" There can be no public discourse"

The problem we all live with — by Norman Rockwell (1894–1978), depicting an incident in the American Civil Rights struggle of the early 1960s, when Ruby Bridges entered first grade on the first day of court-ordered desegregation of New Orleans, Louisiana, public schools (November 14, 1960). Originally published in Look magazine.

 Looks like Colonel Casey Wardynski and the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education have taken a play out of the Chris Christie playbook in their quest for "unitary status".   Despite the fact the Feds said there is no need for secrecy, the #hsvboe is doing all it can to make sure there is no public discourse,  and in their infinite wisdom, the  media is helping them.  We the peeps never know what's going on until the deed is done and they think there is not a darn thing we can do about it.

Case in point, who knew the location of the new J.O.Johnson Middle and High School is .06 miles from an active Rock Quarry?  Meanwhile residents on the other side of the Mountain voiced outrage and desperation at a public meeting last month, saying they feared the blasting, increased heavy truck traffic and defacing of the mountain would damage homes, worsen air pollution, endanger lives and lower property values.
State Rep. Wayne Johnson, R-Ryland, is trying to get a bill passed by the Legislature that would prevent a quarry from operating within five miles of a school in Madison County.

So, if State Representative Wayne Johnson was trying to get a bill passed by the Legislature that would prevent a quarry from operating within five miles of a school in Madison County, why would the Huntsville City Schools Boardof Education, with the approval of  Mark Russell,president of the Huntsville City Council and other elected officials, approve the building of a new school .06 miles from an active quarry?

Other elected officials speaking against the quarry were Mark Russell, president of Huntsville City Council, Madison County District 3 Commissioner Eddie Sisk, state Sen. Paul Sanford, state Sen. Shadrack McGill, state Rep. Wayne Johnson, Gurley Mayor Rob Sentell, Gurley Councilman Robert Wren.
Their concerns addressed environmental quality of Flint River and Hayes Nature Preserve, unsafe traffic with trucks crossing Norfolk Southern Railroad along a curve, heavy trucks sharing roads with school buses, air quality at two nearby schools and a lack of local governmental control of the quarry operation.

What about the air quality at the new J.O. Johnson High School?  What about the blasting?  Would you want your children/grand children attending a school that was located .06 miles from an active rock quarry? The Rock Quarry was there first, it can't be moved, why build a new school that may or not be safe for students, teachers, administrator, and support personnel,  in it's back yard?

What Dr. Robert Bullard, Environmental Justice Movement founder said:

No other community, rich or poor, urban or suburban, black, brown, red, yellow or white should be allowed to become an "environmental sacrifice zone."

Today's Must Reads

ALABAMA CONFIDENTIAL

The miss-education of black/brown/poor students in Huntsville,AL continues

What black folks still live with continued

It is a brazen, right wing, media enabled, LIE most black students don't want to learn. It is a historical FACT blacks were prohibited from learning.

The most oppressive limits on slave education were a reaction to Nat Turner's Revolt in Southampton County, Virginia during the summer of 1831. This event not only caused shock waves across the slaveholding South, but it had a particularly far-reaching impact on education over the next three decades. The fears of slave insurrections and the spread of abolitionist materials and ideology led to radical restrictions on gatherings, travel, and—of course—literacy. The ignorance of the slaves was considered necessary to the security of the slaveholders (Albanese 1976). Not only did owners fear the spread of specifically abolitionist materials, they did not want slaves to question their lot; thus, reading and reflection were to be prevented at any cost.

African Americans recognize the power and the importance of education hence the formation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which to this day are full of black student who not only want to learn, but are learning.

HBCUs actually were "invented" in 1837, 26 years before the end of slavery. Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist, founded the Institute for Colored Youth to train free blacks to become teachers.

The school had moved from Philadelphia to Cheyney, where it eventually became Cheyney University, and by 1902 at least 85 schools were set up by white philanthropists, free blacks, states or churches to educate sons and daughters of former slaves.

Until 1954 and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education, which ended "separate but equal" school systems, HBCUs were the number 1 option for most blacks interested in attending college.

The Brown v Topeka Board of Education decision gave us Ruby Bridges and the Little Rock Nine. Brave, black students who volunteered to integrate the public school system.

Let us not forget what Vivian Malone Jones lived through when she integrated The University of Alabama despite then Governor George C. Wallaces' infamous stand in the school house door.

Fast forward to 2011 when an Arkansas school district won't allow a black valedictorian

After four years of nearly straight-As, Honors and Advanced Placement classes, 18-year-old Kymberly Wimberly achieved the highest GPA at McGehee Secondary School southeast of Little Rock, Ark., according to a court complaint.

However, instead of awarding the student for her hard work and dedication, the school denied her the valedictorian status because she was black, claims the document filed by Wimberly's lawyer, John W. Walker.

According to the court document, this is not the first time this has happened in the school's history:

"[The] defendant's actions were part of a pattern and practice of school administrators and personnel treating the African-American students less favorably than the Caucasian ones...Until Wimberly, the last African-American valedictorian in the McGeeHee school district was in 1989."

This is proof they are still standing in the school house door.

The problem black folks still live with

The problem we all live with — by Norman Rockwell (1894–1978), depicting an incident in the American Civil Rights struggle of the early 1960s, when Ruby Bridges entered first grade on the first day of court-ordered desegregation of New Orleans, Louisiana, public schools (November 14, 1960). Originally published in Look magazine.
The painting is currently displayed in the West Wing of the White House, just outside President Obama's Oval Office.


Unfortunately for black students living in Huntsville, AL, aka The Rocket City, the public school system has been hijacked by a group of people who believe black students don't deserve to have equal access to a quality education because they are... well black. According to them black students either can't learn or don't want to learn and it's all their parents fault for not teaching them how to act like white students, or, because of unfairness in life.

The school system has been co-opted by a group of people who care more about their property values than about all children having equal access to a quality education. The status quo created the best public school system their tax dollars would buy themselves, and the worse public school system their tax dollars couldn't buy for everybody else.

Huntsville integrated it's public school system without armed guards in 1963. From that time until the late 80's Huntsville City Schools were fully integrated. All the schools were considered "good schools" and all the children were learning. First came white flight. Then came black flight. To the detriment of black, brown and poor children.

How did this group of people take over the school system? By electing people who shared their point of view to serve on the School Board, the city council, the county commission, the Mayor, State Senators, State Legislators and United States Congressmen/women by being politically involved.

Parental Involvement is the key. I don't just mean attending PTSA meetings or attending Parent Teacher Conferences, do that too, but become POLITICALLY INVOLVED. The POLITICALLY INVOLVED Parents gets the worm.
Gone are the days when all parents and guardians had to do to ensure their student had access to a quality education was work and pay taxes. Gone are the days when all parents had to do was go to PTSA meetings and Parent Teacher Conferences. Gone are the days when all parents had to was provide students with food, clothing, shelter and school supplies send them off to school and they would learn something.

It is imperative parents be politically involved because if they are not, school administrators and teachers think they don't care about their student. And if they think you don't care, they darn sure won't and don't care.

I am really concerned about the future of public education in Huntsville for black/brown and poor students. I fear they are going to end up being uneducated and miss educated. I fear they will end up being the new slave labor because those in power believe that is what they deserve. I fear, ssegregation today,segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,is here to stay.

Stay tuned for some solutions to the problem black folks still live with.