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Subscribe to RSSA veteran Fairfax County high school teacher has been accused of using racially insensitive language by telling a student to read a Langston Hughes poem in a "blacker" style.
Jordan Shumate, a ninth-grader at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, Va., told the Washington Post that he was reading Hughes' "Ballad of the Landlord" when the English teacher interrupted him.
"She told me, 'Blacker, Jordan. C'mon, blacker. I thought you were black,'" Shumate told the Post. The 14-year-old student claimed that when he refused to continue reading the poem, the teacher read it herself, apparently to demonstrate the style of speaking she meant.
Read NBCWashington.com's coverage of the Fairfax school investigation
"She sounded like a maid on the 1960s," Shumate told the Post, saying he asked the teacher if she thought all black people spoke that way. “She read the poem like a slave, basically.”
He said he was reprimanded for talking out of turn and was told to sit down.
Shumate told his mother, Nicole Cober Page, about the incident on Tuesday, the Post said.
According to the Post, mother and son identified the teacher as Marilyn Bart. Bart has not spoken publicly about the alleged incident, the Post reported.
Principal Jay Pearson declined to provide further details on Friday, adding, “We take these allegations very seriously, and we’re investigating.”
Msnbc.com staff contributed to this report from NBCWashington.com.
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Seems that the teacher handled the situation rudely and with insensitivity, especially when she said, "I thought you were black." Also, she probably erred in not more thoroughly explaining the themes and purpose of Mr. Hughes' work. Langston Hughes (1902-1967) sought to depict the real lives of blacks in the lower socio-economic strata, realistically revealing the "low-life" in his writings. Hughes wrote "Ballad of the Landlord" to show the escalation of frustration and anger of the working class black person in 1930s Harlem, and in this particular poem, white society's discrimination against blacks--the landlord demands rent, the black tenant demands necessary repairs, the landlord has the tenant thrown in jail. If the teacher read the poem "like a slave," then she would have been reading it according to Mr. Hughes' intent.
I find it regrettable that the teacher failed to motivate the student to fully appreciate Langston Hughes--had he been so motivated, he likely would have himself preferred to read the poetry with the emotion Hughes intended. I'm sure she's not racist, but she did fail to impart some very important background information to the student if he simply thought she was trying to make him dumb down.
Our society has become SO P.C. I'm surprised we haven't ALL been sent to sensitivity training. Conduct YOUR own experiment, look at the stats.Look in our prisons...BUT OOHHH, I know that's politically insensitive...
Barracuda48,
You are correct. Talk to anyone in prison and you will see that they are innocent. All of them. I have sat through sensitivity training for years as a requirement of employment. All it does is make matters worse. Very one sided.
After all of that having been said, what exactly were you attempting to say regarding the article??
Allison
Nothing. I was responding to Barracuda 48.
Boomer, you and I were both in line to respond to Barracuda 48 by us both clicking on his reply symbol.
Ah, I see. Excuse me.
Boomer, no problem at all. Usually I start my responding post by using the original poster's handle but tonight I haven't for the most part and don't ask me why I haven't.
Yes sir, let's look!!!! Two legal systems, and sometime no legal system!!! Black drug user; hard time! White drug user; rehabilitation. In Oakland, California, when black men tried to stop dope from coming into their neighborhoods, the government flooded the community with drugs and killed off the men!!! White woman says black man raped her, there is no justice for him! More than 40 Men have been released in recent years, after lengthy sentences, while they were not guilty of any crime at all. So, yeah, let's look at the jails and, let's make room for the real criminals. Where you at Newt????
The teacher sounds as if she needs to take a serious rest break at the nearest mental hospital of she thinks that all blacks speak that way and she did the right thing by reading it herself. I hope the mother of the young man follows up on this.
well once obama is out of office? and in prison for treason, this balck crap will go away,i personlly wont hire them or help them nor do i care about them , but one thing ihave learned is that i am need to be armed when going thru thier nieghbourhoods, and i am tired of seeing them in every t.v commerical and they think theya re now entitled which they arent,i wasn never racist till they started acting like a bunch of entitled jerks, coming up to you in gas stations, not punks mind you but well dressed older black women asking for gas money , or asking for money in the grocery line because thier welfare food card wont let them buy something, look you arent my problem you blacks have created your problems with you nasty attitudes, i w ont donate to anything that has to do with blacks, i used to love ncis til;l they made the black guy the boss, now i wont watch t hat anymore,funny part is even the blacks i used to know have all changed since obama did a home invasion on the white house,you have all ruined every nieghbourhood you have moved into your kids are either drug dealers or gang memebers or you try to intimadate your nieghbours by calling in the racist card, if you dont like it then move out, and wreck someone elses nieghbourhood, i moved and sold out when t hey moved 3 doors down from me, my old nighbours are in fear from thier kids, used to be a s afe nieghbourhood, then? there are robberies and thefts of parked cars that never ever had a problem before they moved in, so you people create your own problems andi for one wont help any black for any reason any longer
zippy--(zippy? really?), I know that you're entitled to a basic education, you can';t seem to string a simple sentence together, you seem unable to spell or use spell check (it's the last symbol in the bar just click on it and it will hi lite your misspelling). What would make you even want to go through "thier nieghbbourhoods" (both words are misspelled by the way--use spell check if you can't spell). What makes you think anyone cares if you "don't care about them"? If you don't like seeing people of color in a television commercial--guess what don't look, that would also cut down on some of your irritation.
You sound so disappointed with life period, honey what is wrong with you and your attitude? In closing my dear, NO ONE REALLY CARES WHAT YOU PERSONALLY THINK ABOUT BLACKS OR ANYTHING ELSE ok.
Allison,
That certainly sounded insensitive. I hope I'm wrong but...
Oh, zippy. You need help. Let's start with basic education and go from there.
priceless... too bad he's a poser.
Hi Boomer, let's face it Zippy sounds as if he has some serious issues that don't just include blacks, he has lots of different things that bother him don't you think? Boomer, I have to say that I think you were being kind by saying "insensitive", he sounds slightly bent if you follow me.
Zippy was a teenager in Birmingham in the mid 60's and probably listened to his fathers racist rant every night before going to bed. Yeah Zippy, it's gonna be alright. Just hold yer bible tight and and keep all yer hate-filled, scared-whitey, racist, paranoia on the newsvine and everything will be just fine.
@ zippy
Hey James Crowe, Jr., nice going but this problem was here long before Obama was born into this world. In breaking your coded text, let me say that no matter how many white men sat in that white house, Black People are not going back. We walked those fertile grounds in the past and we are swiftly stepping into the future. If that is your pipe-dream, you are going to wake up with one hellava nightmare!!!
The teacher is safe, she is a left winger, like 99.9% of the teachers out there. She has a union to protect her and unlike Republicans or anyone from the right, she will not be indiscriminately torn to shreds, called a racist and be fired. Remember Trent Lott; I do and he is no more racist than she.
My sister must be the other .1%. Wait a minute, no, she's not. She has some weird ideas and loves the union. Sorry sis.
Hey Trent,
If you act like a racist, you get treated like a racist!!! Just saying!
My, my, we are tender, aren't we.
.
How can anyone that wasn't present at the time of the alleged 'incident' and/or not having heard the other side of the story give an opinion at this time???????
The problem with society today is that we're quick to render an opinion and condemn the intent of people without all the FACTS!!!!!
Every one should take a deep breath and wait to hear all sides and then render their opinion. Otherwise, hope for the best and move on to something that you can make a difference in with your opinions!!!!!!
A little context would be nice. If it was an acting class I would have no problem at all with her instructions. However, I agree her inference that because he was black he should know how to speak in a colloquial, uneducated manner sheds some light on the core of the racism that conservatives believe doesn't exist. To defend her instruction is to deny. Unless it was acting class, it was racist.
I would have done the poem in that lovely eloquent Virginian accent instead. That always comes across as the most educated, upper middle class depiction doesn't it...
When something like this happens, one should never take it personal. Instead one should realize that it is the person them selves who actually have the problem.
Just looked up the poem and read it. Everyone should look it up and read it before they make a comment.
If you morons would apply common sense you would see the teacher is correct. The literature the child was being asked to read was written in the black language of the 1930's by a 1930's black man. It was meant to be read the way he wrote it (BLACK). To read it in the queens english is just wrong, and the poetry of the mans obvious gift for his language is lost!! Leave the teacher alone and make the little African American child do as he is told!! Other wise the history of his race is lost to him due to the ignorance infused into todays politically correct society!! She is not a racist she is a teacher teaching an important black lesson to a black child!!!
How moronic is it to expect a 14 yr old Black kid in 2012 to have any inkling of what a 1930's Black man's dialect might sound like? Do you? I highly doubt the teacher could accurately portray that dialect. And the poem was written in the '40's by the way.
And I guess that all the writings by David Duke is meant to be writing as WHITE. This response is just as ridiculous as the Black writing dribble, and was meant to make a point. But I imagine it went over your head!!!
I think she probably used a poor choice of words...she could have said "read it with more feeling" or "how do you suppose the author intended this to sound?" On the other hand, I applaud the young man who didn't want to sound "blacker". All children should be brought up to be proud of how they present themselves, and speaking properly goes a long way toward sounding bright and self-confident. This may have been one of those teachers who thought "Ebonics" would be a good idea... Anyone remember that controversy? I never understood how they could think expecting less than their full potential from students, no matter what color, could be a good thing!
PS @ "Horse"... I am so tired of hearing that all conservatives are racist, or don't believe racism exists. I am quite conservative, and I know racism is alive and well. I also know that conservative Christians are becoming the most oppressed people in the US, whether they are black, white, or purple with orange polka-dots!
What I know is that conservative Christians are becoming the most oppressing people in the US, whether they are black, white, or purple with orange polka-dots! The Christian right is the most oppressive group of people I've ever had to deal with and I am surrounded by them here in Baptist Central Florida.
She also asked him to explain why African American people like grape soda and rap music, according to this video I'm watching.
I'm surprised she didn't ask about watermelon, fried chicken, Newport cigarettes or even ___________— - ( add your own stereotype to the blank).
Juncleo,
You was doing fine until you went to the conservative Christian thingy. I would like to hear some of the oppression Christian conservatives are undergoing???? Separation? No Christians are the one that separated the church. One God but too many opinions. Separation of church and state? No! God did that! Remember that little speech Jesus gave about rendering to Cesar those things that are Cesar's and render those things of God unto God, and do not allow them to be comingled. Can't freely Pray? A fairy tale. Jesus tells us that when we pray, go into our closet and pray to him in private. He also said don't be like the Pharisees, whom wail and exhort on street corners, for their reward is to be heard by the crowd and he do not hear them. A personal side, I have a very personal relationship with god. And many time people are exhorting and screaming, they are not telling God what I want to talk to him about. But God and I cannot converse because someone is drowning out our conversation. Abortion? No! Legal by Cesar's standards! Plus, if it is sin as you all think, it is no concern of yours, unless you think you are God. He plainly proclaimed that vengeance is mine and mine alone. And he had some choice words and punishment for those whom tried to intercede into his business. So, I would welcome a conversation about the Christian oppression!!
The insulting thing was the teacher saying "I thought you were black," implying that somehow he should have the innate ability to speak a certain way because of the color of his skin. I don't know if it's a firing offense but she sure should get a stern warning for that.
As for teachers unions, as someone who experienced and witnessed plenty of bullying from teachers and still bears the scars from it, yes, I think it should be far easier to fire bad teachers and I resent teacher's unions. Someone who has not been through what we have been through would of course feel differently.
Sound like you all are getting bullied by unions. I had a situation once and they brought in the union and I brought in my Attorney, and instructed him to add the union to the lawsuit, since they wanted to be a part of the legal action. They (the union) ran like wildfire.
Buckeye Star, the State Department actually seriously considered teaching Ebonics in its overseas English Language Schools in the 70's. It was defeated by a narrow margin.
Enough already. The teacher should not get fired, but should have a workshop in association with a history teacher to put this poem into its proper perspective. It is a wonderful time peace. They might speak about "To Kill a Mockingbird", too, and explore whether the language of the African-American should be altered to fit into our times. pooh !
So every black person in this whole country wants to be recognized for being black, until today????
Seems like you have a twisted definition of recognize. Reading may be fundamental but comprehension is golden!!!!
The teacher should be fired- yes. But the problem is the stupid unions run the country and teachers are the worst of them. Why are we paying for teachers' pensions who are molesters and child abusers and racists? Fire them all and take away their pensions and healthcare. They are frickin horrible. I'm disgusted.
I don't think she should be fired. I liked the suggestion of cultural sensitivity training but I think the article itself may be making this into a bigger issue than it need be.
@russ-888, man you got a lot bottled up there. Be well and take it easy.
sssiigggghhhh.... the only way... to end racism... is to stop talking about it...
No, twilight,
To end it we must talk about it and we are about 400 years late having that conversation. But, we must talk and not come to the table with bs, but truth!!
Just watched the video - the kid is hilarious and just tells it like it is. He was the only black person in the class and she singled him out. AND for anyone saying that this woman shouldn't be fired - she also singled him out to ask him to explain why "African-American people like grape soda and rap music" - she needs to get fired ASAP. She's a closet bigot.
I don't think this teacher probably meant to be racist. I think she was probably trying to get the feeling and the pain and loathsomeness of the poem across. It is obvious that people jump at any sign or misspoken word and it really belittles the cause to eradicate racism. There is a feeling you read works of poetry with. Or even great speeches a reader try's to evoke the feeling of the speaker and the times. Abe Lincoln address. Martin Luther King Jr. I have a Dream speech. Winston Churchill UK war speech. It's ok to say 'blacker'. It's ok to say 'whiter'. If people keep being so petty racism will always exist. Once the speech police go away so will racism.
I don't know about the other fellow's speeches, but there is nothing (that's nothing) in Dr. Kings speech about been blacker or whiter. I defy you to point out which part of the speech that include such comments!!!
I don't think the teacher was being intentionally malicious, just racially ignorant. But the desire to lend expression to the poem is totally beside the point. The point is that she centered out a kid because of his ethnicity and then belittled him for not living up to her stereotypical expectations. In my book, that's good for a whuppin'.
I think not a damn thing is warranted. I walk out of my house every single day and hear N***a this and N***a that. Would anyone like to take a stab at who is saying this crap? Black People!!! But a white person says anything of the sort and you people wanna crucify her. Get a life.
How ridiculous! Hey people in case you didn't notice black people from that era spoke in a certain way. Many still do. The poem was written about that and if spoken like an Australian, Chinese, Russian, Native American it is not communicating what the writer was trying to communicate.
@justvisiting
That's the operative phrase "black people from that era spoke in a certain way." That kid is not from that era. So, why would the teacher expect him to sound like the people from the Harlem Renaissance era? Dialects are in flux, not static. Black people today have dialects but not the same dialects of the Harlem Renaissance era. No one talks like that.
It sounds as though the teacher was expecting something that student could not have delivered in a million years, unless he actually heard recordings from people who lived back then and tried to emulate it.
If the teacher had a recording from back then, or even a recording of an actor reading some of Langston Hughes' work, she should have played the recording and not expect her students to re-live a time of which they were not a part.
Kids today don't have a clue of how life was for blacks during the Harlem Renaissance era. They're too far removed. Unless they have a realistic model and can rehearse, they can't reproduce a sound they've never heard.