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

["Allen Flanigan." <Allen.Flanigan@USPTO.GOV>]

Steve Orel writes: "If I am given the opportunity to submit Op-Ed pieces to
the newspaper . . . "

If you are being publically fingered by state or local officials in a
newspaper, they are obligated to give you equal time.  Contact the editor
and tell him or her you want to submit a letter stating your position.  Tell
them it is your right since you have been named in their publication.
Insist that any editing be done by you, since you want the letter to tell
your version of the story IN YOUR OWN WORDS.  Then just make the points you
have explained to us.

If they are unwilling to allow you to speak out and tell your side of the
story, they don't deserve to call themselves journalists.

Allen Flanigan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ShopMathEdu@AOL.COM [SMTP:ShopMathEdu@AOL.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 5:50 PM
> To:   ARN-L@listsrva.cua.edu
> Subject:      Re: Birmingham cheating: Artilce #4 - Blaming the Victims
>
> 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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