The problem with many white people is that they are unaware of the deep seated nature of their racist beliefs, and like Jung's Shadow, it dogs their waking life. We continue to read about proverbial slips of the tongue (Freud would be proud here), where they inadvertently reveal their true racist selves.
From Don Imus, to Michael Richards, to Mel Gibson, they out themselves. Here is a case of a lady running for the School Board in Miami. She has used the term NIGGER without a sense of remorse or apologies. She has used the term multiple times. I think we all agree, she is a racist and has no business in education, but this situation begs the question. How many other racists are lurking around in educational circles? In the past it was much easier to spot a racist, they used the word nigger and hated people of color. Now they have gone underground, so it is much harder to spot them, but every now and then they fuck up, and in the words of Moses Wright who courageously testified at the murder trial of Emmitt Till "There he is". Well here is a another outed racist! There she is!
From Don Imus, to Michael Richards, to Mel Gibson, they out themselves. Here is a case of a lady running for the School Board in Miami. She has used the term NIGGER without a sense of remorse or apologies. She has used the term multiple times. I think we all agree, she is a racist and has no business in education, but this situation begs the question. How many other racists are lurking around in educational circles? In the past it was much easier to spot a racist, they used the word nigger and hated people of color. Now they have gone underground, so it is much harder to spot them, but every now and then they fuck up, and in the words of Moses Wright who courageously testified at the murder trial of Emmitt Till "There he is". Well here is a another outed racist! There she is!
Broward School Board member Ann Murray was asked to resign from her elected position Monday, accused of making several racial slurs in the past that she never apologized for. The request came at the beginning of the School Board meeting, in which ethics and leadership were discussed.
“You have boldly admitted using the term ‘nigger’ multiple times without even an ounce of contrition,’’ said Freda Stevens, vice president of the Democratic Black Caucus of Broward County. Murray, on the board since 2008, did not reply. After the meeting, she slipped out a side door. She did not return phone calls from The Miami Herald. Monday, Broward Superintendent Jim Notter confirmed the incidents happened and the district took the proper steps. “It went in her personnel file, and that was basically the end,’’ he said. The racially insensitive comments were made in 2007, when Murray was working as a school bus terminal supervisor for the district. They were never reported during her campaign, in which she portrayed herself as a working mother who understood the difficulties of raising kids and bringing in an income. They first came to light earlier this month in The Daily Pulp, a political blog by New Times writer Bob Norman. He reported Murray had “repeatedly used the “N’’ word to refer to African Americans when speaking to coworkers.” According to Norman, both black and white school transportation employees complained that Murray frequently made racial slurs. But the reprimand came when Murray was overseeing the contracted school buses at the Super Bowl in 2007. Speaking to fellow supervisor Lisa Spince, Murray said: “Do you remember when a group of us from transportation came down to watch a Bills game? Yeah, they had us up in nigger heaven. You know, way up at the top of the stadium.’’
Three black bus drivers sat nearby and looked upset. Spince, who now lives in Georgia, told Murray her remark was offensive. In a written statement to the School Board, Spince wrote she walked over to one of the upset drivers and put her arm around her for comfort. “The [driver] told me that she was very mad because that was not the first time that Ms. Murray had used the ‘N’ word. She told me that she was going to report Ms. Murray,’’ Spince wrote. That driver, Markeia Funchess did file a complaint with the board’s Equal Educational Opportunities Department. Funchess, according to Norman, said Murray referred to it as the “nigger bleed section’’ then apologized and said “I forgot the company that I was in.’’ Spince and Funchess could not be reached Monday night. But Murray acknowledged making the slur and signed the written reprimand: "During the investigation, sufficient evidence existed, including your own admittance to corroborate that you did indeed use a derogatory term, nigger, in the presence of subordinates," wrote then-school district Transportation Director Lucille Green. "You have failed to meet the performance standards required of your position as Terminal Supervisor... Please be advised that any further failure on your part to perform to the standards... of your job duties will result in further disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment." After reading Norman’s blog post, Stevens, who has run for political office in Broward County but never been elected, contacted Murray on Friday asking for an apology or explanation. Instead of explaining, Murray went on a rant, Stevens said. “She just wouldn’t stop,’’ Stevens said Monday. “It became very clear to me that that is the way she really thinks.’’ According to Stevens, Murray replied: “You all do not know if I have black blood in my family. I cannot make up for what happened 400 years ago. I know that some of you all are just sensitive but I have been called names, whitey and honky. I just brushed it off." Stevens then questioned Murray’s grasp of history: The Civil War was fought 150 years ago, and segregation in the South lasted until the 1960s. One concern Stevens had was that Murray was making general statements about all black people. “I just don’t think like that,’’ she said. “[Murray] was separating black and white.’’ At Monday’s meeting, Stevens read a letter calling for Murray’s resignation. If she doesn’t, Stevens said, the Democratic Black Caucus of Broward County would bring the issue to the governor. “You deserve an “F’’ in character,’’ Stevens said to Murray. “The School Board is no place for a racist, especially an unrepentant one.’’
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