How the Birmingham News editorial board chose to remember the life of Dr.Ethel Hall

Dr. Ethel Hall was a respected figure on the Alabama Board of Education.

I was saddened to hear of the death of Dr. Ethel Hall. She was was role model and someone who I admired for her accomplishments. I am appalled The Birmingham News Editorial Board used the death of Dr.Ethel Hall to score cheap political points and advance the right-wing agenda. It starts with the first line and goes downhill from there;

It's fine to remember Ethel Hall for her firsts.
She was the first black woman elected to the state Board of Education, the first person to serve a decade as that body's vice president.
But to think of Mrs. Hall only as a pioneer would be to miss the message of her life.
She did not spend 24 years on the state school board because she was the first black woman elected to that position. She continued to be elected to the school board because she spent 24 years putting students first.

Oh really? I wonder why The Birmingham News gets to decide what the message of her life was? Why are they trying to minimize and marginalize her accomplishment at being the longest-serving and first African American elected to the State School Board?

It gets worse, they couldn't refrain from bringing politics into their view of her life. Why mention her party affiliation?

Mrs. Hall died last week after a dignified, respected 83 years of life. In politics, she was a Democrat from Fairfield. But she is remembered fondly by Republicans and Democrats across the state. Her good humor, old-school grace and analytical mind crossed aisles and eras.

Here's the Grand Slam, emphasis mine

Of course, Mrs. Hall was human, and we would be remiss not to point out that her tenure on the school board was not without failure. She served on the board, like many others, as corrupt two-year college officials robbed the state blind. That she did not recognize it and trusted the wrong people would become one of her biggest regrets.

Here they go, advancing the republican corrupt two-year college officials robbed the state blind tired, talking points, but attributing them to Ethel Hall. Have they no shame?

NO

But Mrs. Hall is remembered for other things.
Former School Superintendent Ed Richardson used to say Mrs. Hall "never let issues of politics or race or personal agendas of others get in the way."
That alone would be a wonderful epitaph for any school leader.

Notice how the only quote about her life and tenure on the Alabama State School Board are from The Birmingham News Editorial Board and Dr. Ed Richardson? What about fellow Board members, church members, friends, relatives, civic and social organizations? What about Ethel Hall's view of her life in her own words?

“I carefully and consciously prepared for a challenging, demanding career in education because I believe learning is a lifelong process that impacts every individual. Each of my employment and volunteer experiences has been important in performing my tasks on the State Board of Education. My formal training helped me to understand that all children can learn if they are given the resources and opportunity, and my volunteer experiences have affirmed my belief in a greater need for advocacy for those who are least able to make the changes needed in our social system.”
Dr. Ethel Hall, from My Journey

My Journey: A Memoir of the First African American to Preside Over the Alabama State Board of Education

In this wise, introspective, and touching memoir, Dr. Ethel Hall recounts the little “journeys” throughout her life which prepared her to become the first African American woman elected to the Alabama State Board of Education. Her experiences with racial tension, discrimination, and poverty are interspersed with portraits of the family and love which transformed her from a farmer’s daughter—determined to achieve the higher education others thought to be impossible—to a dedicated mother and educator, and even further to a statewide political leader. Dr. Hall also provides a detailed account of the problems faced—both solved and unsolved—during her more than two decades of service to the Alabama State Board of Education. Despite the difficulties she faced, Dr. Hall’s stories are filled with faith and hope, leaving the reader with memorable anecdotes for their own hardships.

Also known as a dedicated community servant, Hall is a member of the board of directors of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the National Conference of Community and Justice, the Women’s Exchange, Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Alabama Archives and History Foundation. She has also held positions with the Education Commission of the States, the Governor’s Commission on Instructional Improvement and Academic Excellence, and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. Hall is the recipient of more than 200 honors and awards including being named by the “Birmingham Business Journal” as one of the Top Ten Women Making a Difference and in 1999 was awarded the NASBE Distinguished Service Award by the National Association of State Boards of Education.

Hall was married to the late Alfred Hall for 55 years.

That alone would be a wonderful epitaph for any school leader.

'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I shall set you over much; enter the joy of your Lord.' Matthew 25;21