 1951 law requires Alabama license plates to display the words "Heart of Dixie" within a conventionalized heart shape.) Clearly, "Stars" suggests hope for Alabama's future rather than allegiance to its painful past.
----------------------------------------------------------------
NEWSBOY : DELIVERING NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

I think you need to get Lee Parks, he has won several high profile reverse discrimnation suits and would love this one. He lives down in Newnan and has an office downtown Atlanta.
The FCBOE is not going todo anything. Trust me. Don't you think if Mr Mann is Fred Oliver's nephew, that he is going to help his nephew instead? If you wait for the FCBOE to do anything, you will wait till you die of old age. They have done what they are going todo....which is nothing. You have your answer,"no comment", you are just in denial.
If you don't do something, it will be viewed as the kids have no one to protect them and it will only get worse. The reason that was given why the blacks weren't punished, and these girls were, even though there was nothing offensive about the shirt they wore, was that the girls organized and the blacks didn't. Now, if you don't think that is a lope hole, I got swamp land to sell ya.
This must be done, or things won't change. Bring a lawsuit! A lawyer will cost you nothing, they get a % of what is won, so you won't be out any money. Plus, they love having their names in the paper, the school won't. It is a win win. Meantime, you know there is a board meeting comming up. Go to that meeting and tell them you want kids just from your area, going to your schools. Then the schools will reflect the people who live in those neighborhoods.
If you don't do something, you deserve what you get, but sadly, the kids won't deserve the abuse they will get in the future.

You are so right. The stories of kids beaten up at school are the worst.

Reverse discrimination will not stop at that school without a lawsuit.
The malcom x hate, and black power T-shirts will go on forever unless they take a stand.

I could not find a listing for Lee Parker, is he with Parker and Assoc PC ?

Another good group of lawyers who deal with discrimination is Salter and Richards PC

Hate of any kind is wrong, and shouldn't be tolerated in a public school.

http://www.pcwlawfirm.com/site/lawyers/Lee_Parks.htm

Lawsuit settlements reached, with appeal under way
Lawyers representing the University System of Georgia have reached a settlement with attorney Lee Parks regarding several plaintiffs suing for admission to the University of Georgia. The settlement offers admission to eight plaintiffs, who claim they suffered reverse discrimination in the university’s admissions process. In addition to granting admission and monetary awards to cover the difference spent to attend schools other than UGA, the university said it is not awarding and will not award any scholarships to undergraduates in which race is a qualifying factor.

http://www.adversity.net/education_1_uga.htm

He is what you need, he is a good guy. If you don't stick up for your kids....who is going to? What will you be teaching them if you roll over? For them to roll over in the future?

Lee Parks.

I don't think any of these parents are going to do use a lawyer anyway.

I don't have kids, but I'm still angry about my tax dollar being used to pay a racist idiot to break the law.

The parents are working their butts off trying to get something done about our students being subject to such racism by the administration of our beloved school board who chooses to be blinded. The complaints are falling on death ears! Who ever said those people picking cotton on the shirt were slaves? A few black kids at FRMS, that's who said it! And they are walking the halls glorified in the fact that they "got away" with disrupting the learning process once again!
Is Fayette County not located in the "land of cotton"? Shall, I say it again.....EVERYBODY in south picked cotton!

I also have issues with Black History Month, BET, Black or Minority Schools, NAACP etc.

There is a 'Black History Month' because years ago - minorities were completely left out of the history books of the United States. There is an organization called the NAACP, [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] because Blacks did not have the right to vote; receive an opportunity for an equal education; etc. There are historically black schools because blacks were not allowed to attend schools with white children in the South. If history were taught correctly - an educated dependent of a military family would not have these misconceptions about 'American history'. Blacks cannot be left out of 'Southern Heritage Month' if it was taught correctly. There are many blacks who are very, very proud of their southern heritage and their accomplishments in spite of segregation. There are 'whites' who wear FUBU, and blacks who wear Dixie Outfitters. Let's stop fighting the Civil War; learn our history; and be proud of the advancement that we have made as united Americans since the days of the Civil War. Divided we fall. Let's remain united!!

If either of you have a “disposable email address”, one your are comfortable in sharing with me, that can be used for further discussion, please forward them to me at bad_ptc@bellsouth.net.

I have a great interest in this topic but I don’t have any desire to wash laundry here in the blogs.

The NAACP, Black History Month, BET, Black or Minority etc are all unnecessary now. And by the way, as far as REMAINING UNITED, this country is far from united. History will always be biased. People are biased, people write history. There will always be biases. And regarding Blacks being left out of a potential Southern Heritage Month, no one said they would be left out of it, they are very large part of Southern Heritage, why on earth would they be excluded? Sure, whites can be excluded from Black History Month, but it does not have to go both ways!

SouthernBelle, GRACE is a VIRTUE

I agree with some of the "Southern Heritage" folk that they have a right to be proud of elements of southern culture.

But when they tell us that the rest of us need a history lesson (one shirt said, "If you have a problem with this, then you need a history lesson"), they seem to forget the *more recent* history. The oppression that continued right up into the 1960s, when blacks were still banned from tax-supported universities like Ole Miss is absolutely *shameful* and goes a long way towards explaining the existence of such organizations as the NAACP and all black schools.

There is much nonsense that is smuggled in in the name of political correctness. My children attended a school in (liberal) Madison Wisconsin years ago. It was an experiment in social engineering. The new principal, a black lady, immediately proposed to remove the novels of Mark Twain from the shelves on the grounds that they were offensive to blacks for their inclusion of the "N word." Of course, what she failed to realize was that Huckleberry Finn in particular is a powerful testimony to the atrocity that was slavery and the wrongness of racism.

And I confess that we were less than comfortable attending some of the Black History programs for parents. It was a little like being a black at a White Supremacist rally.

The drive to include a separate "Black History" can have some unintended consequences. Let me illustrate. Study the history of Western philosophy, and you'll find that it is almost entirely an all-male affair. Until this century there have been *precious few* women philosophers. Feminists find this scandalous, and insist that courses on the history of philosophy include women. Much is made over the fact that Descartes engaged in philosophical correspondence with Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia. She was obviously very bright, and understood the issues. She asked pointed--sometimes embarrassing--questions about the implications of his philosophy. Does that give us grounds to alter the philosophical canon to include her as an important philosopher? I highly doubt it. Does the current exclusion of women philosophers indicate some current and sinister form of chauvinism? Absolutely not! There is a good reason why the works of so few women philosophers are studied: women simply were not given the opportunies that were afforded men, and so were far less likely to pursue a philosophical education. The chauvinism and oppression occurred back then, not now. And it is downright silly to make more of a particular woman's contribution than it merits on its own.

I am afraid that the push to tell the story of black history and to find blacks who made significant contributions gives some incentive to overrate those contributions. I am, of course, NOT saying that there were no significant contributions. (To name just one person who comes to mind, I think that Frederick Douglass was a *remarkable* man, ascending from slavery to a prominent position as a prolific writer and articulate orator and statesman.)

But suppose that the general truth is this: the number of prominent blacks who distinguished themselves so as to be studied alongside the Washingtons and Lincolns, Edisons and Einsteins, were few. And suppose the reason for this is because **they were held back by a racist white-controlled society.** Should we scour the past few hundred years for likely candidates that we can dust off, dress and prop up as somehow "great men of the past"? Some activists have even proposed that, when talking of the history of slavery, we should not use the word "slave" to describe people. Why? Because it is degrading. But slavery **is** a degrading institution. The fact is, they WERE slaves. And the fact is that few were permitted an education of any kind. If slavery results in the poverty and ignorance of the oppressed people, are we showing a lack of sensitivity if we portray "enslaved persons" as poor and ignorant?
I am inclined to think that the history of slavery and the continued disenfranchisement of blacks in our society has a *greater* moral impact if we learn that one consequence is that people of great potential were never given the opportunity to rise to greatness. It should not be "sanitized" for the same reasons that the history of the Holocaust should not be sanitized.

Complete integration will occur only when there is no need for a separate celebration of Black History. It will be unnecessary, because Black History will have been folded in naturally with history per se. Important African Americans will be given their rightful place in a way that is not forced and artificial, and we will tell the whole ugly story of black slavery, segregation, and the long fight for civil rights.

--

Original Photo: Urinal, The Eagle & Child, Oxford, UK, circa 1952 (Lewis and Tolkien no doubt stood here, elbow-to-elbow and talked philosophy and literature)

I'm totally ashamed of being forced to take part in this present day civil war in our public school system in Fayette County Georgia. Where are our "good ole boys" who have made this county what it was a few years ago. I can tell you, they're gone, they left, they conceded to the blacks wearing the "we took Riverdale, Fayetteville is next" t-shirts. The one's who are left directing our students are to cowardly to stand up to the blacks pushing their way into our lives by way of our schools. One threat by a black that they will file a racist lawsuit if they are fired, and the BoE tucks their tells between their legs and hides. Sad to say, but the truth remains, we are letting them take Fayette, and the folks in the positions to stand up to this type of racism have become cowards!!
I'm totally ashamed to be living among you spineless people.
Let me add that I'm sure the slaves who fought for their freedom would be turning over in the graves today if they knew how their decendants demanded to have everything handed to them rather than make it on their own in the world as their fore fathers struggled so hard to pave the way for these slackless lazy individuals!
I wasn't raised to be a racist, but neither was I raised to roll over and play dead!

It would seem that your solution or desire is to bring us back into the 50's. Or worse, you prefer to return to hooded nightriders and cross burnings on the yards of those people who have the nerve to not know their place. I now know what this is. This a concerted, contrived and cleverly(?) executed attempt to bring about the removal of the ONLY Black principal in a Fayette County school. Need proof? You said it in your diatribe. "The one's who are left directing our students are to cowardly to stand up to the blacks pushing their way into our lives by way of our schools."
These middle school kids couldn't or wouldn't spend their own money on that type t-shirt. Nor do I find it plausible that so many just happened to show up on that day wearing them. The fact that an adult would so blatantly use a child to further their own sick, segregationist agenda is just to reprehensible for words.

before you get off your soap box ...you have a black prin at FRM and black prin at Starr's Mill, and prob at FCHS...so what do you want? That is 2 out of 5..oh I'm so sorry...you want 5 out of 5...my mistake!

to suit yourself. Parent etc. never said any such thing! Lets go BACK to the F.A.C.T.S. Black kids have worn shirt that offened white kids and white teachers. Both ojected to the principle n vice principle...What did they do? Nothing. Because of getting nothing done, these white girl resorted to wearing a shirt that had on it. (I saw it on Tv) 2 pickles ..it said 98% sweet 2% sour, Dixie Girls//n I guess somewhere was the small Southern Cross. They were making a statement with a shirt that was not nearly as offensive as Malcum X and Black men are best , or whatever garbage..what happened? The principle/ vs principle punished the girls because he said they organized and the black kids wearing much more offensive shirts, nothing was done. This is reverse descrimination...Who am I talking to anyway...Mr Oliver...or Mr Mann?

I cut and pasted directly from parent's posting. That quote was verbatim, I changed nothing in it. It seems it's you who tends to twist things or just ignore facts. To say that Malcolm X is/was offensive is to not know the entire biography of the man. I suggest reading it before you condemn him. I used to believe Robert E. Lee was a secessionist traitor until I read his biography. Now see him as a true patriot, great soldier and humanitarian. Secondly, the tee shirt you bring up was not the one that bought about the apparent problem. Someone posted a pic of it in another posting. It depicts the stars & bars and Blacks picking cotton in front of it. I'm all for freedom of speech, but when it is this incendiary in a public school, you have to draw the line somewhere. Doubt me further?
Lastly, I've always wondered how and where mainstream America picked up the term "reverse discrimination". Webster's defines discrimination as "the act of discriminating. The process by which two stimuli differing in some aspect are responded to differently-prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action or treatment". So if you reverse this, what do you have? Just food for thought.

and quit rewriting them. This will not blow over...If it was the other way around...we'de had Al Sharpton down here with every camera he could get, praying for the Lord to save those Black chillin from the evil cross burning whites! Trouble is, it aint that way. You have shoved your BS down so many peoples throats...they are sick of it.

by the school board cause Mann is Oliver's nephew or whatever. Do you think we are crazy? Go peddle your garbage somewhere else. There is more to this country's history than black history month and teachers for God sake! asking kids to write a glowing essay on Jessi Jackson! Yes! My kid was asked to do that. It blew me away, but we looked, we couldn't find one good thing about him except he showed up at all the rallies, threaten whitie as much as possible and had one? or 2 illigetiment kids!

glorify of Al Sharpton! You have pushed too much and too far....some people are so stupid they don't know when to stop! I would say...this is the case!

He is one of the best. He does reverse discrimination law suits...he believes in good. Call him..That is how the Blacks get everything...threaten to sue! But...you have a real reason. Your children are being punished for a war almost 200 years ago!

I totally agree with you. You hit the nail on the head.

You’re entire argument that something called “Black History” even exists is absurd. There’s no such thing as white, black, brown, red, yellow or green history. There is simply history.

Please enlighten me as to what part of American history the black race has been left out of.

There is a 'Black History Month' because years ago - minorities were completely left out of the history books of the United States. There is an organization called the NAACP, [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] because Blacks did not have the right to vote; receive an opportunity for an equal education; etc.

Just how long ago was ”years ago” exactly?

If you mean fifty years ago than I would argue that most schools in this country are using books with a copyright a little newer than that now. They're probably using teachers a little newer than that now as well.

Thank-you.

----------------------------------------------------------------
NEWSBOY : DELIVERING NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Also I respect you for showing a picture of yourself. I wonder how many people on here would say what they say if they knew they could be identified.

I am not afraid or ashamed of my feelings. I honestly believe that I have come to my own conclusions using logic with only a minor amount of emotion. I didn't say anything that was remotely offensive. Why wouldn't I show my own picture?

SouthernBelle, GRACE is a VIRTUE

You should see my handwriting. You would be able to easily see that I did NOT go to catholic school

I'm convinced that there are other issues that aren't being discussed here that should be.

They should vote Democrat like their fathers, grandfathers, and previous generations.

Real Southerners vote Democrat.

The flag you refer to (Confederate Battle Flag) was only in use for four years (officially). The Democratic party has been (trying) to fight for hard working Southerners since the early 1800s. But you keep voting Republican, and you keep getting screwed in the South. Now, you can keep voting because of abortion, religion, etc, but those issues aren't ever going to change much. What about healthcare, jobs, care for your Southern environment? You Southerners claim to love the South. PROVE IT! Vote Democrat.

Government programs promoted by the Democrats have enslaved more blacks than the old southern 'masters' ever could have. Look at any inner city under black control and you can see that those poverty pimps have done so much to convince blacks that they cannot succeed that many actually believe it. I strongly suggest you (and anyone else who cares about how the Democrats, Sharpton, Jackson and the rest have psychologically impeeded two generations of blacks) read "Scam" by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson. As a black man from the south who also happens to be a proud Republican I take great exception to your logic. If you stop to think, if only for a second, do you know of any 'poor' civil rights activists? Blacks are moving to the Republican party in large numbers. What has the Democratic party ever done for a working black man? Even civil rights legislation was passed because of the Republican party. Abe Lincoln was a Republican- George Wallace was a Democrat. I could go on forever but I know I will not change your mind. Democrats will give you a fish, Republicans will teach you to fish. Do you want to eat for a day or a lifetime?

I am not black, but I agree that the Democrats use poor people (black and white) to get votes, but yet do not do anything to really help them succeed.

Very smart comment!

trying to engage oldschoolfootball and others in a debate, but apparently they have signed off and left you, and obviously you are not capable of a good debate so I will sign off now.

Bye Bye

The Democrats of yesteryear were both racist and fiscal conservatives. They were probably against abortion as well, but no one asked about that back then. After the civil rights legislation passed in the 1960's under Lyndon Johnson, the Southern Democrats became Rupublicans. That's a fact. You could look it up.
meow

Another perspective

The same 'history' and 'symbols' can have different meaning and bring up different emotions in citizens of the South. The Confederate Flag was the flag of the South during the Civil War. (Four years) To those whose families immigrated to this land from Europe - it meant traditions of gentility, mint juleps, large plantations, small farms, friendly neighbors, etc., etc., etc. To those whose families were brought here on slave ships - it meant disruption of family life, beating, lynching, a poverty of soul and spirit. After the Civil War, the Confederate Flag was used to intimidate 'blacks' for years under the rule of Jim Crow, and the KKK. A wonderful friend of mine did not realize that many blacks feel threatened by this symbol. She feels - and it is her right to feel this - that the flag symbolizes southern traditions and culture. . .for this is what she was taught - and this has been her experience. If southerners, who now complain about the teaching of 'black history’, do not understand why blacks find the 'symbol' of the Confederate Flag offensive - then they have not been taught 'black history'. There are many citizens of the south who now get along with one another - and through dialogue - should be able to understand what that symbol means to the descendants of white immigrants and black slaves. I believe that there are many who wear the symbol of the Confederate Flag - who don't have a racist thought . . .but to a black person who doesn't know them . . .the reaction of any black person MAY be fear and intimidation. . . and anger. There is a need for honest dialogue here. We have too many enemies in other countries - we don't need to fight among ourselves. The South fought a war to preserve a way of life and an economy that was the envy of the world.. . .based on slave labor. After the war – in order to restore order and a semblance of life as it was before the war . . .blacks were relegated to a subservient/slave position by law. The laws have changed; the South has changed. Let’s don’t bring back the fear, anger, and hate that lies smoldering in the grave because of a lack of understanding of one another’s perspective.

admit it. You think people don't see right thru you?

...because I don't "see right through" her at all.

Even where I do not fully agree with her, I respect the articulate and diplomatic way in which she argues her case. If more people--on either side--were like Sandra the quality of dialog here would be greatly improved.

--

Original Photo: Urinal, The Eagle & Child, Oxford, UK, circa 1952 (Lewis and Tolkien no doubt stood here, elbow-to-elbow and talked philosophy and literature)

Very well put.

We did. We got Jimmy Carter. We learned our lesson and now vote Republican.

First, this isn’t the “Myspace” blog. Most of the people here at least try ant type correctly. Please try and join them.

If that’s the best a “Student@flat rock” can type/spell, forget about the principal and go after the teachers.

again i am sorry for the lang. i used. i am very angry about this and wish that i hadnt of posted that comment saying the words that it said.
and people now days use slang 4 computers. sorry for that comment and please avoid it

Whites have had it their own way for the better part of this country's existence. Keep in mind it wasn't until the 60's that then President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. We don't feel we "deserve" it. These are inalieable rights granted to all citizens of this country. Separate schools came from the simple fact that we weren't welcomed/allowed in mainstream institutions. The other events came about for the same reasons. Your use of the term "exclusive" merely demonstrates your own ignorance of history and its subsequent events. As long as you and people like you continue to view relations with an us-against-them mentality, there truly is no hope for this country. No offense.

It was over fifty years ago. Times have changed. People have changed.

We have learned. We have grown.

then why are we here seeing this type behavior in a middle school where one would expect this generation to be more tolerant? I agree with you that times have changed, but people on the other hand are slow to accept it.

I'm offended because there is an organization like the NAACP, and there's a National Black Beauty Pageant, and there is all Black school called Spellman College. But have I got up and started screaming and yelling for equal rights?

that only blacks could bear illegitimate children and be unwed teenage mothers. Good thing we have such an enlightened social academic like yourself to keep us all informed.

It can't be solved that easy because the parents will say they can't afford to buy their kids uniforms but I bet you will se them at Shannon mall loading up on the FUBU and all of the other gangsta crap they wear!

I guess if you can't wear the uniform, then you can't come to school. Pretty easy to me.

If you can buy your kids the FUBU, then head over to Sears and buy them khaki pants (that actually sit correctly on their wasit) and a navy polo shirt along with a navy belt.

If we are to celebrate "Black History Month" during February...can you imagine the uproar from the black community if there was a "White History Month"?

THAT would NEVER fly.

This is absolutely true. My child went to Flat Rock years ago and it was the same then. The black students often go unpunished because the teachers and administration are afraid of lawsuits. If you were a teacher or principal and knew that you could lose your entire career and reputation for punishing a black student (fairly) what would you do? You would be afraid of having your whole life destroyed. Black students could call white students names, call them profane names, or steal from them and nothing would be done about it. A white student could easily get detention for something as simple as brushing their hair in class or passing a note. Can you imagine how frustrating this is for white students? I can tell you from personal knowledge this has been going on in the schools for many years, and I am sure it is not just in Fayette County. From time to time black parents have complained that their children were not punished equally, and they were absolutely correct, but not in the way they would have you believe. The black students are punished less than the white ones. I have no problem with equality, but it does not exist; what we have is special treatment for black students. There was a particular day every year when the blacks would have an economic boycott and not do business with any white-owned companies to show the impact they could have on the economy. On that day some (not all) of the black students refused to speak to any of the white students. When it comes to white on black racism, blacks are always harping that it is learned at home; what about black on white racism? My child did not learn racism at home. He/she went to an elementary school where there were three or four black students in his/her grade level and everyone got along and had good times together. When they all moved up to middle school where there were numerous blacks, the ones my child had gone to school with turned on the white students they had grown up with and became part of the pack mentality. It was the attitude of some (not all) of the black students that created feelings of ill will among white students who had not learned racism from their parents. Equality is not a problem; feeling entitled to special treatment is a big problem and things will never get better if that attitude is not eliminated.

We moved from another county and my child's best friend was black. Mine came with an open mind, only to get turned by the things you mentioned. When I sat him/her down to talk about it, they said, "When we were little, we were all the same." Then he/she mentioned a child they had been friends with since moving here, but hadn't been over in a couple of years. "Remember XYZ? Remember how well he/she spoke? Today Mama, you couldn't understand him. He is so into the Gangsta thing, you would know him."
That child came from a good family. Bill Crosby is right!

If you look closer at the shirt in question, you'll see a number of black men picking cotton in the background. I believe that is what has gotten some folks riled up.

If students put as much effort into studying as they did jawing about the Flag of Traitors, I suspect FRMS wouldn't lag so far behind Booth and Fayette Middle schools.

I could have never figured out the race of those depicted in the fields on that shirt....How big of a magnifying glass did you use?
By the way, my mother and her 8 brothers and sisters picked cotton in order to support themselves and their mother after losing their farm for back taxes in the teens and 1920's ... we're white and I have no problem seeing people depicted in cotton fields... some folks are just downright ignorant of history and the facts.

Your ancestors were COMPENSATED for picking cotton. You're right. Some folks are downright ignorant of history and facts. Then there are those who chose to ignore them.