Mark McCarter "claims" he writes columns on news and sports for The Huntsville Times and al.com.

Columnist Mark McCarter

Here we go again.  In a blatant show of white privilege Mark McCarter uses the power of the press to marginalize and minimize legitimate concerns of people of color.  And yes, I'm going there.

What do I mean by white privilege you ask?

White privilege refers to any advantage, opportunity, benefit, head start, or general protection from negative societal mistreatment, which persons deemed white will typically enjoy, but which others will generally not enjoy. These benefits can be material (such as greater opportunity in the labor market, or greater net worth, due to a history in which whites had the ability to accumulate wealth to a greater extent than persons of color), social (such as presumptions of competence, creditworthiness, law-abidingness, intelligence, etc.) or psychological (such as not having to worry about triggering negative stereotypes, rarely having to feel out of place, not having to worry about racial profiling, etc.).

Mark McCarter missed the mark (pun intended) again with his latest attempt to defend the indefensible actions of  HCS Superintendent Casey Wardynski, the Board of (mis) Education, and their ongoing assault on north Huntsville's J.O. Johnson High School community.

Let's recap
 
The black coach who built the Johnson Jaguar championship basketball team was transferred so the white coach could come out of retirement and bask in his glory, and,  the parents who dared speak  up against the firing (which even McCarter admitted smells more fishy than a boat-load of rotting tuna) are called protesters, like that's a bad thing. 

This story shouldn't be all about the coach, either. But it's impossible to tell it without him as the central figure.
Doss came out of a short-lived retirement, having left Butler, where he won five titles between 2004-2011. The key, Doss said, was "Dr. Wardynski had the confidence in me to be able to do this."
Senior guard Lionel Love, who had those team-high 18 points, confessed that "we were upset (at the change). But at the same time, we knew we had to keep pushing forward and accomplish our goals. And we knew Coach Doss had a great record."

 The most disappointing and disturbing fact in all of this is McCarters' attempt to use the words of   the chief protesters son to undermine the initial concerns, which remain unanswered.  Why was Maurice Ford demoted? Was it so that "The Great White Hope" could come out of retirement and lead this predominately black team(who had already proven themselves) to victory and enhance his profile ? 

I am not a lawyer but I watch a lot of Law and Order on TeeVee, one of the things I learned is always look for motive,  means, and opportunity.   What was the motive behind the firing of Ford and the hiring of Doss?  Who had the means to fire Ford and hire Doss?  Who had the opportunity to fire Ford and hire Doss?  I will give you a hint, their name starts with the letter W.

McCarter also used the power of the press  to discredit those who continue to protest the illegal name change and potential building of the new north Huntsville High School less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.

The bitter irony in this defeat is that it comes the morning after still another protest.
Groundbreaking was held Friday for the new Jemison High that will replace Johnson in August 2016. Many Johnson alums and supporters have been irate that the Johnson name will not be carried over to the new campus, and several protesters gathered to claim they were "not included" in the decision process. But it's disingenuous to suggest they haven't been heard.

No, it is disingenuous to suggest those with questions and concerns have been heard Mr. Mark McCarter, Sir.  As a matter of fact, those who make the rules are breaking the rules right under your nose. If you've been reading this blog, or The Geek Pavaler's blog, you would know that in their haste to treat the taxpayers of District 1 like second class citizens, the HCS BOE violated it's own naming policy.

There is one thing on which we can agree, it's not about the name on the outside of a building, it's how the name got on the building.   

New Rules, hand pick a committee giving the appearance of diverse viewpoints, while stacking the deck with people  in favor of your point of view,  hope the people won't notice because after all, they are Johnson grads nod nod wink wink.  

It is also about the BOE  purchasing land to build a new $65 million dollar school in an area where people aren't building $65,000 dollar homes because of it's proximity to an active rock quarry.

These are facts you may want to consider the next time to you claim to write a column on news and sports for The Huntsville Times and al.com. There is a rumor circulating that most of the assertions  in your article are factually incorrect. The next time you claim to write for The Huntsville Times and al.com you might want to attack the message instead of the protesters, I mean, the messengers.

RedEye tiptoeing away from the computer to go make some protest signs singing If I Had a Hammer.....

The views expressed on this blog are mine and mine alone.