Jack & Jill Politics

To those not at all familiar with black fraternities and “stepping,” this probably looks scary – especially in the current political climate. Ignorance breeds fear.

When we live in a country as divided as this one is along racial lines, we don't learn enough about each other, and this kind of thing happens, which is unfortunate.

That the teacher was actually suspended is perplexing.

The teacher was suspended because it is a public school, which utilizes public funds and the teacher is seen as pushing political views on the students — Obama. It isn't as if this was the Young Democrat Club and they were doing research on the democratic party and prepared speeches about various democrats including Obama.

You cannot form political groups at a middle school. You just can't.

What's really sad, IMHO, is that it takes Obama to get these young men to begin to think about their futures when their are plenty of black men (living or dead) who could have been used as inspiration.

It would have been a different situation if the young men were still stepping and came out and said: “Because of Langston Hughes, I want to be a writer.” “Because of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, I want to be a surgeon.” “Because of Paul Robeson, I want to be a performer.”

What do I see? The next generation of self-disciplined, educated, community-minded young men. Thank you, suspended teacher, for trying to do something good in this world.

“It would have been a different situation if the young men were still stepping and came out and said: “Because of Langston Hughes, I want to be a writer.” “Because of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, I want to be a surgeon.” “Because of Paul Robeson, I want to be a performer.”"

Yup. Right idea. Unwise execution. And, the teacher didn't need to center it around Obama per se to produce the same result. Nice tribute, but damn. If this were an all white middle school in a Kansas City suburb like Raytown or exurb like Olathe, KS and the teacher started an afterschool band and had the kids singing “Drill Baby Drill” I'd be kinda salty about my tax dollars going for that. Even if Obama were one of the inspirational sources mentioned I think the grounds for suspension would have been less clear cut. (Although it is Kansas City. So I can't say for sure whether the basis for suspension was merely having a congregation of black males in the same room with fists clenched. Sorry. I grew up in St. Louis and I just can't help picking on my barefooted neighbors to the west.)

I see your point with a political candidate/middle schoolers. However, my bigger problem is the zero lack of knowledge that allowed the wingnuts to compare the kids to “Nazis in training” and a “cult.” Just another example of how little they know about black people. If a black married couple does a fist bump, it's a “terrorist” fist bump. A group of black kids stepping are like “Nazis” or in a cult. That's my biggest issue.

Also, there are plenty of schools esp one with a lot of black students who have focused poltical science, history and just everyday activities around Senator Obama.

I think its okay as long as the kids volunteered for the club and were not forced into it.There's nothing wrong with taking an interest in politics and whats going on with your country. Its more constructive than many other things. If kids can join youth Republican and Democrat groups then this should be okay. They are just doing fraternity stuff (some people might not understand that and think its a militant thing). They are just stomping or stepping.

I think its okay as long as the kids volunteered for the club and were not forced into it.There's nothing wrong with taking an interest in politics and whats going on with your country. Its more constructive than many other things. If kids can join youth Republican and Democrat groups then this should be okay. They are just doing fraternity stuff (some people might not understand that and think its a militant thing). They are just stomping or stepping.

I agree with you. As a public school teacher you can not endorse any political candidate in a capacity as a school employee. You can not do any proselytizing in a role as a school teacher. I learned that a few years ago as a neighborhood outreach person. Another colleague of mind use give parents her business cards for them to reach her in the school office. She had the cards made and it had a line from the scripture. She had given the district supervisor one of her cards. The district supervisor told her she could not give out her cards because the biblical quote. She also warn her that she could loose her job over that. Our supervisor told us that we could not promote our religious or political views while working in the capacity of public school officials. That is one of the reason why that Sheriff in Texas got into hot water.

BTW, I do neighborhood out reach all day everyday at my job. Don't you how much I want to “get out the vote”. But I can not.

I feel you. I think a lot of these white people–at least those living within shouting distance of black people–know, or at least have heard of stepping. This is all just an act of otherizing, of maximizing the social distance between us and them. There howls of “Nazi this” and “terrorist fist bump that” are a feigned ignorance; not unlike the audience in minstrel shows of an earlier time, laughing simultaneously at the otherness and the familiarity of “those” people.