We haven’t had an example of jaw-droppingly incompetent, outrageously irresponsible teacher behavior for a while, so this story from the Associated Press is timely, if not welcome.
Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers gave children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade. Honest. The teachers have been removed from their classrooms, and investigation is pending. All the teachers were white men, and the classes involved were first, second and fourth grades.
Were the teachers engaging in a practical joke at the expense of kids who didn’t know better? Did they intend some vile statement about the dearth of black role models? Are they demented? Do they really want their very young charges toadmire and emulate a murderer and currently imprisoned felon, a habitual substance abuser and occasionally violent athlete, and a transvestite? Please tell me: which of these explanations would mitigate the offense and be acceptable to the school? What is there to investigate? Would the school investigate if the teachers had the kids carrying pictures of James Earl Ray, David Duke and Simon Legree?
The Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP has called for the men to be fired, and they couldn’t be more correct. The AP story also quotes the father of a student at the school, one Gabriel Blackson, who could be an Ethics Dunce if he got a little smarter. “These guys were heroes before. People make mistakes,” he said. “I think they show kids they can be somebody, to push them to be somebody.”
Keep an eye on this guy’s son. He’s going places.
Meanwhile, here is the link to the Homeschooling Association of America.
Ethics Alarms 
All I think for this one was: what did RuPaul ever do that was so wrong? No hero, for sure, but would it be worse to put up a picture of the oft-wrathful Naomi Campbell? Or perhaps replace Dennis Rodman with Charles Barkley or Michael Jordan (or that very elusive creature, a virtuous athlete)?
RuPaul is a head-scratcher for sure. My problem with him/her is that she’s clearly not an age-appropriate choice—how do you explain RuPaul to a 6 year-old? The three are like a punch-line, and RuPaul the kicker. Heck, T.O. would be worse. William Jefferson. Tiger Woods!
Thinking back, when I was younger, I think I categorized RuPaul in the same place as Dame Edna. It wasn’t really a sex thing, just an entertainment thing.
But yeah, just about nothing can make you look less sophisticated than mocking Black History Month.
Carter Godwin Woodson. Would you be turning over in your grave if you knew the antics that were happening now?
Hitler was Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year”.
Dr. Woodson did not begin this tradition with the thought of illustrating all of Black History. His goal was to change the negative perception of Blacks that media and textbooks portrayed. His mission was to bring to light African-American contributions that were overlooked, ignored, or suppressed.
I do think Dr. Woodson would be at least displeased with the current state of affairs. Aside from this obvious mockery of the concept of “Black History Month”, the month has become a rank and file retelling of the same stories of the same influential Black leaders. The spirit of uplifting new Black achievements has been lost during this month as the living can’t seem to get out from under the thumb of the dead.
Trust me. Martin Luther King, Fredrick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, and Ruben Carter aren’t going anywhere. Their place is locked in History, every month of every year. This country needs to get back to identifying new achievements and new accomplishments to add to the rolls of history during this month, instead of imposing great figures whose shadows can not be escaped.