So were they celebrating these figures or just representing them? Not all historical figures are positive models, but they’re still part of history (Hitler, Stalin, et al). Michael Vick may be a scofflaw and a contemptable man, but he’s part of the American lexicon at this point.
Not just grade school. I teach a college writing course with the general theme of “wealth and poverty” and every class, without fail, somebody wants to write about Gates and Oprah. Unfortunately, they don’t realize “Gates is awesome” or “Oprah is a great role model” is a good topic for a college-level argument essay, and they’re awfully put out when I tell them to find a new topic.
OK, so I still haven’t figured out if Michael Vick was at the school in person?? Or another kid was “playing him” in the pageant? Or was he connected to them via satellite or something?
If so, what did he tell the kids? I can see them presenting him as “negative” role model, as in “Kids, don’t fight pit bulls” or something similar.
Sorry if I was whooshed by that. Carry on.
The latter.
Data point: I’m white, and I’ve joined in when Lift Every Voice and Sing has been featured as a hymn in church services I’ve attended.
Well, I could them being mentioned in a specific context, or just because they’re well-known. But neither seemed to stand up in the company of W. E. B. DuBois, or That Guy Who Came Up With All Those Uses For Peanuts.
Oh well, I never understood why Oprah was so big, either, so I guess I’m just out of touch.
Aries28, whenever we had black history assemblies at my schools, everyone was encouraged to sing the black national anthem. And I went to integrated schools. I don’t think there’s a public school teacher in Atlanta that doesn’t know the song by heart, white or black.
When I was in the eighth grade, we were given a creative black history assignment in my social studies class. I don’t know if we were supposed to make a collage, but that’s what I made. Basically I took all the magazines in the house and cut out all the pictures of the famous black people. The hardest part was glueing them all together without making a mess. None of the people I chose were historic or really monumental. Like, Michael Jackson was on there, along with the family from the Cosby Show. In retrospect, it made no sense. It’s not like I was really learning anything (who the hell doesn’t know about Michael Jackson*?) But it was kinda fun. And my teacher liked it!
History doesn’t really become meaty until high school when students reach a certain maturity level. Before then, it’s bubblegum. People are wary of delving into racism, slavery, and the civil rights movement with young kids, so the focus tends to be on famous individuals and inventions. A lot of trivial stuff gets thrown in there (Didja know the dustpan and folding chair were invented by black people?!) And often people can get carried away and swap history lessons with hero worship. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with encouraging kids to find role models, but I fail to see the instructional value in having them wear costumes and pretend to be other people.
*I also did a book report on an biography of Michael Jackson for English class. Maybe I was a little obsessed. 
We had a presentation at my school too. I seem to have missed the part in your post where you were honored.
Your name isn’t “Conrack,” is it? 
Once, in college, some black guys were posturing and talking tough for my benefit and I thought I was about to get my teeth kicked in. I was on the verge of saying, “By the way, none of my ancestors owned slaves. Most didn’t even get here till AFTER the Civil War…” Luckily the moment evaporated.
One of the points made at our presentation is that blacks didn’t make it alone. That is, it took people from other groups to march along with them and so on. Sorry that news doesn’t seem to have filtered into your school yet.
Nor did I know…but we had it at our presentation as well. I didn’t try to sing along b/c I thought I might end up like Leslie Nielsen when he was butching the Star Spangled Banner in “Naked Gun.”
Ours had some religious overtones as well. I was a bit surprised, this being a public school. I was also curious how any (black) Muslims in the audience might feel. But, when in Rome…
Speaking as a teacher, that sounds about right.
I wouldn’t comment on these others being better than Michael Vick, if you do that. I have no idea how they managed to spin that one into a role model but for some reason they think it’s okay.
I posted elsewhere in these boards—a thread about how Hooter’s is now deemed by some to be a “family” place. Look at how Vegas is portrayed as a family place or the stuff that isn’t censored on TV like it would have been 20 years ago. The kids are running the show in many households, and society’s turning into a free-for-all. IMO, there’s no accounting for values any more.
I’m probably telling you something you already know but one key to getting a clue is to have some good black friends. There are a couple of people I work with who will not get offended if I ask a question respectfully.
I do have several good black friends, including in my workplace, at my church, my next-door neighbors, etc. and out of the 4 I have asked so far none of them were aware there was an African American National Anthem.
I’ve lived in Birmingham for almost 33 years and I find it odd I’ve never heard of this. And it’s not like I am not around black people or insulate myself. My high school was probably 50/50. My best friend from high school dated only black guys for probably 6 years and I was around her boyfriends all the time. My boyfriend was one of three white people on the basketball team and I attended all his games and sat with the other girlfriends of the black players.
I just find it odd that yesterday was the first I’ve ever heard it. It’s one of those “I can’t believe I’ve never heard this” kinda deals and not a “OMGosh there is a Black National Anthem?”
Earlier this month I attended an event very much like the one in the OP, at an inner-city middle school where I was substituting. The really bizarre thing was that each character was introduced with a police siren, flashing red-and-blue police-cruiser lights, and a white cop who ordered the person to “Come out with your hands up!” Then the character would come out on stage, dressed as Harriet Tubman or whoever, holding their hands up, and say, “Please don’t shoot me, Mr. Policeman, I’m Harriet Tubman!” Then the actor gave a sumarry of the famous black person’s life and why he/she was important to black history; but at certain intervals, the white cop would interrupt the narrative with “Keep your hands in the air and shut up!” At the end of each segment, the cop grabbed the actor, slapped handcuffs on, and hustled him/her off the stage, while the actor is saying things like “Please, Mr. Policeman, don’t throw me in jail! Let the world hear my story!” I was sitting there like - WTF?
That does seem weird. (Not a slight against you in anyway whatsoever.) I grew up in Charlotte, and, like monstro, the schools I went to usually had “Lift Every Voice” on the program for choir concerts and Black History assemblies, along with a more mainstream patriotic song and, in high school, our school song. I guess it’s not as well-known as I thought. I’d love to see it enter the standard repetoire of patriotic songs, alongside “America the Beautiful” and “This Land Is Your Land.”
I was going back and forth as to whether to write this and I’ll begin with a preface stating that I don’t wish to be harsh but, Aries28, if you are a self-described clueless white person, well really you need to get one–a clue that is.
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With the black national anthem that you had no idea existed, so what? You go with it. If you began casting about with a wide-eyed expression of “What do I do?? What do I do???” Then to wonder, do I sing along, do I raise one fist in the air and I’m sure the others in the audience picked up on the cluelessness, rolled their eyes and figured here we go again with ‘Whitey Hangin’ With the Black Folk’ and fumbling the ball again. Oh and singing along with it? Please. If you can’t see how this was at least a touch out of place, I can see why the people at the school remain unsure as to exactly why you are there.
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The Michael Vick thing. Blacks and whites simply do not see things in the exact same way. We have different cultural reference points, a different set of value systems, and countless other ways to describe this phenomenon that I don’t wish to get into here.
Watch the documentary O.J. in Black and White and you’ll see. As it was explained to me, sometimes when the white community says to the blacks: “You absolutely can’t do this,” then that is the exact thing that African-Americans will embrace. I remember this point coming up after Marion Barry was re-elected to office after the crack smoking incident.
So some kids chose what you feel is an inappropriate role model. Plenty of blacks would agree. But to then come in with reading material (reading material!) to set these poor black folk straight, will produce yet another eye-roller from the community.
This sort of thing was played up for laffs in the 70’s on shows like the Jeffersons and Sanford and Son where some awkward, gangly nerdy white guy would try to be hip by using ghetto-speak and ‘black’ gesticulations. The audience would eat it up. Some 30+ years later it just seems pathetic. No offense.
Look, I don’t want to appear overly harsh and you seem like a sincere person who is genuinely trying to do some good. My word of advice for you as you continue your interactions with these African-American humanoids with their non-traditional cultural standards is to chill and go with the flow. Word.
Finally I know some others are going to jump all over the generalizations I’ve asserted and will rebut with fervor. I’m not a master debater and have no desire to put the difference-between-the-races matter to rest. Nonetheless, fire at will if you have to.
minlokwat, you don’t have the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.
The program was celebrating Black History Month. If you can’t see how it’s inappropriate to include Michael Vick as one of the 15 black people in the entire history of the race to celebrate, I can’t help you out. The best analogy I can come up with offhand is a program of “The 15 top white people of all time” and including John Gotti.
You’re also off-base regarding the reading program Aries28 administers. She volunteers with Better Basics in an effort to promote and stimulate reading among inner-city schoolkids. How you managed to make a snarky comment about this worthy program is beyond me, but you did. There’s no effort to “set these poor black folk straight.”
And make up your mind on the advice you’re giving … regarding the song, you initially say “just go with it” then you close that paragraph by saying it was inappropriate for her to sing. What, a white person can’t celebrate black history and culture?
In the future, rather than make assumptions and generalize, how about asking a question or two first?
That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard of! I can see the beginning as a (misguided) conceit, but having them dragged off in handcuffs at the end? Bizarre.
White folk here–In my staid Lutheran church, the first time I heard that song, it became my favorite hymn of all time. It was fresh, original melody and unlike anything I’d heard of it before. Most people didn’t like it–it was too hard to sing and the rhythm kept changing (I think of it now as Lutheran “New Wave”). It wasn’t till I saw some special on PBS, that I heard the term “national anthem” for Afro-Americans. Whatever, it’s a great piece of American music.
My sense is that the Michael Vick thing is a joke that you missed. Like if there was some sort of white people show and someone said, “Now, joining us from rehab, Britney Spears”-- an embarassing topical reference that gets people chuckling. Maybe other people in your audience missed the joke too, but (obviously speaking without having been there) that’s my strong suspicion. In my experience most racial, ethnic, religious, etc. etc. communities generally have a strong attunement to the celebrities representing them in the public eye (and to lampooning the negative ones) and this is rarely more vividly expressed than in cultural display shows like the one you were at
Also, I don’t get how someone wouldn’t get this. The police/judicial system has a very rocky record when it comes to upholding civil rights for black people. Why wouldn’t black people synthesize this? I think a lot of confusion like this is a result of white people expecting black people to “behave”-- there’s a lot of (rightful) racial outrage out there, and it’s not just going to go unexpressed. If Harriet Tubman was caught by police she would have been thrown in jail, and probably worse.
But what does think accomplish? It would seem to continue to foster the distrust of the police - Is this a good thing? “Screw cops, they would have arrested Harriet Tubman?”
If that is true, I still think it’s inappropriate. It was a school function to educate children, not a comedy skit so adults could have a laugh.
And, if it was a joke that the teacher put in place I find it cruel in a way because this particular kid who portrayed Vick is one of my most challenged students. He has a mother who is addicted to crack. He comes to school filthy and has stolen food from the lunchroom until we were able to get him reduced meals. I work with this kid more than I probably do any other because I see tremendous potential for him if only he had a shot.
The kids made posters earlier in the month with pictures they cut out from magazines featuring famous Black Americans. They had tons of entertainers, sports figures, etc. and they looked great. Because this kid struggles so much we provided him with magazines so he could make a poster too. He took them home, excited about making his poster.
On the day they were due, he comes into the classroom furious and getting into trouble. I talked to him and the reason he was so upset was that his mother wouldn’t buy him a sheet of posterboard and he was pissed off that he wasn’t going to be able to make his poster. We took care of it and he got his poster made.
Of all my students, if I were the teacher I would have given this kid an outstanding example of a strong black role model who has succeeded greatly in life and not let him be the guy who is the joke of the program.
Maybe I just don’t get it and it’s completely me.
Um…wait. So singing along is inappropriate, but so is looking around unsure? What exactly was the OP meant to do? Stare at his/her shoes the whole time? I mean, you said Aries should “go with it”–isn’t singing along doing just that?