The Burlington Township School District site is back up, and you can view the letter to parents about the Obama song video. This is a different letter than appeared previously on the site, and has a different URL. Click over to read the previous statement by the B. Bernice Young school principal.
An excerpt from the current letter:
Over the past two days we have been able to learn more about this situation and would like to provide you with some additional information. The song was one of eight skits performed during a February 2009 program that included second grade classes. Parents attended the program which took place on February 27, 2009. The other skits in the program included Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Abraham Lincoln, Valentine’s Day, George Washington, Mardi Gras, and Dental Health Month. The song about President Obama was in recognition of Black History Month. We have been informed that the lyrics of the song were sent home with the children in advance of the assembly, which was the teacher’s normal procedure. There were no concerns or complaints prior to, during, or after the program.
On March 23, 2009, an author visited the Young School as part of the school’s Women’s History Month recognition. As is usual procedure, parents were notified prior to the visit and invited to attend. The author presented two assemblies during which she read from two of her books. She also met with the Teen Book Club at our high school and did an evening book signing for parents and children. The author was accompanied by two individuals. After the first assembly on March 23rd, the class that performed the song at the February assembly about President Obama provided a special performance for the author, since one of the books she wrote was about Barack Obama. We were informed by a representative of the author that one of the individuals who accompanied the author video recorded the performance. School staff had no knowledge of the recording.
I don’t know if this letter even makes sense – if Charisse Carney-Nunes (the author of I Am Barack Obama) was visiting the school as part of Women’s History Month, what’s with the large poster of her book about Obama? And why does the author say that the video was recorded for a Father’s Day presentation and that the children made up the lyrics?
Apparently, the class performed this song twice, once in February and once on March 2009. I wonder how much the school district paid for Charisse Carney-Nunes to vist?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Perhaps this is nitpicking. But ‘skit’ is an odd choice of word to describe that performance.
Was the principal trying to say that the song was a piece of comedic satire? Hardly.
And really. ‘Black History Month’ ‘Womens History Month’. These months dedicated to ‘special’ groups set my teeth on edge. Too much to say about that in your combox, perhaps I should save it for a blog post/whinge of my own.
Suffice to say I believe they are patronising and counterproductive.
Oh and thank you so much for leaving the link ( ‘Moment of the Rose’) at my blog. It’s beautiful.
I have a rant on my old blog about why I hate Women’s History Month. Maybe I’ll rerun it this week, even though it’s not March. To me, Women’s History month and Black History month are inherently racist/sexist. As though blacks/women didn’t actually contribute anything to real history, so here’s a special month where we can shoe horn in insignificant achievements. And, very large achievements by blacks/women are IGNORED during this month.
I’ve never learned about say, Queen Elizabeth or Queen Isabella -women who changed the history of the entire world – during those women’s history month.
To me, Women’s History month and Black History month are inherently racist/sexist. As though blacks/women didn’t actually contribute anything to real history
Ditto. Great minds think alike LOL!
I’d like to read your blog post. This has been a lonely beef of mine for years. The subtext almost seems to be “You’re such losers, we’re going to give you a special month of your own so that you don’t feel TOO irrelevant. The rest of us (winners) can manage fine without, because OUR achievements are obvious”.
Grr.
I actually think alot of stuff touted as anti racist, is, at it heart, deeply divisive and racist.