Michigan teacher suspended for blackface lesson

Thecelebritycafe ^ | 5-31-14 | Kyle Johnson

[windcliff]

A Monroe, Michigan middle-school teacher has been suspended after showing a video of people in blackface to his eighth-grade class.

According to Monroe News, Alan Barron, who is weeks away from retiring, showed videos of white entertainers wearing blackface while discussing racial segregation and black history, but the class was cut short by an assistant principal who was in the classroom.

Parents said that the school official believed the lesson plan to be racist. The 36-year teacher was placed on suspension by school officials while they investigate whether his lesson plan was actually racist.

Adrienne Aaron, whose husband is African-American, said her daughter is in Barron's class and wasn't offended by the video, saying that it was merely showing what some entertainers did in the 1800s.

"She was more offended that they stopped the video," she said. "It had nothing to do with racism. History is history. We need to educate our kids to see how far we've come in America. How is that racism?"

[BBell]

So it’s racist to teach about racism.

[MeshugeMikey]

Blackface in real 3D

no special equipment required

shot for use in a stereoptican

simply cross your eyes to focus full 3D Image...

darned near living history!!

[chajin]

The purpose of education is to educate, not to ignorate. May God protect us from such foolishness.

[tips up]

How can he be 36 years old and weeks away from retirement? He must have a nice pension plan as a teacher.

[cripplecreek]

You don't do anyone any good by erasing history.



Michigan legislative action thread

[lonevoice]

The 36-year teacher was placed on suspension

The author writes that the man has been a teacher for 36 years, not that the man is 36-years-old.

[tips up]

Oops. I misread.

[lonevoice]

Happens to me a lot, too. :-)

[Jeff Chandler]

I never did understand the stupid makeup for lips. It doesn’t look like lips, it looks like stupid makeup.

[Sioux-san]

reedickulus

[Vinylly]

Too bad for Al Jolson and singing ‘That’s My Baby’
http://www.lyrics.net/lyric/6296525

It’s now a racist song.

[tips up]

My brain saw 36 year old teacher but it really said 36 year teacher.

[jocon307]

How can a 36 year old be weeks away from retirement?

[jocon307]

Me too but that was very unclear. Do you often see that construction, the x-year whatever? Who wrote this? Some poetical Irish immigrant?

[ifinnegan]

Wherein I agree that the response is hysterical and draconian, I’m not sure why an old mode of theatrical entertainment merits being taught in 8th grade history.

As for the teacher’s motivation, I would guess he has been hoisted on his own petard.

[Starstruck]

but the class was cut short by an assistant principal who was in the classroom.

Heaven forbid if the assistant principal ever wanders into a class where they are discussing slavery.

[Hot Tabasco]

Alan Barron, who is weeks away from retiring.....The 36-year teacher

Huh? What did I miss in this article? How is a 36 year old eligible to retire?

[ExCTCitizen]

Ms Aaron, it is racist because Liberals say it is. What they say is what goes.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Adrienne Aaron, whose husband is African-American, said her daughter is in Barron's class and wasn't offended by the video, saying that it was merely showing what some entertainers did in the 1800s."

Blackface was used well into the 1900's, and racially offensive cartoons were still shown in the 1950's. It sounds like the teacher is being punished for telling it like it was. I guess telling the truth can now get you suspended.