Inglewood School Board

[essentialsaltes]

The not-really-aptly named Betty Pleasant wrote one of her most entertaining columns ever for the local newspaper, recounting the events at the Inglewood School Board meeting. To provide some backstory, a couple members are cheesed that when they put up their personal friends for jobs in the district, they were subject to background checks. And a couple of them had convictions for cocaine possession and sales. So these board memb... no, it's too long, let me sum up: the board is bickering amongst itself. Here are the choice bits:

Let me paint you a more complete picture of the bishop [a boardmember]. First of all, he’s a liar.

[Board member] Butler is not quite as bombastic as [Bishop] Young, but he’s dogmatic and overbearing enough, when what he needs to do is shut all the way up...

Board member Williams wants to apologize for using the N-word in her spirited rebuke of Young during the board meeting. “I was quoting others in the community,” Williams said. “I personally find the N-word to be gross and despicable. But it was the only word used by others in the community to describe the behavior of board members. I would like to apologize if it offended anyone. But I really am concerned with the behavior of board members who seem to believe that personal attacks and harassment are the only courses to take.”

And in closing, Raining Blood on Hard is kicking my ass.

Comments

Color me confused also

[essentialsaltes.livejournal.com]

Apparently, the logical response to "personal attacks and harassment" is to use the N-word.

Re: Color me confused also

[hagdirt.livejournal.com]

...which would be construed as "personal attacks and harassment."

[thefayth.livejournal.com]

lol, ah you guys. me not confused, it's a black people thing. i.e. for a person to act completely incorrect, in black culture that's acting like a n-word. for a white person to call another black person an n-word, that's racist. ah, the complexities of culture. once an ancient uncle told me, girl, a n-word is the boy who gets you killed, who brings the white man down on ya. perhaps that illuminates more of the point from a historical perspective.

the debate on this word has been raging fiercely in the black community this year. countless rallies, conferences, and even the cover of The Black Magazine, Ebony which devoted an issue to the history and use of the word. so ms. williams comment makes sense, what makes better sense is her apology. that to me is so encouraging, as well as her personal story (what I could find at least)

as an aside, as a person who basically grew up in inglewood from 1980 onwards, I find the current gentrification interesting...watching my grandmother's neighborhood (gramercy and manchester) change from white to black to latin and back to white and black is freaking fascinating. as a kid i helped my gram type up her columns for the Wave, she still submits stories and photos from time to time.

The Inglewood of times past was run by men like the Bishop, overall we've seen a big change in parents and long-time residents finally getting involved in their city; for Black America the areas of Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills and parts of Inglewood represented the highest blacks could achieve for many, many years. Where you live specifically was considered the area for Black Royalty. See the film "Something New" for the Cotillion Balls of the area, or check out BET's tv show "Baldwin Hills" which is all about the young rich youth of the area.

Just a thought from Enigma to Engima, sorry it came out in a rush...been meaning to say it for a bit.

more on ms. williams:
Trina Williams (School Board Candidate, District 2)
Growing up in the south during the civil rights youth in Inglewood. Her passion for the Inglewood community led her to create numerous programs such as Building Achieving Minds after-school project and Pathways to Your Future mentorship program.

Currently, Ms. Williams continues her work in education as a drama teacher and the Development Coordinator for South Bay Lutheran High School and Preparatory Academy. She is also the current Vice President of the NAACP, Inglewood Chapter and a founding member of the Los Angeles Parents Union, Inglewood Chapter. Ms. Williams is completing her B.A. in Communications at Cal State Dominguez and has just received a scholarship to pursue her masters at the USC Annenberg School.
http://www.laderaheights.info/events/event-070403-inglewood-school-election.html