Queens Parents Say Their Kids’ Reports On Malcolm X Were Rejected
By David Bloodsaw
The New York Daily News reports that fourth grade teachers at Public School 201 in Flushing Queens forbade their students to write about Malcolm X for Black History Month. The educators termed that Malcolm X was “violent” and “bad.”
The unofficial mandate came from fourth grade teachers at the Flushing, Queens’ elementary school. A parent complained to the principal at the school that her son was unable to write about the assassinated civil rights icon upon his teacher’s behest. The parent Cleatress Brown, informed the principal Rebecca Lozada of the details of the incident. Brown said that the teachers are imposing their own opinions on the students. Ms. Brown instructed her son to write about Malcolm X anyway and submit the report. She said, “That’s called learning.”
Another student from a different class was given the same aforementioned mandate. He was very upset that he couldn’t pen a report about Malcolm X. Angel Minor, the student’s mom said that this was disrespectful to our history. This particular student is in a Technology Class and the teacher looked up some information on Malcolm and deemed he was too violent and not age appropriate. The educator has since apologized to the parents.
The children were given a list of individuals pertinent to black history they could write about for Black History Month and Malcolm X was on the list, but was quickly removed. Malcolm advocated for the use of violence for self defense.
Sylvia Cyrus, the executive director for the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History said there was more to the Civil Rights movement than Martin Luther King. She went on to say “Malcolm X is a figure in American history who helped make change.”
The student population at P.S. 201 is 477 total and 43% are black. The school earned a ‘C’ on its last report card.
Parents met with the principal to discuss learning more about the activist who was legendary in New York City and slain at the Audubon Theatre in the Washington Heights section of New York City.
Well, as far as I know we live in a free country and you cannot narrow children to writing only about positive characters in history. They can write about whomever they feel like writing about. Besides, it is their history and they have a right to know it even if a teacher obviously doesn’t. You know, I have been thinking here: it is always easy to write about good people, but it is much more complicated to write about negative ones and same time remain objective. Hopefully kids will get to write this paper (check this superior essay writing store) eventually.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think he wasn’t. He has been an influential personality, however, with brutality. I had an assignment on him for which my mother told me to Get Your Assignment Done from an expert assignment writer. I followed her advice and got everything lined up. It helped me score well in my academics, and in history subject, I scored as the top scorer in the class.
ReplyDelete