Posted on 04/01/2009 12:25:18 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
Kansas-It all started as a school project for a class of 7th graders at Andover Middle School. The topic: the effects of racism and oppression in 1930s America.
Students had recently read Mildred Taylor's 1976 novel, "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry." The book deals with issues faced by African Americans in the first half of the 20th century.
But one student's work is catching the attention of more than just his teachers and classmates. Wichita's NAACP is now looking into a complaint filed by another student's mother, who took offense to one project in particular.
The complaint stems from a board game created as part of a research assignment by one student. The 7th grade boy decided to focus his project on the history of the infamous Ku Klux Klan. School administrators say the student designed the game to accompany his research paper, hoping it would help fellow classmates better understand the impact the white supremacy group had on civil rights.
That game was publicly displayed at last week's open house.
"This is a matter of common sense," says Wichita NAACP President Kevin Myles.
The concerned mother emailed Myles several photos of the board game. As players make their way around the edge, they follow instructions such as: "You forgot to wash your white robe and cannot go to the lynching. You are punished. Move back two spaces."
Another square reads: "The rope you are hung with breaks. Move forward five spaces."
Myles called the game, and especially its public display, "insensitive."
"I think the school could have used better judgment in deciding whether or not to display this," Myles said.
Andover school administrators say they and the student never meant to offend anybody.
"The last intent he would ever have would be to offend," middle school principal Brett White said Tuesday of the student and his work. "He was powerfully moved by the research he uncovered... and couldn't believe some of these things really happened."
White said the student felt others should know about the Klan. The game was not meant as an endorsement.
Myles doesn't blame the student. But he does believe the school should have explained to the class why the game can easily be misconstrued.
Andover schools say the game will not be shared with - or played by - other students. However, the topic of racism and its effects will continue to be taught. Administrators also say they will take greater care with future projects.
White says the reaction the board game has caused is a valuable lesson in itself. He says it shows students first-hand the emotions that still exist in America when it comes to racism. White says that is a lesson a textbook cannot teach.
"We've got to continue to teach these types of things in order for students to have that depth of understanding," White said.
Eric Holder was right.
uhhh you think.
One of the most important things you can learn in school is how NOT to do stupid stuff.
Read the article.
The complaint stems from a board game created as part of a research assignment by one student. The 7th grade boy decided to focus his project on the history of the infamous Ku Klux Klan. School administrators say the student designed the game to accompany his research paper, hoping it would help fellow classmates better understand the impact the white supremacy group had on civil rights.
That game was publicly displayed at last week’s open house.
“This is a matter of common sense,” says Wichita NAACP President Kevin Myles.
The concerned mother emailed Myles several photos of the board game. As players make their way around the edge, they follow instructions such as: “You forgot to wash your white robe and cannot go to the lynching. You are punished. Move back two spaces.”
Another square reads: “The rope you are hung with breaks. Move forward five spaces.”
LOL! Change communit chest to welfare!
“White says the reaction the board game has...”
Anyone with the name of “White” should have stayed out of this.
“White says the reaction the board game has caused is a valuable lesson in itself. He says it shows students first-hand the emotions that still exist in America when it comes to racism. White says that is a lesson a textbook cannot teach.”
But Black failed to see any merit in the project..
I wonder what President Giggles would say?
Seriously, in my town we have the Slavery Museum (sorry, "Underground Railway Freedom Center") which can't make a dime, although we were told as taxpayers when we were conned into paying for its construction (well, not me) that it was going to bring millions of people to town to see it. Most of what it does do is have schools drag their precious children down to see how horrible slavery was (did you know that? I hadn't until they told me!) and re-instill the white guilt for what stopped a hundred years ago and the black bitterness for how horrible it was. (And once infected with that, well, you need all kinds of government assistance to overcome it!)
Seriously, a year ago the Center first insisted that despite what we were told about being self-sufficient within ten years, they needed a million dollars more tax money to stay open...and we didn't want to be known as the city that shut down the Freedom Center, did we? When that didn't work, they insisted they needed the money to...I'm not lying here...move the front door of the building to the other side, because since the City Council STILL hasn't gotten the Banks shopping district off the drawing board, the thing that REALLY is hurting the museum is that the front door faces empty, undeveloped landscape and not the city itself. (That's right, they have something so special that people won't walk 100 feet to go inside.) The real deal was when the city discovered that the free extra land they gave the Center for $1 "for future expansion" ten years ago would be better made into a shopping mall to bring people down to where the lonesome attraction is, the museum wanted...you guessed it...a MILLION dollars for that land they got free. (The local talk radio guys kept the heat on, making management look as silly and childish as they really were, and the land finally went back to the city.)
Seriously, on a purely financial basis, why would you build an attraction that's obvious purpose is to make people feel bad. Do you think that "the Tunnel of Shame" is something anyone but a few guilty Liberals are going to pay to visit?
I always wondered how many students go through their day dreading when they will be called upon to do something or say something that is utterly stupid or offensive to them just to get a grade.
But the Administrators failed to take the next step and tell the NAACP to go p!$$ up a rope.
Martin Luther King Blvd. is right next to the jail.
I do not think that there is a good financial basis for doing this, but the museum may still have value. I have not been there and it ouwld depend on how they did it. Having been to Dacau, I think it is important to remeber the evil that men are capable of.
As far as the board game, I think that making a game out of the KKK somewhat trivializes what they were/are about.
ouwld=would
Still trying to untangle my fingers......
And “chance” to lotto.
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