Students at a parochial high school in New Jersey walked out after being insulted by New Jersey Secretary of State Regena Thomas. She implied that they were racists and “lambasted” a student because he didn’t know “his black history.” Sounds like this poor kid was black. At any rate, Thomas insulted a whole bunch of whites:
Many of the white students and faculty members were offended by what they called an overly confrontational and unprofessional speech by the secretary. Some felt she was calling them racist and a backlash on some black students fueled the fire.“They don’t know what it is like to open up your locker and see a KKK letter there. It’s not the most comfortable feeling at all,” said African-American student Kristen Minoh.
Minoh said the tension was too much Tuesday.
Many students said the racial problems began only after the secretary’s speech.
“I think she just started up a bunch of stuff and basically tried to start something,” a student said.
“There’s an issue at every school, it’s no more of an issue at this school than any other school,” another student countered.
Thomas issued a statement Tuesday in which she said that she is passionate about the topic of diversity and wanted to raise the level of awareness. She said that she never meant to be personal or critical of the students or the school. (Source)
For all we know, a black student could’ve planted the KKK letter to keep the fire fueled. It’s happened many times before. Don’t let a dumb letter obscure the bigger issue: Thomas had no business saying or implying that these white kids were racists, and her passion for the “topic of diversity” is a poor excuse for this grown woman’s behavior.
I hope more white students (Black ones, too!) get fed up with these bureaucratic “diversity” shills and stage similar walkouts. Don’t let anyone intimidate you into backing down from what you believe. Don’t sit there and swallow garbage, either. Stand up for yourself, be bold and don’t be afraid of the old “You’re a racist!” tripe.
Good for these students. I hope it happens more often.
Update: Hube says, “Racism and discrimination are obviously worthy subjects to hear about, but insinuations of being ‘racist’ and being criticized for not knowing ‘your black history’ aren’t exactly going to make a [white] audience receptive to your message!”
Update II (3/17): More news.
Looks like SCIWuzzy scooped on this!
Man, oh man, if this isn’t from the “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” bromide, I don’t know what is.
This has about the same academic value as Bob Vila showing up to lecture the Amish about carpentry–perhaps the captives are more mature than the captivator. . . .
Comment by The Therapist — 03.16.05 @ 6:11 pm
That First Amendment! I like the Clash’s version: “You have the right to Free Speech, as long as you’re not dumb enough to actually try it!” It REALLY doesn’t hurt to think before you speak (or write). C’est la vie, c’est la guerre.
Comment by Rafael Daniel — 03.16.05 @ 7:28 pm
NJ Secretary of State to suburban parochial students: You’re RACISTS
Trackback by A planet where apes evolved from MAN?!? — 03.16.05 @ 7:59 pm
This happened all of a couple miles from my house. I know a couple of families that send their children to Saint Paul VI, and it has been the topic of conversation over at the local WaWa (picture a 7-11, but nicer and no charge ATMs) since her visit.
It wasn’t just that she said some inflamatory remarks… without a PA system she could be heard in the hallways clearly since she was yelling and screaming for much of her address.
Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 03.16.05 @ 8:11 pm
At my place I called it a case of the Democrats
getting the vote … out.
Comment by Steel — 03.16.05 @ 8:15 pm
I always hated guest-speakers
I was responding to Dave Huber’s comments and decided to see what was doing on his site. Check this crap out.
New Jersey Secretary of State Regena Thomas “suffered” a walk-out from students at a parochial high school in New Jersey. Apparantly, be…
Trackback by Down with Absolutes! — 03.16.05 @ 9:25 pm
Interesting how none of the news reports nor interviews actually give a single quote from the speech. I will need to see/hear more before I rush to judgement.
Comment by jab — 03.16.05 @ 9:29 pm
New Jersey Secretary of State: Racist Regena Thoma
Keep Hate Alive.
Trackback by Generation Why? — 03.17.05 @ 12:58 am
In public high school, I recall feeling that two-thirds of the adults who were there to teach us (or at least babysit us) were clueless. Now, thirty-some years later, I see it’s no different. Me and my class turned out okay, though.
Comment by Scott Ferguson — 03.17.05 @ 1:06 am
She not only insulted the white students at this Catholic High School, but she insulted anyone who is a practicing Catholic. Her comments imply there is a racist doctrine being taught by the kids’ parents, educators, and Catholicism in general.
Comment by Tom Blogical — 03.17.05 @ 1:31 am
This is just another example of sheer stupidity on the part of our people out of control.If this nutty secretary of state was so concerned about Black kids not knowing their history why didn’t she place the blame where it belongs;the parents!Black parents have completely abandoned their duties about teaching black children about their own history, by caving into their children’s wants and desires by buying nintendo games, watching vulgar and stupid videos on BET,listening to loud and vulgar hip hop music,or as Niger Ennis has referred to it as the Entertainment industrial complex that has poisoned our people and made them stupid.This is why Bill Cosby started his one man crusade about last year.These kids don’t read any books and most black parents don’t even know what’s going on in the world around them.It is know wonder our kids our being shortchanged!Ms.Barber I hate to say it but Black folks are doing more harm their own communities then white folks have ever done. Frankly I would demand that the secretary would get off her butt and go out and question and also check these black parents for jerking off.
Comment by lLisa Gilliam — 03.17.05 @ 1:39 am
AMEN!!! Lisa
Comment by James Newman — 03.17.05 @ 9:23 am
Good morning.
This has been the standard tactic of Teacher’s Unions for decades. In 1970 while in the fifth grade our teacher had an “excersize” for us. At the blackboard he asked us what came to mind as he almost sang the word, “White.”………
“Angels, snow, clean” etc. He wrote the responses on the board. Then, in a completely diferent, rough voice he us to describe what came to mind when he uttered the word, “BLACK!” “Darkness, evil , dirty” and were our fifth grade responses again on the board. Then came the drama. He stared at that board for over a minute without a word and then said, “You are all RACIST!” We were shocked to learn this from these “persons in a position of trust” I felt terrible and vowed to keep an eye on this latent racism that is within all of us whites!
This was not an isolated incident at some Minnesota grammer school. I’ve heard variations on this theme from all over. Even Havaii! The Libs controll education, that’s why today’s universities are full of brain-dead moonbats. Blame whites for everything! Keep them afraid of being labled “racist” What could be the harm in that?
It’s about time students showed a response to this unending attack on THEIR RACE by the Education Lobby.
Comment by pajamazon — 03.17.05 @ 9:46 am
The Claremont Review of Books has a wonderful article entitled “The Endless Party”. Specifically about the Democratic Party, it is more generally about liberalism. Liberalism isn’t an ideology, it’s a constantly expanding, shifting and mutating set of attitudes and ad hoc “policies” that never really end or accomplish anything. There are no parameters, no objective limitations, no logic, no restraint, just the spasmodic impulses of the elites.
It’s capricious and self-renewing whenever its current version proves pointless or futile or just stupid. It never aplogizes or examines itself. It isn’t self-correcting. It just IS.
This is the garbage they are stuffing down the kids throat in hopes of making a nation of rubber-spined yes Men/Women.
Comment by Mark — 03.17.05 @ 10:24 am
La Shawn:
I believe many are missing the major issue here.
School children are within their “rights” to tell their teachers and parents what a loser R Thomas is.
But getting up and walking out - this is giving in to the same kind of behavior they are criticizing Thomas for - like name calling and yelling.
This indicates lax discipline of the students, as well as the speaker.
Comment by Frank Zavisca — 03.17.05 @ 11:33 am
The teachers walked out first, followed by the students.
Comment by La Shawn — 03.17.05 @ 11:36 am
Dropping the “R†bomb
La Shawn Barber criticizes (and justly so) New Jersey Secretary of State Regena Thomas for creating racial tension in a…
Trackback by JackLewis.net — 03.17.05 @ 11:36 am
That Courier Post Online story (in Update II) was very interesting. It seems to me that the kids in that school, black and white, are mature, open-minded and forward-thinking. They are miles ahead of Regena Thomas and her pinched view of the world.
Comment by RedBeard — 03.17.05 @ 12:25 pm
Being a bigot has nothing to do with physical characteristics, except that they define the bigot’s bigotry of this kind. It’s a dead life, but apparently all they got. “Diversity” basks in it, which should awaken Freudian analyses and some degree of fright.
Comment by J. Peden — 03.17.05 @ 12:43 pm
Frank,
I am just curious about your comment regarding the “students” lack of discipline. Would it have been different if the presenter had been throwing “f” bombs and making sexually explicit comments? Would that have made it ok to walk out or would they still have showed a lack of discipline?
Another thing that strikes me is it appears the teachers and students had to make a stand (by walking out) before the Principal and other administrators said or did anything.
Comment by Renee — 03.17.05 @ 1:24 pm
Renee,
), the parents and the community have no intention of just letting this lie without some explantations and accounting.
You’re not far off the mark.
I talked to another parent this morning while getting coffe before the commute.
Ms Thomas was yelling, spitting and making comments of a threatening nature.
I think that given the supposed nature of her visit, and the morals and beahivors that Paul VI has long sought to instill in their students, the teachers and students were right to stand up and walk away.
Also, the reports are unlcear about which administrators were present for the “speach”. It’s not uncommon for the admins to get back to work once these things begin, esp since the teachers were there to keep things under control.
Needless to say (though I am
When I get updates and post them, I’ll make sure to update La Shawn as well.
Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 03.17.05 @ 1:36 pm
Thanks SCSI,
I was just figuring since it was the State Representative (of sorts), the Principal would be front and center to suck up
Comment by Renee — 03.17.05 @ 1:45 pm
Private school. Some state money comes in, and the Principal may well have stuck around, I don’t expect that the president or the trustees to be hanging about past the introduction and photo ops.
Besides, Ms Thomas is not very popular amongst Catholics or in the south Jersey region. Hearing how she talks to and about them, it isn’t a big surprise.
Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 03.17.05 @ 1:50 pm
Aaahh, good point (I never got to go to Private School
so I am unfamiliar with some of the differences).
Again, you made the point best…
if the skin color was reverse……
Comment by Renee — 03.17.05 @ 1:55 pm
I can think of a better responce than walking out. Then I say this as an adult in hindsight. Certainly the school children had wasmotivated, measured and appropriate. I can not say that of Regena Thomas’s speech was not.
It appears that Thomas’ style is too confrontational. Well that is great for faculty meeting and puplic protests It is not appropriate for addressing school children.
I think the parents should question the authority who invited Thomas to speak. There is no call to be rude and oonfrontational to school peace abiding school children. At the very least, Thomas owe the school, and the state, a very public apology.
Comment by David L — 03.17.05 @ 2:21 pm
From all the reports, I know how all the students feel. It would be good to know exactly what was said.
Comment by George — 03.17.05 @ 3:42 pm
The trouble is our schools and universities and being taken over by radicals and its the sudents rights to walk out on some hate mongering race baiting socialists
Comment by firebird — 03.17.05 @ 4:04 pm
This story strikes me as a microcosm of the whole liberal/MSM struggle for increasingly smaller marginal benefits. Racism? Sure there will always be some racism, but as much as even ten years ago? Hardly. Yet we still need policies to right wrongs. Gay bashing? Sure, some, so in order to make them feel statistically normal we need gay marriage. Poverty? Sure, but even though low-income earners’ wages are growing faster in percentage terms than that of the wealthy, we still need to soak the rich. “Insurgency” in Iraq? Sure, but by all measures one that is decreasing yet the Iraqi assembly took place in an “insurgent wracked” country. It’s ridiculous how decreasing problems get increasing attention just to keep the gravy train coming or fight Bush.
Comment by Dan — 03.18.05 @ 8:20 am
Some information just makes one stop and say, “Ok, that helps to explain it.” Like finding out that Regena Thomas spent 12 years working for Jesse Jackson.
Comment by RedBeard — 03.18.05 @ 8:43 am
There’s even more to Racist Regena than this outburst. She’s a typical democrat-operative who enjoys race-baiting and political favoritism, even in a job (Sec. of State) where she’s barred by law from engaging in “political activities”.
Comment by Jason Smith — 03.18.05 @ 1:45 pm
I can’t help but sigh when I see this sort of thing–teachers think they are doing something good in talking about diversity and attacking racism, but in truth, I believe such negative discussions only make things worse.
Telling students they are racist is an absurd and violent assumption which can only intimidate and squelch meaningful discussion. The more crazed we become in “finding out” racism, the less we are going to be able to deal with the actual problems in race relations.
Comment by Ashtony Sanders — 03.18.05 @ 3:41 pm
The un-diverse students have had enough
A speaker who was “passionate on the topic of diversity” left some students at a Catholic high school feeling, well, offended: HADDON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Some white students at a South Jersey Catholic school walked out of classes Tuesday in…
Trackback by Number 2 Pencil — 03.22.05 @ 9:09 pm
Calling anyone racist is a violent assumption, and because of our hyper-sensitivity to issues, it sticks.
Too often it devolves into hearsay and speculation without direct quotes and context to utilize. And it damages the person it is attached too, often falsely, and brings little real healing power to the person leveling the charge.
Charging people as racists, even if their behavior is obviously so, diminishes any real opportunity for healthy discussion.
Conversations about race are often still too hot to talk about….and the continuing invective of those who promote themselves does nothing to advance genuine and lasting progress.
Comment by Chris Roberts — 03.22.05 @ 9:42 pm