#2 - The Tensions of Racism

In 1954, the United States Supreme court declared that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” [1]. This case, Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, would spark countless, and often violent, conflicts across the nation. In fact, more than 50 years after the start of desegregation, the violent trends of racism have yet to stop.

For those of you unaware of the racial tensions at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana, the story involves multiple incidents involving aggression between white and black students. The spark to this powder keg was prompted when a black student asked the Principal at an open assembly if he could sit at the school’s “white tree.” While faculty would disagree with the student body’s attitude that a certain portion of the school grounds were not welcoming to certain races, the Principal, likely surprised by the student’s questions remarked that students could “sit wherever they wanted" [2]. The next day nooses hung from said tree. [3] From the initial question on August 31, 2006 to the arrests of six black students for beating up a white boy in December, racial aggression was at an all time high in Jena. The animosity continued to grow as white students would face minor, if any, punishment from their fellow white superiors, whereas black students would go on to face up to 100 years in prison for much less.

That is, of course, a very brief version of the story and much more can be found in the links below. My blog this week concerns these ‘Jena 6’ as background, so I thought it relevant to include this information. The story at hand involves a t-shirt similar to this:

[4]

And this school, Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Tennessee:

[5]

“According to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Nashville last week, Danielle Super came in to school late on Sept. 20 after having attended a march. As she was waiting for her mother to sign her in, Smyrna High School assistant principal Jolene Watson told her she could not come into the school wearing the Jena Six T-shirt because it could "cause a problem."After protesting the order, Super changed shirts and returned to school” [6].

I can understand the surprise Danielle and her mother, Norma, felt when hearing they were dressed inappropriately. Their outfits were, to them, a form of speech and an expression of their beliefs; exactly what the First Amendment was made for. They were demonstrating their support for the Jena 6 at a peaceful march.

“But district officials said they were only trying to prevent a disruption. Before school started on Sept. 20, a group of students were making racial slurs in the hallway and the assistant principal had to break it up. This incident coincided with a national day of support for the Jena Six on which people were urged to wear black clothing and stand up for the Louisiana students.” [6].

The school claimed that they were acting under the Tinker Standard. “This standard asks whether school officials can reasonably forecast whether the student expression will cause a substantial disruption or material interference with school activities” [7].

Since Watson had heard talk of the day’s significance in explicit terms, she felt that it was appropriate to ask Super to change. I cannot say Super’s outfit would have prompted a mass riot during the day, but I do know the brutal tongues of young minds, particularly when it comes to matters of race. The risk of having a student say something which would later be regretted or cause for emotional damages is not a risk the school should be required to take.

"Tensions were high and we made the decision that students wearing shirts that expressed a clear opinion, like 'Free the Jena Six,' wouldn't be able to wear those," said James Evans, Rutherford County Schools' spokesman. "Of course we support free expression, but we also need to maintain a safe environment"[9].

I could not find specific demographics for the high school, but I did find the school’s district, Rutherford County, school’s demographics. This information concluded that 75.7% of the district’s students are white and 14.3% are African American [10].

The American Civil Rights Union (ACLU) of Tennessee agreed with the school’s decision [11].

Super's shirt did not used crude language, display violent images, or insult anyone directly. Her shirt, unlike "F*ck Bush" messages may have caused for a more rational, scholarly debate. However, the minds of high school students are still irrational. When it comes to matters of race and religion, a school cannot be too careful. I remember seeing a student I went to high school with wearing a t-shirt that said, "Jesus is a C*nt." I had never seen such a blatantly offensive shirt in my life and within minutes of arriving to school, he was told to turn his shirt inside out. While this boy's shirt was much more offensive than Super's, his message confronted a touchy subject. Had his shirt said, "Cheney is a C*nt," I doubt I would have been so utterly shocked.

Since Super's public school was acting under the Tinker Standard, she is unlikely, in my opinion, to find a court to side with her view.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six

[3] http://www.jenasix.org/timeline.html

[4] http://www.allaboutrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/free-jena-six.jpg

[5] http://www.rcs.k12.tn.us/rc/general/general_frameset.htm

[6] http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/5201517.html

[7] http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/studentexpression/topic.aspx?topic=clothing_dress_codes_uniforms

[8] http://www.shs.rcs.k12.tn.us/administration/watson/

[9] http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1624&year=

[10] http://www.rcs.k12.tn.us/rc/general/about_rcs.htm

[11] http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6487404.html?rssid=190