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Museum apologizes for telling 'black and brown' students not to eat watermelon
CTV News ^ | May 24, 2019 | Jackie Dunham, CTVNews.ca Staff

Posted on 05/25/2019 7:18:37 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has apologized after a middle school teacher says her students were subjected to racist comments and profiling from staff and patrons during a field trip.

In a Facebook post published earlier this week, English teacher Marvelyne Lamy said she brought her Grade 7 students -- who she described as all “black and brown” -- from the Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy in Dorchester, Mass. to the museum on May 16.

“At the very beginning of the tour, one of the staff gave an overview on what to expect and told the kids no food, no drink, and no watermelon,” she wrote.

Lamy said she and the other chaperones were not made aware of the comment until after the visit so they carried on with the tour. She said her students were instructed not to touch any of the artifacts even though they could see a group of white students on another school trip touch the displays on several occasions as the security guards looked on.

“The minute one of our students followed suit, the security guards would yell at them that they should not touch exhibits,” she said.

As Lamy and her students made their way through the museum, she said they were closely followed by security guards.

“Many of our students grew agitated,” she recalled. “It got so bad that I started gathering our students so we could leave.”

On their way out of one of the exhibits, Lamy said one of her female students told her that a patron made a disparaging comment to her when she was dancing to music being played in the museum.

“The visitor said that’s it’s a shame that she is not learning and instead stripping,” Lamy said.

That’s when Lamy said she had had enough and rounded up her class to leave. When her students were standing in the doorway of the African exhibit preparing to exit, the teacher said a museum guest walking by said there were “f***ing black kids in the way.”

Lamy said museum staff offered her tickets to bring the class back on another occasion after she complained about the treatment they received during the visit.

“We did not even receive an apology,” she said. “The worse [sic] part about all of this is seeing the hurt look on my children’s faces as this was their first time experiencing racism first hand.”

Two days after Lamy’s complaint, the museum’s leadership team issued a statement apologizing for “a range of challenging and unacceptable experiences” that made the students feel “unwelcome” during their visit.

“That is not who we are or want to be,” the statement read. “Our intention is to set the highest of standards, and we are committed to doing the work that it will take to get there.”

The next day, museum executives visited Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy to discuss the incident with school officials.

“We’re in the process of rolling out some new training next month, so we’re figuring out how to expedite that and maybe bolster it with more,” Katie Getchell, the museum’s deputy director, told local television station WBZ.

The executives also invited the students to return to the museum, something Lamy has vowed she won’t do.

“I cannot stress to you enough, I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THE MUSUEM OF FINE ARTS,” she wrote on Facebook.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: lie
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To: TaxPayer2000

I have a hard time believing that a staff member told the kids not to eat watermelon and that the guards let the white kids touch or play with the artifacts.


61 posted on 05/25/2019 9:42:04 AM PDT by Steve_Seattle
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To: TaxPayer2000
"There was no audio evidence of the staffer’s remarks to students, Teitelbaum said, and the employee who greeted the group recalled relaying a standard disclosure, that “no food, no drink, and no water bottles” were allowed in the galleries, according to the museum’s statement Friday."

Good catch. The idea that in today's world an educated museum staffer would use a hackneyed racial slur seemed highly improbable.
62 posted on 05/25/2019 9:45:07 AM PDT by Steve_Seattle
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Ping.


63 posted on 05/25/2019 9:45:12 AM PDT by bort
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To: TaxPayer2000

“That is not who we are or want to be,” the statement read.

It’s Boston. The 21st Century verson of the 1960’s Alabama! The more liberal the state, the more racist it is!


64 posted on 05/25/2019 9:46:35 AM PDT by Bommer (Help 2ndDivisionVet - https://www.gofundme.com/mvc.php?route=category&term=married-recent-amputec)
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To: TaxPayer2000

Gee, I wonder what group of people are out of control at museums. Then they scowl at you for keeping your distance.


65 posted on 05/25/2019 9:50:12 AM PDT by King Moonracer (Bad lighting and cheap fabric, that's how you sell clothing.)
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To: TaxPayer2000

When ever I go to a museum, I always walk around with half a watermelon cut open, seeds dribbling down the front of my shirt. Its a real good look.


66 posted on 05/25/2019 9:50:53 AM PDT by Lockbar (What would Vlad The Impaler do?)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

“Triggered”???


67 posted on 05/25/2019 9:52:50 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: TaxPayer2000

Miss Manners says a museum is not the place to twerk.


68 posted on 05/25/2019 11:18:26 AM PDT by bgill (when you badmouth women, you are badmouthing your mama and the good women on FR)
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To: Clutch Martin

Do you have any cauliflower in the fridge?


69 posted on 05/25/2019 11:24:51 AM PDT by bgill (when you badmouth women, you are badmouthing your mama and the good women on FR)
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To: AloneInMass

Probably told them not to eat cauliflower.


70 posted on 05/25/2019 11:46:14 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: yesthatjallen

“Afro-centric” school for “culture-based” education


71 posted on 05/25/2019 11:50:40 AM PDT by Help!
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To: Help!

This i sounds like it’s from the Jussi Smollett School of “hate” incidents.

I am a member of the MFA who visits 2x.a month. My guess is 99 % of visitors and staff are progressive moonbats. Most of the security and service staff are “persons of color “
As far as being watched and scrutinized by security, it’s a fing Art Museum. I’m a hunched over gray haired Jew and I am followed and watched. Am I being “profiled.”

My guess is this is some sort of sick school project aimed at proving how “racist” another great institution is. It’s very ironic to see the moon bats who run the place be hoisted by their own petard.
As


72 posted on 05/25/2019 1:10:01 PM PDT by samkatz
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To: TaxPayer2000

But the fried chicken is ok


73 posted on 05/25/2019 2:20:37 PM PDT by ronnie raygun (nicdip.com)
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To: bgill

“Do you have any cauliflower in the fridge?”

No. I have some Brocoli and cabbage though. Out of Spinach. Serrano peppers, Carrots, celery, green pep, tomatoes. I think that’s about it for the veg drawer. Home made pickles, Spanish Queen olives, garlic, a lime, some pickled eggs, a block of sharp cheddar, half a jar of salsa, 2 links of italian sausage, mayo, ketchup, yellow mustard, soy sauce, take out packets if duck sauce, some dark rye bread and half a baguette...

Why?


74 posted on 05/25/2019 2:47:56 PM PDT by Clutch Martin (The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.)
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Comment #75 Removed by Moderator


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