I Am Seriously Disappointed to See This
I was going through the news feed this morning and saw one of our Wisconsin high schools is choosing not to show the play To Kill a Mockingbird our of concerns of the use of a racial slur.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/shorewood-cancels-to-kill-a-mockingbird-over-racial-concerns/ar-BBOi68c
This decision apparently was the result of potential protests over the play and, for that reason, I don't really blame the school district itself. After all, it's first priority is to keep kids safe and protests have the potential for violence. But, I am very disappointed in the overall community reaction.
I know there are those who disagree with me. However, I honestly believe racism is still a problem in this country because we, as a society, are so afraid of offending people, we are reluctant to have real conversations that will bring around real change. In this case, it is a play that tackles racism head-on but won't be shown because it (for the sake of realism) uses a racial slur that might offend people.
I think one quote from the article I posted above kind of proves my point:
"The Caucasian students that are in the play, I can't imagine the discomfort of using that word," said one mother who wished to remain anonymous in a WISN 12 report. "I've heard that during practices, [Caucasian students] actually apologized to the African American students. Why even put them in that position?"
The whole reason you put a student in that position is for the very reason they are talking about, it creates a reaction and that reaction creates an opportunity for dialog. How can we hope to bring about change if we choose to shelter our kids and never give them that opportunity?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/shorewood-cancels-to-kill-a-mockingbird-over-racial-concerns/ar-BBOi68c
This decision apparently was the result of potential protests over the play and, for that reason, I don't really blame the school district itself. After all, it's first priority is to keep kids safe and protests have the potential for violence. But, I am very disappointed in the overall community reaction.
I know there are those who disagree with me. However, I honestly believe racism is still a problem in this country because we, as a society, are so afraid of offending people, we are reluctant to have real conversations that will bring around real change. In this case, it is a play that tackles racism head-on but won't be shown because it (for the sake of realism) uses a racial slur that might offend people.
I think one quote from the article I posted above kind of proves my point:
"The Caucasian students that are in the play, I can't imagine the discomfort of using that word," said one mother who wished to remain anonymous in a WISN 12 report. "I've heard that during practices, [Caucasian students] actually apologized to the African American students. Why even put them in that position?"
The whole reason you put a student in that position is for the very reason they are talking about, it creates a reaction and that reaction creates an opportunity for dialog. How can we hope to bring about change if we choose to shelter our kids and never give them that opportunity?
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