Posted on 06/22/2021 12:50:29 PM PDT by Red Badger
Schools are now so fearful of racism allegations that making a tree a mascot is considered a concern because black Americans were once hanged using trees.
In Portland, Oregon, Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School has delayed a vote to adopt an evergreen tree as its mascot because some fear such a mascot would be reminiscent of lynching, the Portland Tribune reported. The school’s current mascot is the Trojans but was set to be changed to evergreens following the suggestion from a committee “comprised of students, staff and community members,” the outlet reported.
“But just before the Portland Public Schools Board of Education’s vote to approve the new mascot Tuesday, March 30, Director Michelle DePass shared community concerns of an unwanted correlation between Ida B. Wells—the historic Black activist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who documented and crusaded against lynching—and a tree which could conjure up reminders of hanging people with ropes from branches,” the Tribune reported.
DePass asked the mascot committee if they considered any concerns when coming up with the new mascot.
“I think everyone comes with blind spots and I think that might’ve been a really big blind spot,” she said.
It is unclear just how many community members expressed concern about a connection between a tree as a mascot and lynching – or whether those concerns were genuine.
Mascot committee member Martin Osborne told the Tribune that the lynching connection was discussed, but those concerns were put to rest.
“We did talk about it, but we were looking at the symbolism more as a tree of life, than a tree of death,” Osborne, who is black, said in response to DePass’ comments. “You could certainly take it either way, depending upon your position.”
Osborne added that the committee’s suggestion of the evergreen “had nothing to do with the horrible history of lynching in the United States.”
“Lynching trees typically are not evergreens,” Osborne informed the committee, explaining that trees with larger lower branches were what were used in the south.
DePass, who is also black, called on other board members to agree with her in viewing the new mascot as a racist symbol.
“Lynching is a really difficult topic to talk about and as a sole Black board member, I invite you, beg you, implore you to join me in disrupting the situations, practices, that are racist. I can’t do this by myself,” she said, according to the Tribune.
Filip Hristic, the Wells-Barnett High School’s principal, told the board that Wells’ family has generally been supportive of the school’s attempts to honor her legacy, though he said he, too, worried about the perceived connection to lynching.
“We take this seriously and I definitely want to follow that commitment to protect, preserve and promote the legacy of Ida B. Wells,” Hristic said, adding that the Wells-Barnett family hadn’t been contacted about the mascot.
“The focus and opportunity was really to marry this sentiment that we heard from a lot of our stakeholders during our naming process, which was the desire for a local connection,” Hristic added. “Ida B. Wells was somebody who stood strong and stood proud against what Woodrow Wilson and many others promoted.”
Have we reached peak stupidity yet?
Not until they declare ‘AIR’ to be racist.........................
Not yet.
Snow = white
Chains = slavery
I doubt we’ve reached peak stupidity, but we are getting close.
“Several years ago, Michelle DePass took a seminar from Emerge Oregon that prepares Democratic women to run for office, with the intention of using the training to help other women get elected. But she ended up using what she learned on her own campaign for the PPS Board after she was inspired to try to help a school district she has deep roots in.
“Michelle is a PPS product who graduated from Metropolitan Learning Center. Her mother and grandmother retired from positions at PPS’s Martin Luther King Jr. School, and her sister and niece currently work in the district. Her two sons both graduated from Benson High School.
“Michelle works as Community Engagement and Policy Coordinator for the City of Portland Housing Bureau. She is a graduate of Portland State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Community Development, and serves on the boards of the Community Energy Project, Oregon Native American Chamber of Commerce and Off the Sideline, which helps low-income youth gain scholarships to participate in team sports.”
Racists use oxygen so I demand that all liberals stop consuming oxygen. The drink water too. No more water.
We don’t have that problem in Florida...................
Many lynchings, including the only one in recorded Oregon history, involved bridges, rather than trees. And evergreens, generally wouldn’t be good. But.... facts....
Yeah, because lynching was such a big thing on Oregon. And has it happened anywhere since the 1950s (or very early 60s very broadly defining the term)?
Joe Biden brags about having threatened to lynch a black man named Corn Pop with a link of chain.
And he gets a pass.
The end of ropes worn on the shoulder in the military?
The end of SWAT teams repelling down ropes?
No more ropes to section off areas in restaurants, banks, etc?
Are we going to have to clear cut every tree in the USA?
These people, and I do mean "these people" in the most derogatory way possible, no matter their race, this includes leftists of all races, have gone stark raving mad.
So many stories lately make me wonder why normal, responsible, middle-class black people aren’t expressing pure disgust at the insulting pandering our population of snowflakes and social justice warriors are doing.
These people who think they’re helping blacks are doing nothing but demeaning them. Constantly.
Just shaking my head...Insanity...and we are teaching the children this...they are becoming well trained!!
A whole family making a very nice living off the taxpayers.
It’s like all the comedy and satire of the past was brought to mind and people on the Left said “Hey, hold my beer!”
Evidence is racist. Only feelings have authority among BIPOC, and the views of BIPOC are, ipso facto, the correct views.
So she’s the “Studies” major that got a job.
Everybody seems to forget that demonrats used to lynch republicans too if they were found to be helping blacks
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