Via Instapundit: The Cumberland County school board likely will reconsider an environmental program that was cancelled because its mascot, the Marquis de Lafayette, owned slaves.
Fayetteville is named for Lafayette. Historians say he was an abolitionist who bought slaves with the intent to free them.
Interim Superintendent Tim Kinlaw apologized at the school board’s meeting Tuesday for causing division with the decision to cancel the program. He said he was trying to be sensitive to the minority population.
“It appears that by trying to be sensitive to part of the community, I was insensitive to another part,” Kinlaw said.
School board Chairman Greg West said after the meeting that the board likely will discuss the program at an upcoming committee meeting.
Kinlaw called off the “Flip-Tap-Stack!” program, which was going to be an initiative by the Sustainable Sandhills environmental organization. The program was meant to teach school children to empty trash from disposable cafeteria trays into trash cans and stack the trays for disposal.
Several speakers at the meeting talked about Lafayette’s positions against slavery.
Fayetteville is named for Lafayette. Historians say he was an abolitionist who bought slaves with the intent to free them.
Interim Superintendent Tim Kinlaw apologized at the school board’s meeting Tuesday for causing division with the decision to cancel the program. He said he was trying to be sensitive to the minority population.
“It appears that by trying to be sensitive to part of the community, I was insensitive to another part,” Kinlaw said.
School board Chairman Greg West said after the meeting that the board likely will discuss the program at an upcoming committee meeting.
Kinlaw called off the “Flip-Tap-Stack!” program, which was going to be an initiative by the Sustainable Sandhills environmental organization. The program was meant to teach school children to empty trash from disposable cafeteria trays into trash cans and stack the trays for disposal.
Several speakers at the meeting talked about Lafayette’s positions against slavery.
(Link to more)
6 comments:
Wow, there's a lot to unpack in that story.
I'll just note that several restaurants manage to get customers to not throw away trays by putting a simple ledge over the trash can with a picture of an empty tray and maybe a few words that say, "empty tray and stack them here". No mascot needed, no educational program, and no need to know local history or protest events that occurred centuries ago.
But if education was that easy, why would we need a school board?
Wouldn't it be cool to find out Karl Marx owned slaves?
I wonder when they'll tear this place down?
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They should just nuke the whole town; its the only way to be sure.
Touissant, the Haitian revolutionary, owned slaves.
So did US Grant.
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