Re: Birmingham cheating: Artilce #4 - Blaming the Victims

[Anne Nonniemouse <ShopMathEdu@AOL.COM>]

A response to Monty Neill:

In a message dated 6/19/2000 9:59:26 AM Central Daylight Time,
Mneillft@AOL.COM writes:

<< You are clear you want to protect them, but if they want to speak out,
 then they also will need your help to do so effectively. >>

I haven't been able to persuade the students to speak out at this time.  They
are afraid to talk, given the fact that "they" as a group have already been
branded as arsonists, fighters, hooligans, etc.  Being a Woodlawn pushed out
student is not a badge of honor at the moment.  The BOE has been very
successful at playing on the "safety" issue.

The local leadership of the SCLC just spoke at a banquet this past weekend
honoring an educator.  He told those in attendance something to the effect,
"These were bad kids.  They needed to be put out."  This is a man whom I have
immense respect for, but he is wrong.  I have invited him to our instruction
site to see for himself, because we still have classes going.  Comments like
this are not helpful.

If any students want to speak out, and they discuss this with their parents
first, then we will do everything possible to help them get their voice heard.

<< but teenagers
 are often courageous -- sometimes they need more caution than they are
 inclined to have. It seems to me this might be something they should discuss
 as a group with you.>>

We're trying.

<< Are there parents willing and able to speak out ? >>

Some are, but all would prefer not to at the moment.

<< If you are "exposed" and at risk, my intuition in general is to then be as
 public as possible -- once you are named, there is no place to hide from
 "them" -- but you need to determine if that unreasonably raises the risks to
 you that you don't want to take and whether in fact more publicity beyond
 being named will cause you even more problems.>>

I'm fingered by the Board, and public in print.  All I can do is rely on my
dear 'ol Dad's sage advice which was, "Don't worry.  Things'll get worse."  I
have no choice but to hold my head up high and speak out in defense of our
students.

<< Are there chances of public activity on this, linking that history of civil
 rights to the right to attend school and not to be pushed out without even a
 hearing -- not even a kangaroo court hearing. I would think that issue would
 strike a nerve. And that it is done to protect the adults via raising test
 scores is really nasty, of course.>>

This is an excellent political point which we have not pursued well enough.
We need to sharper on this point of civil rights and due process.  If I am
given the opportunity to submit Op-Ed pieces to the newspaper, I will stress
this point.  I agree with you very much here, and appreciate you emphasizing
this.

<< I don't know anything of the political powers and structures in Birmingham,
 but the opinion column you just sent around tells me it is very fractured and
 controversial.
 Can that (if true) be used?>>

These are what in the history of freedom and emancipatory movements have been
called the "indirect reserves" and we're doing our best to use that to our
advantage.  The white supremacists who used to control this city have been
very effective at splintering the traditional civil rights community, and
that is the "fracture" which you correctly observe in the article which you
read.

I am using my position as an instructor to publicly advocate instruction and
due process for these pushed out students.  Others with more savvy than I
will take up the issue of the infighting and corruption of our "leadership."

Monty Neill said that he was not here, so he was being cautious in his
comments.  Actually, I have never met Monty Neill or anyone from Fair Test,
but we steered some reporters to Fair Test and they included some extremely
helpful comments from Monty.  So, like it or not, we consider you on the
battle lines with us in this important civil rights effort.

I hope this clarifies some questions.......and gives y'all a better sense of
what we are doing

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