PORTLAND PRINCIPAL CLAIMS PB&J SANDWICHES COULD HOLD RACIST CONNOTATIONS!
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Are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches racist?? A bizarre question, to say the least, but one that at least one school administrator is asking out in Portland, Oregon. Verenice Gutierrez, principal at Harvey Scott K-8 School, seems to believe that there are racial connotations associated with the common lunch-time meal.
According to Gutierrez, using the example of a peanut butter sandwich in classroom lessons is technically a problematic and discriminatory move — one that was made by a teacher in her building last school year. While such a notion may bring out laughs among those who find it absurd, the principal explains her logic.
“What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?,” she said. “Another way would be to say: ‘Americans eat peanut butter and jelly, do you have anything like that?’ Let them tell you. Maybe they eat torta. Or pita.”
Somehow, by mentioning a food that the majority culture regularly eats without also discussing other meal options, the teacher was purportedly violating discrimination standards. So, to combat any additional PB&J-related; offenses, the principal is treading carefully. And she’s not alone.
Photo Credit: AP
Portland Public Schools is in the process of integrating “Courageous Conversations,” an equity training that has been coming in phases over the past few years. The Portland Tribune explains
the district’s intentions, in detail:
Through intensive staff trainings, frequent staff meetings, classroom observations and other initiatives, the premise is that if educators can understand their own “white privilege,” then they can change their teaching practices to boost minority students’ performance.
Last Wednesday, the first day of the school year for staff, for example, the first item of business for teachers at Scott School was to have a Courageous Conversation — to examine a news article and discuss the “white privilege” it conveys.
The demographics that are present in the district have apparently led leaders to tackle this purported “white privilege” issue head-on. Currently, 50 percent of students at Scott K-8 are Hispanic, 15 percent are black and nine percent are Asian.
Naturally, there’s some controversy, especially considering the subject at hand. One parent, in particular, as the Tribune notes, has railed against a lunch-time drum class for black and Hispanic boys at the school (the parent believes it discriminates against women, girls, Asians, whites and Native Americans).
Gutierrez, though, claims children weren’t turned away and denies that offering a minority-specific class amounts to discrimination.
“When white people do it, it is not a problem, but if it’s for kids of color, then it’s a problem?,” she said. “Break it down for me. That’s your white privilege, and your whiteness.”
Photo Credit: Getty
about the principal and the district‘s program that she’s seeking to utilize in the school:Like many if not all of PPS’ leaders, Gutierrez has gone through California-based consultant Glenn Singleton’s “Coaching for Educational Equity,” a weeklong seminar on race and how it affects life; she’s also become an “affiliate,” certified to teach the equity curriculum; and she serves on the district’s administrative committee to address systematic racism, a group that meets every other week.
“Our focus school and our Superintendent’s mandate that we improve education for students of color, particularly Black and Brown boys, will provide us with many opportunities to use the protocols of Courageous Conversations in data teams, team meetings, staff meetings, and conversations amongst one another,” Guitierrez’ letter to staff reads.
Read more about this story over at The Portland Tribune
.From: The Blaze.com
By: Billy Hollowell
Read More: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/white-privilege-po...
Top Opinion
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SteveMarine- JLA 2012/09/12 06:06:25No,PB & J sandwiches are not racist because....
Who would have thought PB&J could be deadly (allergies). How did our generation survive? Actually, I did know a lady about my age who had a reaction to peanuts she ate at a party and died from it. That's scary.
If they don't want to be Americans, tell them to go back where they came from. Why did they come here in the first place? I'm not trying to change their country, so don't try to change mine. Assimilate or get the F@#K out.
No more southerners need eat Boston Baked Beans, or Yankee Pot Roast. Northeners need not eat Grits, collards or black eyed peas.
Furthermore to establish any public school class or organization that by its establishment and organization set a precedent for exclusion based on race, religion, gender or cultural ethnicity simply promotes more of the very same racism these groups claim to be fighting against. All encompasing inclusion is the only way to combat racism and ignorance. As a person of truly American mixed racial and cultural heritage, it is my opinion that this Verenice Gutierez is in fact not in any way part of the solution but rather is part of the problem and is in fact promoting racism and exclusion in this school system.
We need our public education systems to teach mathmatics, literature, sciences and in as much as they are able, to instill an appreciation and familiarity with the arts and physical fitness. Larger social perrogatives such as this are fine at a higher education university o...
Furthermore to establish any public school class or organization that by its establishment and organization set a precedent for exclusion based on race, religion, gender or cultural ethnicity simply promotes more of the very same racism these groups claim to be fighting against. All encompasing inclusion is the only way to combat racism and ignorance. As a person of truly American mixed racial and cultural heritage, it is my opinion that this Verenice Gutierez is in fact not in any way part of the solution but rather is part of the problem and is in fact promoting racism and exclusion in this school system.
We need our public education systems to teach mathmatics, literature, sciences and in as much as they are able, to instill an appreciation and familiarity with the arts and physical fitness. Larger social perrogatives such as this are fine at a higher education university or college level but have no place in our already overburdened public school systems. Lets just try and get these kids proficiently educated in the standard subjects and prepared for higher learning wherever possible.Introducing this kind of contention at this level only serves to further complicate an already difficult mission and has no place in institutions such as our public schools and tax payer funds should not be wasted in such divisive pursuits.
that cotton picking cloth is soooo racist , it is a given ,, :)
and it is racist to deny that they were racist..
it is a never ending circle jerk with this....
we are destined to be singled out as racist..
it has gotten so old , for me, that the race mongers, the hate groups that come storming into the action are more cartoon people than some one to take serious...
Welcome to the USA - If life was so grand wherever you and your ancestors came from, feel perfectly free to move back there yesterday. You supposedly came here to be an American - ACT LIKE ONE and leave the damned barrio behind. If you can't handle that, get the Hell out!
As far as 'white privilege' goes, there isnt any. I wish these people would just get up off their butts & help themselves instead of finding reasons to sit around playing the victim.
Maybe this menu will keep everybody happy:
Monday: chop suey
Tuesday: grilled cheese with apple pie
Wednesday: Tacos with beans
Thursday: Black eyed peas and greens
Friday: Cooks choice which will appeal to all ethnicities.
Phew...now we're all happy.
By the way, I am a liberal and I don't condone this type of thing even being an issue. It sounds like someone got a bug in their ear and they ran with it. So, don't blame us liberals. If anything, this should be one thing liberals, conservatives and moderates can agree on.