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The noose as a symbol: High-school "walk-in" over the Jena 6 case
By adamg on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 10:09am
Part of the discussion on the T worker and the noose post has basically centered on whether a noose is just a noose or a symbol of anti-black violence in this country.
On Monday, Nov. 19, students at Media Communications Technology High School in West Roxbury (it's one of the four small schools that now sit in what used to be West Roxbury High School) are holding a "walk-in" to discuss the implications of the Jena 6 case.
Instead of a "walk-out," where students shorten their education as a protest, we are hosting a "walk-in." Our students have opted to lengthen their education to raise awareness and create dialogue.
They certainly get the symbolism of the noose in American society:
Note: Members of the community can attend. Pre-register by e-mailing [email protected] with your name and contact information.
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Comments
disguising Boston Public
disguising Boston Public schools with names that sound like there is actual learning going on there is nothing but a farce. I'm sure this is a real institude of higher learning. And for the record, I was among the first graduating class at WR High, so I do know the school and the neighborhood. Most people who live there do not attend this school. Actually they would prefere it was not there.
So these kids can walk in or walk out - who really cares? When they go to school dressed with their pants down around their anckles and big hats hanging off the side of their heads - how can anyone take them seriously?
I want to take my own advice
I want to take my own advice and take a step back to reflect on your comment, but I'm coming up blank. I can only surmise a hint of disdain for the current students and the school system as a whole. As for the actual post, I think the walk-in is an interesting idea. I'd be interested in seeing how may students stay after school to participate.
Note the Tree
Adam, there IS a tree in that picture. A noose (with or without a tree) might immediately "mean" violence against blacks in the South, but that doesn't immediately make it a symbol of violence against blacks in Boston. To this outsider, Boston + noose = the Quaker woman who was executed for being a Quaker. I think she was the first woman to be executed in Massachusetts. But beyond that, a noose to me suggests suicide over everything else.
I am frequently mistaken for mixed race, but the only place I ever got hit with an anti-mixed race racist comment was in Boston. It was a really weird situation, for as a matter of fact, I am white. My American grandma used to tell me stories about how she was the butt of anti-black remarks in Illinois (c. 1910), but I never imagined it happening to me almost a hundred years later. There is racism in Boston. No one is debating that.
But the debate in the last thread dipped into who has control over meaning. Such conversations really distress me, for in the will-to-power takes precedence over intellect. I have read David Mamet's "Oleanna" over and over, and fortunately the witchhunts in academia for supposed racists and sexists are not as all-pervasive as they were when "Oleanna" was first performed, the firing of Larry Summers notwithstanding. I would hate to see those days back.
We need to consider "reasonable assumption." Is it a reasonable assumption that wearing a noose as part of a Halloween costume in Boston was meant as a racist attack on African-Americans? If yes, well then, the wearer should be charged with a hate crime. But if not, the wearer should be left alone. There is such a thing as freedom of speech and expression. If there wasn't, "Chocolate Jesus" would not be hanging in a window in New York.
Over 100 people attended...
The event was a huge success - over 100 people signed in, and most stayed through the first workshop. About 50 people, mostly Media students, stayed through the entire four hours. We had students and staff from 3 other high schools, a student from Catholic Memorial, and professors from Boston College and Harvard. See our coverage in the Metro (front page!) and West Roxbury Transcript. Wow, I just learned to make weblinks in a post.
oops... after I bragged about my skills...
They've updated their front page... here is the correct link for the Metro story.
If you are going to complain about poorly educated students
then you would do well to spell simple words such as "institute", "prefer", and "ankles" correctly.
Form follows function
He's proving his own point, see?
Sorry for the Spelling errors
Ron
Sorry for the simple spelling errors but I do write on the fly and my fingers don't always find the right keys. I'm sure you can identify with this...maybe?
Thank God for spell check huh???
I don't consider my comment as a "shot" as you put it. I am just telling it like it is. AND nobody really wants to hear that. Someone has to do it!!!
heel: to comment directly, i
heel: to comment directly, i will agree with you to a point. first impressions do count and every teen is not aspiring for college, much less a HS diploma. but to similarly generalize all schools and thus, all students is unfair, don't you think? i for one, do wear big fitted hats and baggy jeans, but it should not make me be taken less seriously by anyone. the don't judge a book by its cover cliche still holds true. but the initial comment did ring of the "we don't want your kind around here" vibe. i don't want to make stuff up, but we were taught to read between the lines in school. hence, it was a shot.
West Roxbury High
I'm sorry for any generalizations I may have made. I know these kids pay a lot of money for the clothes they wear and the "bling" that goes with it. To hear people complain about being from a so called poor neighborhood and being at a disadvantage is nothing more than a cop out. when they walk around with $1000.00 worth of clothing on their backs. My father grew up in Roxbury - poor he got out of there and made a good life for himself despite. He raised four kids -and nobody gave him anything for free. He went only as far as ninth grade.
Why do people continue to enable kids to do less for themselves? The race card is continuelly thrown around as an excuse for poor behavior and crime. We are all responsible for our OWN actions regardless of where we come from.
EXCUSE any spelling errors as I wrote this out between clients at work.
Sorry?
It doesn't sound like your are sorry for anything, save not being clear enough about your highly biased and innacurate tirade the first time.
Just another high-blood-lead level damaged mind from the past, dependent on putting other people down to make himself feel adequate.
Biased are we?
Swirlygrrl wrote:
Just another high-blood-lead level damaged mind from the past, dependent on putting other people down to make himself feel adequate.
That's me in a nutshell - Have a nice day!!
Have you been to West Roxbury High School?
Do you know for a fact there are kids there wearing $1,000 outfits?
Cost of Clothing
I've been looking at some of the places where teens buy clothing since one of mine is at the starting gate of adolescence.
Much of what Heel describes as expensive outfits are actually quite reasonably priced and really much cheaper than the robot uniforms and preppy stuff suburban teens are sporting these days.
As a parent and funding source, give me Hip Zepi and the Downtown Crossing stores over Burlington Mall any day! Much more interesting stuff, wider range of selection and fit, more age-appropriate and often more affordable.
Don't be mean to the kids
Don't be mean to the kids who don't want to/can't dress urban.
Good point Swirly - The
Good point Swirly - The bottom line is, we all have to do what's best for the kids. Without that what do we have? Your comments to my posts are much appreciated and I wish you the best with your kids, as it's not easy being a parent today.
Neighborhood High Schools?
I do know the school and the neighborhood. Most people who live there do not attend this school. Actually they would prefere it was not there.
Um, newsflash: most large urban school districts in cities of over 200,000 have citywide school systems with specialized curricula.
These High Schools are Boston schools. These students live in Boston. The parents of these students pay their taxes in Boston - either directly through property tax and auto excise taxes or through rents. I find it amusing that in 2007 the idea of "my neighborhood" would even be brought up as an issue where high schools are involved. How many people even work in the neighborhoods they live in? Do you?
Boston Public Undisguised
I am the headmaster of one of the schools at the West Roxbury Education Complex. I invite anyone to email me and arrange for a visit. We do not have a formal visitation program, but we would be happy to set up visits with interested community members who would like to inspect our work.
I am honored to be working with the students who attend my school, who are accurately not from West Roxbury, for the most part. In fact, we are 53.5% from Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan, 21.4% Roslindale/JP, 15% Hyde Park, and less than 10% from South Boston, East Boston, Charlestown, Allston, Brighton, West Roxbury and "Boston" (South End, etc). 4.5% of our 374 students (17 students) live in West Roxbury.
Better yet, if you want to see what we do, come to our event on the 19th, which will be filmed using equipment donated to us by the Turner Broadcasting Corporation, by students who were trained by Turner staff who flew up from Atlanta on two occasions for about 10 days total.
You can RSVP for the event at [email protected] so we can get a headcount for dinner.
Congratulations on an intelligent and innovative response
Hope the event goes well.
Christian Science Monitor: Media myths about the Jena 6
Christian Science Monitor
Media myths about the Jena 6
A local journalist tells the story you haven't heard.
You mean...
A noose can have more than one meaning???
Thank you. . .
. . . for the link to this article. It's adding greatly to our discussion.