Posted on 12/28/2021 9:54:21 AM PST by Red Badger
Brighton, N.Y. (WHAM) - It's arguably one of the most popular holiday songs in the world, however, it will no longer be sung at Council Rock Elementary in Brighton.
First reported by the online publication, the Rochester Beacon, the school has decided to remove 'Jingle Bells' from it's repertoire due to the song's 'questionable past'.
The Rochester Beacon says principal Matt Tappon confirmed the song, and several others, have been replaced with different songs that don't have the "potential to be controversial or offensive."
The article says a factor in the decision was research published in 2017 by Boston University professor Kyna Hamill.
In her research, the song's first public performance may have occurred in a minstrel show nearly 150 years ago, where white actors performed in blackface.
The district assistant superintendent for Brighton also told the Rochester Beacon that some suggest the use of collars on slaves with bells may be connected to the origin of the song and that even though they are not taking a stance of whether or not that is true, that line of thinking is not in agreement with "district beliefs."
Some people in the community believe banning the song altogether goes too far.
"You hear Jingle Bells and it's just the spirit of Christmas time," says Mary Santiago from Rochester. "Christmas without Jingle Bells isn't Christmas. I feel it's ridiculous," she said.
Ruth Ferguson, whose children were once students at Brighton, believes other schools should follow the same lead.
"It is taking away a Christmas tradition. That's a tradition, like so many traditions, that we need to lose if it's tied to slavery or racism. It's just that simple," Ferguson said.
While speaking with the Rochester Beacon, Hamill says she was surprised a school would ban the song and told the publication she believes it should still be sung and enjoyed by children.
13 WHAM reached out to the Brighton Central School District and Hamill for comment for this story.
On Tuesday, Superintendent Kevin McGowan responded:
Several weeks ago, a resident of the community asked for more information regarding an item that he had noticed on the District’s website regarding work being done to review curriculum with a diversity/equity lens. Specifically, he was curious about the District’s decision to use different songs in the elementary music curriculum based on work being done to be more culturally responsive. Several staff members provided feedback, explaining various reasons why the song “Jingle Bells” was no longer being used. This resident decided to write a piece on the subject and it was published last week by the Rochester Beacon. This article has been distributed by the author and picked up by a variety of media outlets.
First, we couldn’t be more proud of our staff and the work they continue to do to reflect on what they teach and how they teach in an ongoing effort to be more culturally responsive, thoughtful, and inclusive. Let me be very clear, their work has been and continues to be smart, thoughtful, and well intentioned in every way. We stand behind their work without hesitation or question. They are doing work that they have been asked to do and they are doing it exceptionally well K-12 in every discipline.
Second, it may seem silly to some, but the fact that “Jingle Bells” was first performed in minstrel shows where white actors performed in blackface does actually matter when it comes to questions of what we use as material in school. I’m glad that our staff paused when learning of this, reflected, and decided to use different material to accomplish the same objective in class. It is also important to note that a song so closely related to a religious holiday that is not celebrated by everyone in our community was not likely a song that we would have wanted as part of the school curriculum in the first place. Our staff found that their simple objective could be accomplished by singing any one of many songs in class and therefore they chose to simply choose other songs.
Third, choosing songs other than “Jingle Bells” wasn’t a major policy initiative, a “banning” of the song or some significant change to a concert repertoire done in response to a complaint. This wasn’t “liberalism gone amok” or “cancel culture at its finest” as some have suggested. Nobody has said you shouldn’t sing “Jingle Bells” or ever in any way suggested that to your children. I can assure you that this situation is not an attempt to push an agenda. We were not and are not even discussing the song and its origins, whatever they may be. This was very simply a thoughtful shift made by thoughtful staff members who thought they could accomplish their instructional objective using different material. The change in material is also not something being forced on children or propaganda being spread. The teachers have never taught about the song in any way when it was being used then or in the midst of deciding not to use it.
In other words, suggestions that this situation is somehow being used as a way to indoctrinate children just doesn’t make sense either. It is as simple as this, we are using different songs, and we are not teaching about their history at this level. Nobody is discussing politics about the song or anything regarding its history with students. This is not a political situation, it was a simple, thoughtful curricular decision.
Finally, if there is ever a question as to whether or not something might be experienced differently by someone else, shouldn’t we be respectful of that? Is singing the song "Jingle Bells" so important that it outweighs the question about its past or its potential to not be inclusive in a variety of ways. If many, many songs are available to accomplish the same objective, then why wouldn’t we use those songs? I think our teachers answered that question very thoughtfully and I’m proud of their work.
Stephen Foster songs?
He left about 200 songs, for most of which he wrote the words as well as the music. They include “Camptown Races,” “Nelly Bly,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Massa’s in de Cold, Cold Ground,” “Old Dog Tray,” “Old Black Joe,” “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” and “Beautiful Dreamer.”
Just a typical WTF moment in a communist nation...
The Taliban and ISIS is handling that.......................
We sang most of those.
RE: In her research, the song’s first public performance may have occurred in a minstrel show nearly 150 years ago, where white actors performed in blackface.
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Blackface was worn by young Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante and many others. Wikipedia has a list of perhaps 100 of them. The most famous use was by Al Jolson who championed rights in the entertainment world for blacks. He made enemies by promoting black rights long before it was a virtue signaling thing.
To somehow search back “150 years ago” as place for grudges means someone has a chip on their shoulder. It was cruel to kill whales for oil as in Moby Dick.
Suwanee River was Florida’s State Song............
https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/florida/state-song/swanee-river
The left has the entire public education system in this country.
Does it trouble these enlightened educators to support a political party with such a racist history?
RE: “Christmas without Jingle Bells isn’t Christmas.”
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True. That’s the idea.
No use of “Merry Christmas” in retail stores or doctor’s offices or clinics. And other places.
No school or office tie ins with Christmas. “Holiday party” or “Winter Season Party” but not Christmas party.
If atheists and agnostics weren’t so lazy they would demand we all work on Christmas day. The time off appeals to their sluggardly nature, though.
The Inquisition assigned the accused a lawyer and heard evidence.
I think this would qualify as folklore a negative type of folklore but folklore and oral tradition none the less.
I used to live next to a black lady who was educated, and one day she told me the story of the origins of the word “picnic” which she believed wholeheartedly...
According to the oral legend that she embraced the word “picnic” was a term describing a lunch basket that was taken to a lynching where (whites) would watch, enjoy the days activities.
Wow! I backed away slowly, and really sort of avoided contact with that nut job after that. I was taken aback because she was an educated woman.
A quick search and even Webster’s 1955 unabridged dictionary revealed to me that picnic is a French word that meant a basket of food and not at all what this lady grew up believing with all her heart and mind.
Picnic
Pique-nique
mid 18th century (denoting a social event at which each guest contributes a share of the food): from French pique-nique, of unknown origin.
Amazing!
There is nothing more tied to slavery than the demonratic party. Why is it still allowed to exist?
“The Inquisition assigned the accused a lawyer and heard evidence”
If the accused renounced their crime or sin they were given the luxury of being garroted at the stake before the fires were lighted.
Yes!
“..the use of collars on slaves with bells may be connected to the origin of the song..”
Never heard that one before. Sad part is whoever made this up isn’t the least bit ashamed. Did they notice the “one horse open sleigh” part?
Written by Foster for a minstrel show.
So ban Jingle Bells because of something that MAY have happened 150 years ago that was perfectly acceptable at the time. AND ban it because idiots think it is describing slaves wearing bells around their necks? Why give in to these idiots. And I suppose next year it will be double dog banned because it promotes horse abuse and causes global warming.
Thanks.. I always associated Jingle Bells, to the HORSES.. and Sleigh Bells in the snow. I wonder if we keep looking maybe we could offend someone else and ban.. SILENT NIGHT. It as about a Fat (ROUND) young virgen!!!!
Jingle Bells was written by James Lord Pierpont. The song was originally performed in a Sunday school concert on Thanksgiving in Savannah, Georgia, although it has been claimed that Pierpont wrote it in Medford, Massachusetts in 1850. In 1859, it was re-released with the title “Jingle Bells, or The One Horse Open Sleigh”. The song was not a hit as Pierpont had originally published it.
This is just another of the lefts made up “non-troversies” to try and destroy yet another American tradition. This sone obviously has nothing to do with slavery.
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