A Georgia private school fired its principal after a racially charged remark made at commencement made national headlines.
“In light of recent events, the board of directors of TNT Academy has moved to dismiss Nancy Gordeuk as principal,” chair of the board Dr. Heidi Anderson wrote to a local NAACP chapter, NBC News has learned.
Last Friday, Gordeuk dismissed attendees prematurely, before calling them back to listen to the Valedictorian’s speech. She went on to chastise people for leaving the ceremony, saying “look who’s leaving — all the black people.”
A video of the incident shows attendees leaping from their seats in outrage and videos of the event went viral soon after, prompting calls for her resignation.
Gordeuk initially apologized – blaming the devil and her own emotional state – but later defended her remark in an interview with NBC News.
“My side is I’m not a racist, I didn’t know black people was a racist term, I didn’t say the n-word or anything like that, because that’s not in my vocabulary!” she said, arguing that it was merely an observation. “I made a statement, it wasn’t a racist remark.”
Gordeuk is the founder of TNT Academy, a non-traditional school that allows students to pursue independent coursework to get an accredited degree.
“During the coming transition, we will continue to prioritize support for our most recent graduates. Moreover, we will continue our commitment to providing students with the best educational classes, transcription services, and academic credit recovery possible,” Anderson continued in her statement about Gordeuk’s dismissal.
“Exploring Hoosier Minority Groups: Indiana’s Native American PopulationRachel Strange
Geodemographic Analyst, Indiana Business Research Center, Indiana University Kelley School of Business
Indiana’s population has become increasingly diverse in terms of race and origin. Results from the latest census count for 2010 provide us with a rich set of information from which to gain insight into our population diversity. This article is the last of four InContext articles to provide demographic snapshots of our minority population. Native Americans comprised 0.3 percent of Indiana’s population in 2010 and will be the focus of this snapshot. (View the articles on Indiana’s black population, Indiana’s Hispanic population and Indiana’s Asian population.) The overview that follows focuses on population, household formation, income and education."
These are statistics that Indigenous people in Indiana, USA, are experiencing. Very relevant to all of us.
“What the diagram points out is that not only are white and Indian values different and often conflict, but that the values of an ethnic group essentially determine that group’s educational system. When the two systems are merged together, or one system dominates, the result is poor performance by the Indian child, or the child whose ethnic group is in the weaker position within the school system.” ~Thomas Davis and Alfred Pyatskowit
“1. Native American Students Have The Lowest High School Graduation Rates In The Country (USA)
2. In Recent Years, Their (Native American students) Average ACT Scores Have Declined Substantially
3. Native Students Have Less Access To High-Level High School Courses
4. Most (Native American students) Are Not Proficient In Reading Or Math By Eighth Grade ”
The Education System Is Failing Native American Students. Here’s Proof.The Huffington Post | By Rebecca Klein
The article did not mention the astronomical numbers of American Indian and Alaskan Indian children dropping out of school, too. One of students in this American Indian education program has dropped out of school at the age of eleven, and she is not the only one.
What New Stats Show About The School To Prison Pipeline For Black Girls Is Worse Than Anyone Could Have Imagined
Judging by the statistics, the national focus on the troubled plight of Black boys with initiatives like President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper may be missing a real crisis that’s hidden in plain sight: Black girls are treated even more harshly in American schools than Black boys when compared to their white counterparts—leading to them now being the fastest growing population in the juvenile justice system.
The numbers are jarring: Black girls across the country were suspended six times more often than white girls, compared to Black boys being suspended three times more often than white boys, according to the
U.S. Department of Education’s analysis of the 2011-2012 school year.
Only 2 percent of white females were subjected to exclusionary suspensions, compared to 12 percent of Black girls.
Because males are suspended in greater numbers than females, the
harsh treatment of Black boys tends to draw all the attention. But a new
report by the African American Policy Forum and Columbia Law School
called “Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced, and Underprotected”
shines a spotlight on Black girls in public school, playing particular
attention to what happens to them in the New York City and Boston school
systems.
teachers: please stop telling children that they have to be friends with every child in the classroom. this is dangerous. it is telling children that even if another child hits you, teases you, insults you, that they are still a friend. wrong. they are not your friend. you teachers doing this are trying to end bullying but actually you are silencing victims of bullying.
Waldorf on theReservation I have a need to share this story, because I have such deep respect for what the people of the Lakota Waldorf School have accomplished over the years…
if you don’t think this carries an important message about our society then you are what is wrong with human society today
And this is why when you see a post empowering and uplifting black women, do not invade it with “don’t you mean all women.” No, because this is not the reality of “all women.”
Also: this isn’t brand new, these results were first found by a study done in 1947 with dolls by Kenneth B. and Mamie P. Clark. Little has changed.
teachers: please stop telling children that they have to be friends with every child in the classroom. this is dangerous. it is telling children that even if another child hits you, teases you, insults you, that they are still a friend. wrong. they are not your friend. you teachers doing this are trying to end bullying but actually you are silencing victims of bullying.
Over 700 Jefferson County High School students are staging walkouts and protests over proposed changes to the Advanced Placement History curriculum. According to Colorado Public Radio:
Last week, a school board member proposed that advanced placement history classes be required to promote free enterprise and patriotism and be required to avoid classroom materials that encourage social strife or civil disobedience. Two high schools in Jefferson County closed Friday after dozens of teachers called in sick in protest.
Jeffco Public School Board has just proposed a change of curriculum stating that, “Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law. Instructional materials should present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage.”
This means that important parts of our history such as the Civil Rights Movement, Native American genocide, and slavery will not be taught in public schools. If these important lessons are not taught, children will not learn from them, and what will stop them from happening again? This is a severe form of censorship intended to keep the youth ignorant and easy to manipulate. I’m hoping to get enough signatures to prove that this is a public issue, so, please, if this is important to you, please sign. Do not let our youth grow up in ignorance; we all deserve the truth!
Yesterday I spent 3+ hours protesting with more than 400 students that go to my school alone. That doesn’t include the other high schools that participated in the Jeffco district. It got more publicity than we were expecting and we’re grateful for that, but to keep this going would be great. If you agree and are against the censorship of AP US History classes please click on the link and sign the petition.
I fervently hope your efforts to protect your history education are successful. I’ve noticed a lot of the articles are trying to pretend that “kids just want to skip class”, and I think it’s disrespectful and dismissive. The petition is almost at its goal, so I hope people continue to sign it.
This story is on my blog and Facebook, but it’s not as big as thee Mike Browns, Ferguson or Trayvon Martins type of news, but it’s tremendously huge to me and some. This young boy dealt with bullying which is a major silent killer of the society we live in. He grew weary and took a gun to school to take his own life in the boys bathroom. This story was reported two weeks ago. Shaq was the young boy nickname as a metaphor bc he actually was bullied bc he had growing challenges, he was very small to be 14yrs old, his bodied wasn’t found until 11pm later that night…which is a mystery bc all day no one didn’t notice he was missing or concern. What makes the story more said is his parents moved to Florida from New York to stop the bullies attacking their son which apparently still didn’t work. Also they just buried their 3week old baby and now they will bury their middle son Shaq. My heart is extremely heavy, and hits to close to home for me. Suicide and bullying are massive silent killers. I want everyone to speak out against bullying and suicide. #RIPSHAQ #LAMARHAWKINS #SUICIDE #BULLYING 💔
Rest easy baby.
Jesus, that poor child and his family. Lord cover them and keep them in this time.
We live under white racism in the United States. Racism is built into our society’s systems and institutions. White people hold the economic, political, and social power by controlling and owning the major systems and the vast majority of institutions that make up American society. As a result, white people are in the position to determine how power, wealth, resources, goods, and services are distributed to all of America’s citizens. Historically, white people created these systems and institutions (for example, the education system and schools) to serve themselves and to keep out people of color.
Roots & Wings: Affirming Culture in Early Childhood Programs, revised edition, written by Stacey York, published by Redleaf Press in 2003.
