Student Caught In Racial Controversy-Flyers Promote White Student For African-American Award

theiowachannel.com ^

[chance33_98]

Student Caught In Racial Controversy Flyers Promote White Student For African-American Award

POSTED: 6:39 AM CST January 22, 2004 UPDATED: 11:59 AM CST January 22, 2004

OMAHA, Neb. -- Four Westside High School students are suspended for promoting a white student for an African-American award.

More than 150 flyers (pictured, below right) were distributed throughout the school Monday. They featured junior Trevor Richards (pictured, left), A South African native who moved to the United States in 1997.

Westside officials say the flyers were were quickly removed because they were inappropriate and insensitive to black students.

Trevor said he is as African as anyone else.

"I had no intent of hurting anyone or offending anyone. I wasn't trying to make a statement. I was just running for the award, but i guess the administration felt differently," Richards said.

Richards was suspended for two days.

Two other students were disciplined for putting up the posters and another student was punished for starting a petition to promote Richards.

[Paleo Conservative]

Neil Boortz discussed this story on his show today.

[freebilly]

I see a big fat lawsuit coming. Hope he wins a bundle....

[Brett66]

Why doesn't he promote himself for the highest achieving white student award? Oh yeah, that's racist..........

[Vigilantcitizen]

"Trevor said he is as African as anyone else"

I'd wager a franklin that a DNA test would reveal the boy to be right.

[cyborg]

Only embarassing because he knows more about Africa than most students who are called 'african-americans' because of their skin color.

[There's millions of'em]

High School. Those were the days....

[freedumb2003]

>>Richards was suspended for two days.

Two other students were disciplined for putting up the posters and another student was punished for starting a petition to promote Richards.<<

Time to hoist the b@stards on their own petards. I swear, PC is going to kill us all (it is already killing people -- *literally* in Los Angeles since the police can't arrest known deported felons).

Kep your weapons close -- Civil War II is close.

[BykrBayb]

Oh my! This is such a blatant case of racial discrimination. If I don't read about a big fat lawsuit won by this kid, I'm going to be very disappointed. What if it was an award for a French-American student, and a black student from France applied? (I know, I shouldn't use the F-word. That will start a whole different thread.)

[seowulf]

If I was an "African-American" with a slightly darker shade of skin in this school, I would be insulted to get this "award" from the teachers. These teachers seem to feel the need to give out a "Best dark skinned student" award. How condescending to be told you can't compete with the rest of the students in this school just because you have a little more melanin in your skin.

These students were punished for pointing out the hypocritical racism of the school administration.

[ChiMark]

He got suspended for being insensitive to black students or Africans? Sue the bums. The kids are on the ball. They're not buying into this P.C. dung. Name the names of the principal and teacher(s) who suspended this kid. Let's out them!

[lilylangtree]

This is rich! Hahahaha!

[Betty Jane]

I think every non African American kid in the school should sue for racial discrimination. How can the school give out an award in which only one color of kid can even apply?

[manic4organic]

Already posted here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1062564/posts

[davisfh]

"Student Caught In Racial Controversy-Flyers Promote White Student For African-American Award"

Heard about this on Boortz today. All I can say is, yuk, yuk, yuk! It's about damned time.

[PattonReincarnated]

Here's the out:

Westside High School - Omaha, NE
Phone Number: (402) 343-2600

Principal: Dr. John Crook
e-mail: jcrook@westside66.org
Vice Principal: Kent Kingston
e-mail: kkingston@westside66.org

Web site: http://www.westside66.org/hi/schools/index.html

[southernnorthcarolina]

I would encourage all to click on the link provided by chance33_98, and then go to the "What do you think?" link under the article. The public's reaction seems to be overwhelmingly in Trevor's favor, though I haven't plowed through all 15 pages of reactions posted to this point. My favorite comment from the responses I did browse:

"...creating an "Outstanding African-American Student" award in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. is a bit like holding a wet t-shirt contest to honor Susan B. Anthony."

[southernnorthcarolina]

Already posted here:

The earlier post seems to have a link to an earlier article on the same subject. This one is better.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Africans come in all colors:

If we must seperate people into groups and subgroups, let's at least do so fairly.

[cyborg]

How about this one???? Someone forgot to take their midol this morning...

TO EVEN HAVE THIS DISCUSSION SHOWS JUST HOW FAR OMAHA, NEBRASKA IS BEHIND IN THE TIMES. TO EVEN JUSTIFY THIS YOUNGS MANS POSITION AND PROMOTE THIS AS BEING RIGHT SHOWS THE LEVEL OF IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY THAT STILL EXIST IN 2004,IN THIS STATE. THE DEFININITION OF AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN(AFRO-AMERICAN)IS-A Black American of African ancestry. See Usage Note at black, Black- Of or belonging to a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin: the Black population of South Africa. Of or belonging to an American ethnic group descended from African peoples having dark skin; African-American. TO SAY HE'S AS AFRICAN AS ANYONE IS COMPLETELY OFFENSIVE. I AM AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN, WHO IS THE ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN TO WORK IN THE BUSINESS OFFICE AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT, TO HAVE TO SEE AND HEAR MY CO-WORKERS LAUGH AND JOKE, JUSTIFY THIS, CAUSE "TECHNICALLY" THIS YOUNG MAN IS RIGHT WAS COMPLETELY OFFENSIVE AND HURTFUL. TO KNOW THAT JUST LAST SUNDAY JANUARY 18, MARTIN LUTHER KING JRS. SON WAS IN OMAHA, TALKING ABOUT HIS FATHERS STRUGGLES THE SAME STRUGGLES THAT EVERY MINORITY FACE AND THEN TO HAVE THIS INCEDENT PLASTERED ALL OVER THE NEWS IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. FOR JUST A MOMENT JUST IMAGE YOURSELF IN THE SHOES OF THE REAL AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AT WESTSIDE, COMING INTO SCHOOL AND FINDING THESE TRASH PLASTERED ALL OVER THE SCHOOL, WHAT GIVES THIS BOY AND HIS FRIENDS THE RIGHT TO ALIENATE SOMEONE LIKE THAT. BUT IT'S NOT HURTFUL OR OFFENSIVE, WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN. THEY MIGHT HAVE JUST WORN THEIR WHITE SHEETS TO SCHOOL, BECAUSE THIS HAS THE SAME HATEFUL EFFECT.