Skip to main content

Denial in HoCo


A Facebook announcement of a day of prayer in Howard County to remember George Floyd drew numerous responses that vilified Mr. Floyd, or the County Executive, or claimed there was no such thing as racism in Howard County. Along with racist dog whistles about Baltimore City, the entire thread was unwitting proof of how much racism exists here.

 The same day I read on NextDoor the account of a resident Sewells Orchard who had received a full-page, typed letter complaining about her children. She had since found out the same letter had been sent to a few other Black parents in the neighborhood. It contained phrases such as “watching the demographics of our neighborhood change” as well as complaints that the behavior of her children contributed to a “ghetto or barrio atmosphere” in the neighborhood. Naturally the complainant did not sign their name.

 No racism, eh?

 It’s hard to believe that Howard County’s racism deniers can remain so adamant while examples to the contrary are popping up almost daily. But their commitment to denial is strong.

 On the other hand, young people have come to the forefront in the local movement to address racism. The organizers of the HoCoforJustice March and Vigil come to mind. The Elevate Maryland podcast featured Howard County youth (including two of the organizers) in a recent episode. 

 A graduate of the Howard County Schools has created a petition to the school system calling for a more concerted effort to address racism at school. You can find it here: 

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1rUCicAIpmlyAltRv9LLdfwuvJneIpGXmbWcHTay83K8/mobilebasic

From what I have seen, the deadline for response has been extended to June 12th. There are essentially two components to the petition. One is soliciting experiences of racism from current and former students. The other is asking communty members to sign on to supporting anti-racist measures throughout the system. So, even if you are not a student, you can participate.

 I’ve heard rumblings that funds for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is at risk right now in the budget process. If any of my readers knows more about this, please fill me in. I can’t think of a worse time to be reducing funding to fight racism. If we aren’t fully committed to creating a safe environment for all learners, how can we say our schools are for all children? 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

F ³: We Are Not Entitled

  A college student went missing. His family and friends were distraught. The community was encouraged to be on the lookout and spread the word.  Days passed.  They must have been agonizing days for those who cared about the missing student. Thoughts that foul play had been involved cannot have been far from their thoughts.  Then, at last, the student was found. Alive. The news was shared with the public.  So. Much. Relief. A family had been reunited with their child. Even though we know that life is complicated, I think it is okay to accept this as a happy ending and leave it at that.  But the world of social media says no. For every expression of joy at the news came questions and even judgement. It became clear to me that some folks felt entitled to an explanation. They wanted the backstory. It’s as though they felt that, by enlisting the help of the public on social media, the authorities now owed them all the details. Television dramas often weave curr...
2 comments
Read more

Separate and Unequal

  Remember “Separate but equal”? Remember how that really meant that Black schools languished in  broken-down buildings without adequate heat or toilet facilities, with cast-off, ragged learning materials, underfunded and largely ignored? The Supreme Court struck that down in 1954. The evidence was clear that separate was not equal. Plessy v Ferguson had led to - - no, endorsed - - deeply unequal schooling and opportunities. We tend to think of Brown v Board as being purely about racial integration. It was not.  It was about the logical consequences of segregation. And they were not, not, not equal. The ruling in 1954 didn’t transform public education for non-whites into a land of milk and honey by any means. But it articulated some essential truths in a way that made including everyone a legal precedent which could be relied upon and built upon. It was better than what came before it but it rested upon unsteady ground. It did not necessarily change the hearts or minds ...
1 comment
Read more