link
London, Jan 7 (ANI): The Asian Industry Forum has advised its
members, press and governments in the South Asian and ASEAN regions to
avoid new investments in the UK due to the increasing number of attacks
against people of Asian origin in the UK.
They have also advised
governments to instruct Asian students not to enroll in British
universities as the racism, unemployment and alcoholism among the local
White population has led to an increasing victimisation of seemingly
well to do Asian students and businessmen.
In addition to the recent shocking and tragic murder of highly
qualified Indian student, Anuj Bidve from Pune, there have been attacks
on Indian businessmen, Chinese and Malaysian students and executives.
It
was pointed out by the forum that very few white members of the local
population even bothered to sympathise with the parents of the Indian
student when they visited UK.
A christian student of nursing from
Kerala was badly beaten up in East London by some white thugs recently
and the police refused to take his complaint saying it was a civil
matter.
The Forum, a leading hub for businesses has suggested
that the United States of America is a far more civilised and cultured
place for students and businesses from Asia as it has always taken
special care of Asian students almost all of whom are not only warmly
received at universities but respected for their knowledge and
contributions.
The Forum president Mr. Chandramouli said, that
old colonial powers like Britain learnt to change the deep seated
arrogance and evil of racism in their countries rather than try to
trumpet their false, newly manufactured Duchesses and princesses and
royalty all over the world in such an irritating and childish fashion as
if these are more interesting to foreigners than safety and courtesy on
their streets. (ANI)
Showing posts with label student. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student. Show all posts
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Racism is alive and well in Canada
source
The recent staging of blackface at an institution of higher learning in Montreal is disturbing, to say the least. But it can serve as a potent reminder of the ongoing legacies of racism and racist cultural practices against blacks in the west - and yes, this includes Canada.
As a professor of (among other things) Canadian art history, I can state unequivocally that there is a profound deficit of knowledge of Canada's racist past among university-aged students in Canada. When I introduce topics such as the vast visual culture of transatlantic slavery to my mainly white Canadian students, the majority initially approach the materials exclusively from a perspective of American and Caribbean slavery. It is always a moment of shock when they learn that Canadians (French and British) for centuries also enslaved peoples of African and native descent.
How has the 28-year period (1833-61) of the Underground Railroad (which remembers Canada as the saviour of African-American slaves fleeing northward to freedom) taken on such mythic status in our national consciousness, while the centurieslong history of slaving in the "Great White North" has been almost universally forgotten? The answer, though complex, can be summarized as follows: Canadians have a knack at off-loading their colonial history of racial marginalization and exploitation onto their southern cousins, the United States.
The events at the school of Hautes Études Commerciales should alert us to the fact racism is alive and well in Canada.
In one fell swoop, this student performance maligned various groups on the basis of race, nationality, religion, language and culture. The students not only vilified and marginalized black people in general by "blacking up," but also took underhanded swipes at the entire nation of Jamaica (carrying the flag and wearing the national colours), while criminalizing blacks as pot-smokers (chanting "smoke more weed"), ridiculing Jamaican patois (chanting "Yeah mon"), equating the use of marijuana in the religious, spiritual and meditative practices of Rastafari with getting high and partying for the hell of it, and finally, some even wearing hats with fake locks attached (a problematic appropriation of a black hair aesthetic).
It is hard to believe the students' and university's initial explanation that the group's dress and behaviour were meant to honour the Jamaican Olympian Usain Bolt. Could they not have honoured Bolt dressed as themselves, white students? And if Bolt had been on campus that day, would they really have greeted him dressed in this manner?
Although minstrelsy and its related practices, such as blackface, are most often associated with the United States, this once widely accepted form of popular culture did exist in Canada (as well as in Europe and other locations). A part of the problem is that the histories of minstrelsy in Canada have yet to be written.
The recent staging of blackface at an institution of higher learning in Montreal is disturbing, to say the least. But it can serve as a potent reminder of the ongoing legacies of racism and racist cultural practices against blacks in the west - and yes, this includes Canada.
As a professor of (among other things) Canadian art history, I can state unequivocally that there is a profound deficit of knowledge of Canada's racist past among university-aged students in Canada. When I introduce topics such as the vast visual culture of transatlantic slavery to my mainly white Canadian students, the majority initially approach the materials exclusively from a perspective of American and Caribbean slavery. It is always a moment of shock when they learn that Canadians (French and British) for centuries also enslaved peoples of African and native descent.
How has the 28-year period (1833-61) of the Underground Railroad (which remembers Canada as the saviour of African-American slaves fleeing northward to freedom) taken on such mythic status in our national consciousness, while the centurieslong history of slaving in the "Great White North" has been almost universally forgotten? The answer, though complex, can be summarized as follows: Canadians have a knack at off-loading their colonial history of racial marginalization and exploitation onto their southern cousins, the United States.
The events at the school of Hautes Études Commerciales should alert us to the fact racism is alive and well in Canada.
In one fell swoop, this student performance maligned various groups on the basis of race, nationality, religion, language and culture. The students not only vilified and marginalized black people in general by "blacking up," but also took underhanded swipes at the entire nation of Jamaica (carrying the flag and wearing the national colours), while criminalizing blacks as pot-smokers (chanting "smoke more weed"), ridiculing Jamaican patois (chanting "Yeah mon"), equating the use of marijuana in the religious, spiritual and meditative practices of Rastafari with getting high and partying for the hell of it, and finally, some even wearing hats with fake locks attached (a problematic appropriation of a black hair aesthetic).
It is hard to believe the students' and university's initial explanation that the group's dress and behaviour were meant to honour the Jamaican Olympian Usain Bolt. Could they not have honoured Bolt dressed as themselves, white students? And if Bolt had been on campus that day, would they really have greeted him dressed in this manner?
Although minstrelsy and its related practices, such as blackface, are most often associated with the United States, this once widely accepted form of popular culture did exist in Canada (as well as in Europe and other locations). A part of the problem is that the histories of minstrelsy in Canada have yet to be written.
Dating to the early 19th
century, minstrelsy involved a public theatrical performance that
included racist humour, singing and dancing. The mainly white male
performers (often of marginalized or so-called "undesirable" white
groups, such as Jewish and Irish men) often performed in blackface,
applying dark black face paint and deep red lipstick. In this guise, the
whites of their eyes were dramatically apparent.
Minstrelsy celebrated a white nostalgia for black enslavement. It is no accident that it reached its peak only after slavery had been abolished. The songs, dancing and "comedy" of the performances hinged on a recitation of the assumed inferiority of blacks and often-violent fantasies of the murder, torture and dismemberment of black bodies. Of course, this all helped to bolster ideas of white supremacy.
Whether or not the group of HEC students knew explicit details of the history of minstrelsy, it is difficult to imagine that they did not know that "blacking up" in 2011 could be construed as inappropriate and racist behaviour. Students are voracious consumers of popular culture (television, internet, print media, etc.). A quick glance at any of these media would tell you that images of blackface have been all but banned from the public domain. The old Hollywood movies where white movie stars donned blackface are almost never screened, and neither are the older versions of cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry that used blackface.
The HEC students and a university spokesperson said that their actions should not be construed as racist, due to a lack of knowledge. But one could argue that not knowing that this type of spectacle is wrong is a perfect example of racism. Surely racism is not only a matter of intent. If our measure of racism is based solely on what people meant to do, we ignore the impact of the racist acts upon its victims.
The negative message that this performance sends to the black population of the university should not be underestimated. The white students who chose to don blackface eventually went back to classes and sat down beside their black fellow students, listened to lectures delivered by their black professors (although there are very few), checked out library books handed to them by black library staff, and ate meals in campus cafeterias served by black staff. Their disregard for the impact of their performance on the well-being of the black members of their shared university community is telling. It speaks of racial narcissism.
Lest we dismiss what happened at HEC as an isolated incident, we should remember the debacle that took place during Halloween at a Legion Hall in the town of Campbellford, Ont., last year. Unbelievably, the first prize was awarded to a pair of white men, one of whom wore a Ku Klux Klan costume with a confederate flag draped on his back and the other in blackface with a noose around his neck. The direct references to the American Civil War and the heinous practice of lynching made this spectacle particularly vile.
Minstrelsy celebrated a white nostalgia for black enslavement. It is no accident that it reached its peak only after slavery had been abolished. The songs, dancing and "comedy" of the performances hinged on a recitation of the assumed inferiority of blacks and often-violent fantasies of the murder, torture and dismemberment of black bodies. Of course, this all helped to bolster ideas of white supremacy.
Whether or not the group of HEC students knew explicit details of the history of minstrelsy, it is difficult to imagine that they did not know that "blacking up" in 2011 could be construed as inappropriate and racist behaviour. Students are voracious consumers of popular culture (television, internet, print media, etc.). A quick glance at any of these media would tell you that images of blackface have been all but banned from the public domain. The old Hollywood movies where white movie stars donned blackface are almost never screened, and neither are the older versions of cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry that used blackface.
The HEC students and a university spokesperson said that their actions should not be construed as racist, due to a lack of knowledge. But one could argue that not knowing that this type of spectacle is wrong is a perfect example of racism. Surely racism is not only a matter of intent. If our measure of racism is based solely on what people meant to do, we ignore the impact of the racist acts upon its victims.
The negative message that this performance sends to the black population of the university should not be underestimated. The white students who chose to don blackface eventually went back to classes and sat down beside their black fellow students, listened to lectures delivered by their black professors (although there are very few), checked out library books handed to them by black library staff, and ate meals in campus cafeterias served by black staff. Their disregard for the impact of their performance on the well-being of the black members of their shared university community is telling. It speaks of racial narcissism.
Lest we dismiss what happened at HEC as an isolated incident, we should remember the debacle that took place during Halloween at a Legion Hall in the town of Campbellford, Ont., last year. Unbelievably, the first prize was awarded to a pair of white men, one of whom wore a Ku Klux Klan costume with a confederate flag draped on his back and the other in blackface with a noose around his neck. The direct references to the American Civil War and the heinous practice of lynching made this spectacle particularly vile.
Back
to university campuses: here and in the U.S., there is a rising trend
of "gangsta" "hip-hop" or "ghetto" parties at which white students
congregate in blackface, "tricked out" with "bling," even going so far
as to pad their backsides in a disturbing parody of black anatomy. This
resurgence of minstrelsy seeks to degrade blacks. Clearly black students
are not welcome at such parties unless they consent to being the
punchline of a racist joke.
It is unsettling that a popular cultural form that supposedly died in the mid-20th century is making such a strong comeback. It is fitting that we ask why, and why now. Is this not the age of Obama (the first black president of the U.S.), of Michaëlle Jean (Canada's first black governorgeneral), of Yolande James (Quebec's first black female MNA), of the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Canadian businessman and philanthropist Michael Lee-Chin?
I see the resurgence of blackface and minstrelsy as a racist pushback against precisely these types of gains and accomplishments. There is a specific type of racism reserved for high-achieving blacks. Middle-and upperclass blacks - people with education, credentials, good careers, and money - often encounter what I like to call "how dare you?" racism: "How dare you be more educated than me?" "How dare you make more money than me?" "How dare you assume a position of power and leadership over me?"
It should perhaps be even more upsetting to us that blackface is making a comeback among young, educated whites. What does it mean that university-and collegeeducated young adults are engaging in these acts? Well, for one thing, we need to rethink the simplistic idea that racism is more abundant among older populations and non-existent among our youth. Furthermore, we need to ask if "education" is a cure for racism. Clearly education in general is not. In fact, the type of Eurocentric education that proliferates in the curriculum, methodologies, theories, course materials and resources of the majority of university disciplines is precisely what perpetuates the racist ignorance and racist behaviour of students like those at HEC.
Canadian universities' diversity policies, many of which are strategically unenforceable and unenforced, also contribute to the racial exclusion of blacks, people of colour and natives on university campuses, especially as faculty and upper administration. The policies help to propagate the idea of Canada as a race-blind, multicultural state, one that does not really need to engage with the issue of racism, since racism is supposedly not a problem in Canada.
As disturbing as it is, the HEC incident can act as a wake-up call to Canadians and a starting point for a broader public discussion. The university's initial reaction was inept, an attempt to downplay the incident as innocent fun; it was a shining example of how racism is typically "managed" in Canada. International media attention rendered that early response untenable. The question is, what will the university do now? Should the students involved be expelled? Lose a semester of study? Be forced to make a formal apology? Be made to do community service at one of the many black cultural institutions in Montreal, so they could spend time with and get to know some of the blacks and Jamaicans whom they ridiculed that day?
And what about the university's diversity polices and procedures? Why weren't there checks and balances in place to ensure the blackface idea never made it to the level of a public performance?
While I am disturbed by the fact that this blackface performance took place, I am pleased at the critical international media attention that it has spawned. In Canada, this is a long-overdue and worthwhile conversation.
It is unsettling that a popular cultural form that supposedly died in the mid-20th century is making such a strong comeback. It is fitting that we ask why, and why now. Is this not the age of Obama (the first black president of the U.S.), of Michaëlle Jean (Canada's first black governorgeneral), of Yolande James (Quebec's first black female MNA), of the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Canadian businessman and philanthropist Michael Lee-Chin?
I see the resurgence of blackface and minstrelsy as a racist pushback against precisely these types of gains and accomplishments. There is a specific type of racism reserved for high-achieving blacks. Middle-and upperclass blacks - people with education, credentials, good careers, and money - often encounter what I like to call "how dare you?" racism: "How dare you be more educated than me?" "How dare you make more money than me?" "How dare you assume a position of power and leadership over me?"
It should perhaps be even more upsetting to us that blackface is making a comeback among young, educated whites. What does it mean that university-and collegeeducated young adults are engaging in these acts? Well, for one thing, we need to rethink the simplistic idea that racism is more abundant among older populations and non-existent among our youth. Furthermore, we need to ask if "education" is a cure for racism. Clearly education in general is not. In fact, the type of Eurocentric education that proliferates in the curriculum, methodologies, theories, course materials and resources of the majority of university disciplines is precisely what perpetuates the racist ignorance and racist behaviour of students like those at HEC.
Canadian universities' diversity policies, many of which are strategically unenforceable and unenforced, also contribute to the racial exclusion of blacks, people of colour and natives on university campuses, especially as faculty and upper administration. The policies help to propagate the idea of Canada as a race-blind, multicultural state, one that does not really need to engage with the issue of racism, since racism is supposedly not a problem in Canada.
As disturbing as it is, the HEC incident can act as a wake-up call to Canadians and a starting point for a broader public discussion. The university's initial reaction was inept, an attempt to downplay the incident as innocent fun; it was a shining example of how racism is typically "managed" in Canada. International media attention rendered that early response untenable. The question is, what will the university do now? Should the students involved be expelled? Lose a semester of study? Be forced to make a formal apology? Be made to do community service at one of the many black cultural institutions in Montreal, so they could spend time with and get to know some of the blacks and Jamaicans whom they ridiculed that day?
And what about the university's diversity polices and procedures? Why weren't there checks and balances in place to ensure the blackface idea never made it to the level of a public performance?
While I am disturbed by the fact that this blackface performance took place, I am pleased at the critical international media attention that it has spawned. In Canada, this is a long-overdue and worthwhile conversation.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Arizona State University Students Wear Black Face to Football Game
source
Racist or Not? Arizona State University Students Wear Black Face to Football Game
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World.
Arizona, a state that is regularly accused of having a serious issue with people of color, received another stain to its reputation. This week, four white female students at Arizona State University showed up to a football gamewearing black face. The school asked students to wear all-black attire to celebrate the new uniforms in their game against the Missouri Tigers. This is when a few students took it too far.
The game was televised on ESPN, so the entire world saw the action go down both on and off the field. Thousands of people have expressed their anger at the students for their insensitivity. But while many were outraged, some found no reason to be offended.
One has to laugh at the irony that a school with students showing up to a game in black face also happens to be highly dependent upon African Americans to run and jump, thus bringing millions to the university in revenue each year. The idea of black men working up a sweat for white folks in the stands wearing black face is beyond disturbing.
We also cannot forget that Arizona received national attention for being the only state that would not support the Martin Luther King holiday, and also for some of the most Draconian immigration laws in the country. Arizona State University made news itself for refusing to give an honorary degree to the nation’s first black president, even though they’d given a slew of these degrees out in the past. Apparently, they don’t think that being the first black president in American history is all that big of a deal.
One thing we know about racism is that much of it is learned. We also know that young people must also learn racial sensitivity. In both cases, Arizona State University appears to have failed the test. Students are a reflection of those who teach them, and it’s interesting that these four white women made the plan to wear black face, went out and bought the makeup, told their friends about their plan, put on the makeup and went to the game, without anyone even taking a second to realize that what they were doing would be incredibly offensive to millions of people.
That, my friends, is what happens when young people are not educated. Arizona State University should be embarrassed for this behavior. But given the racially-disgusting behavior of university officials in the past, they are probably quite proud.
Dr.Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
Racist or Not? Arizona State University Students Wear Black Face to Football Game
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World.
Arizona, a state that is regularly accused of having a serious issue with people of color, received another stain to its reputation. This week, four white female students at Arizona State University showed up to a football gamewearing black face. The school asked students to wear all-black attire to celebrate the new uniforms in their game against the Missouri Tigers. This is when a few students took it too far.
The game was televised on ESPN, so the entire world saw the action go down both on and off the field. Thousands of people have expressed their anger at the students for their insensitivity. But while many were outraged, some found no reason to be offended.
One has to laugh at the irony that a school with students showing up to a game in black face also happens to be highly dependent upon African Americans to run and jump, thus bringing millions to the university in revenue each year. The idea of black men working up a sweat for white folks in the stands wearing black face is beyond disturbing.
We also cannot forget that Arizona received national attention for being the only state that would not support the Martin Luther King holiday, and also for some of the most Draconian immigration laws in the country. Arizona State University made news itself for refusing to give an honorary degree to the nation’s first black president, even though they’d given a slew of these degrees out in the past. Apparently, they don’t think that being the first black president in American history is all that big of a deal.
One thing we know about racism is that much of it is learned. We also know that young people must also learn racial sensitivity. In both cases, Arizona State University appears to have failed the test. Students are a reflection of those who teach them, and it’s interesting that these four white women made the plan to wear black face, went out and bought the makeup, told their friends about their plan, put on the makeup and went to the game, without anyone even taking a second to realize that what they were doing would be incredibly offensive to millions of people.
That, my friends, is what happens when young people are not educated. Arizona State University should be embarrassed for this behavior. But given the racially-disgusting behavior of university officials in the past, they are probably quite proud.
Dr.Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Fox Sports Humiliates Asian Students at USC
source
Fox Sports sent comedy writer Bob Oschack (Late Night with Craig Ferguson and Mind of Mencia) to USC as a reporter. And what happened? Asian students became the targets of some very bad humor.
Oschack went to USC as an “investigate reporter” to interview students about the Pac-12 Conference for the 2011 college football season. But instead he mostly made fun of Asian students who either didn’t know anything about football or those who had some pronunciation trouble.
“Oshack only interviewed Asian USC students—because in the world of misguided network television humor, foreign accents and unfamiliarity with good old-fashioned football is funny,” Emma Carmichael wrote on Deadspin.com.
Racialicious.com’s Arturo García asked readers if they were ready for some college football racism, he says the video turns the students in to just simply “others.”
MediaMatters.org pointed out Asian students made up 21.6 percent of the undergraduate student body last fall at USC and international students made up 11.2 percent:
Fox Sports sent comedy writer Bob Oschack (Late Night with Craig Ferguson and Mind of Mencia) to USC as a reporter. And what happened? Asian students became the targets of some very bad humor.
Oschack went to USC as an “investigate reporter” to interview students about the Pac-12 Conference for the 2011 college football season. But instead he mostly made fun of Asian students who either didn’t know anything about football or those who had some pronunciation trouble.
“Oshack only interviewed Asian USC students—because in the world of misguided network television humor, foreign accents and unfamiliarity with good old-fashioned football is funny,” Emma Carmichael wrote on Deadspin.com.
Racialicious.com’s Arturo García asked readers if they were ready for some college football racism, he says the video turns the students in to just simply “others.”
More specifically, Oschack - a comedy writer by trade, if you’re generous enough to call Mind of Mencia “comedy” - focused his mock-report on what appeared to be international students who weren’t football fans. I say “appeared to be” because the students are given a textbook Othering: they’re never identified, nor are their studies mentioned.Fox Sports head of media relations Lou D’Ermilio sent Deadspin.com a statement apologizing for the video.
We sincerely apologize to President [C. L. Max] Nikias and the entire USC community for the production and posting of the video. The context was clearly inappropriate and the video was removed as soon as we became aware of it. We will review our editorial process to determine where the breakdown occurred, and we will take steps to ensure something like this never happens again.Fox Sports has since removed the video from its website, YouTube, and Hulu.
MediaMatters.org pointed out Asian students made up 21.6 percent of the undergraduate student body last fall at USC and international students made up 11.2 percent:
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Bronx white supremacist principal fired
news source
A Bronx parochial school principal was fired Tuesday from his post at a largely minority school after the Daily News exposed his writings for a white supremacist group.
The dismissal of Frank Borzellieri from Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in the Bronx became a black and white issue: His opinions were deemed "incompatible" with Catholic teachings.
The firing was quickly hailed by the ex-principal's critics, including his old boss at another Catholic school.
"I'm so glad I just can't tell you," said Annemarie Zagaglia, former principal at St. Barnabas elementary school. "People are really happy."
Zagaglia had warned the pastor at Mount Carmel about Borzellieri's beliefs before he was hired in 2009 - but says she was ignored. The school's students are mostly black and Latino.
The Rev. Eric Rapaglia, pastor at the church, apologized to his parishioners for "my mistake in judgment." The pastor fired Borzellieri after consulting with authorities in the Archdiocese of New York.
Archdiocese spokesman Joe Zwilling said officials met with Borzellieri and reviewed "his opinions and beliefs as expressed in his books and columns."
Daniel Dromm, an openly gay teacher targeted by Borzellieri in the early '90s, praised the decision to boot the principal.
"I'm very glad that the Catholic Church did the right thing," said Dromm.
"The fact that this man was allowed to be in this position even after other teachers complained is outrageous."
Borzellieri, 48, bolted from his Queens apartment around 7 a.m. Tuesday after learning about the firing. A neighbor said he was well-regarded in their building.
"He's a very nice guy," the neighbor said. "He's friendly with everyone in the building. Everyone's shocked."
The News revealed that as a Queens school board member, Borzellieri tried to bar "anti-American" literature - including a biography of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - from school libraries.
His own writings included a 2004 book asserting "diversity is a weakness," and Borzellieri was a frequent contributor to the white supremacist publication American Renaissance.
Word of Borzellieri's racist ties caused a ruckus at the parish's Sunday Mass, where one parishioner stood to demand the principal's ouster.
Monday, August 1, 2011
White supremacist principal running Bronx school with majority black and Latino students
news article
A firebrand educator with ties to a white supremacist group is running a Bronx Catholic school where most of the students are black and Latino, the Daily News has learned.
Frank Borzellieri, 48, was quietly promoted to principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School two years ago - despite a history of controversial writings and campaigns, including a push to ban a biography on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
In 2004, Borzellieri wrote the book "Don't Take It Personally: Race, Immigration, Crime and Other Heresies," in which he declares "diversity is a weakness" and says the rising black and Hispanic populations in America will lead to the "New Dark Age."
He has also written frequently for the white supremacist publication American Renaissance, with which he is still "intimately involved," the non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center says.
Borzellieri declined comment.
Mount Carmel pastor, the Rev. Eric Rapaglia, said he knew of Borzellieri's views, but didn't "see any cause for concern" when he hired him to run the 200-student elementary school.
"I knew of him from my last parish," he said. "Do I agree with all of it? No. But I think much of it is valuable and logical and reasonable.
"A lot of his ideas would actually benefit minorities," he added.
Borzellieri, who unsuccessfully ran for state Assembly in 1994 and City Council in 1997, previously made headlines as a school board member in District 24 in Queens, where he lives.
During his board tenure, from 1993 to 2002, he tried to:
Ban literature he labeled "anti-American" from school libraries. His targets included books on different races and culture, and a biography of King.
Remove an openly gay teacher and gay-rights activist from the classroom at Public School 199 in Sunnyside, and ban school employees from making any references to homosexuality.
Introduce a resolution calling for students to be taught that U.S. culture is superior.
Borzellieri's views rankled teachers at St. Barnabas School in Woodlawn, Bronx, where he taught English from 2006 to 2009.
"You can't have someone with those beliefs or who writes that kind of stuff working at a Catholic school," said Annemarie Zagaglia, principal of St. Barnabas School during Borzellieri's time there.
When Rapaglia was the pastor of St. Barnabas, Zagaglia warned him that teachers had legitimate concerns about Borzellieri. She said Rapaglia "dismissed the whole thing, and that was the end of that."
Rapaglia became pastor of Mount Carmel - in Fordham, Bronx - in 2009 and hired Borzellieri as principal that year.
A former teacher at St. Barnabas said she alerted the Archdiocese of New York in 2007 that students had complained Borzellieri was using them as "research" for his books, but the teacher never got a response.
Archdiocese spokesman Joe Zwilling said there is no record of a complaint against Borzellieri, but said the matter is under review.
Zwilling added that sweeping changes in hiring parish principals went into effect in 2009 - right after Borzellieri got the gig.
"Previously, pastors had great leeway and discretion in the hiring of principals," Zwilling said. "That practice usually worked well, but we saw room for improvement."
Parents of students at Mount Carmel voiced concern after the Daily News informed them of Borzellieri's past.
"I've heard kids say they don't like him," said one mother, a Jamaican immigrant. "I was wondering where the heck he came from. He shouldn't be teaching here. He could look at kids differently because they're black. It's not fair."
Share
A firebrand educator with ties to a white supremacist group is running a Bronx Catholic school where most of the students are black and Latino, the Daily News has learned.
Frank Borzellieri, 48, was quietly promoted to principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School two years ago - despite a history of controversial writings and campaigns, including a push to ban a biography on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
In 2004, Borzellieri wrote the book "Don't Take It Personally: Race, Immigration, Crime and Other Heresies," in which he declares "diversity is a weakness" and says the rising black and Hispanic populations in America will lead to the "New Dark Age."
He has also written frequently for the white supremacist publication American Renaissance, with which he is still "intimately involved," the non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center says.
Borzellieri declined comment.
Mount Carmel pastor, the Rev. Eric Rapaglia, said he knew of Borzellieri's views, but didn't "see any cause for concern" when he hired him to run the 200-student elementary school.
"I knew of him from my last parish," he said. "Do I agree with all of it? No. But I think much of it is valuable and logical and reasonable.
"A lot of his ideas would actually benefit minorities," he added.
Borzellieri, who unsuccessfully ran for state Assembly in 1994 and City Council in 1997, previously made headlines as a school board member in District 24 in Queens, where he lives.
During his board tenure, from 1993 to 2002, he tried to:
Ban literature he labeled "anti-American" from school libraries. His targets included books on different races and culture, and a biography of King.
Remove an openly gay teacher and gay-rights activist from the classroom at Public School 199 in Sunnyside, and ban school employees from making any references to homosexuality.
Introduce a resolution calling for students to be taught that U.S. culture is superior.
Borzellieri's views rankled teachers at St. Barnabas School in Woodlawn, Bronx, where he taught English from 2006 to 2009.
"You can't have someone with those beliefs or who writes that kind of stuff working at a Catholic school," said Annemarie Zagaglia, principal of St. Barnabas School during Borzellieri's time there.
When Rapaglia was the pastor of St. Barnabas, Zagaglia warned him that teachers had legitimate concerns about Borzellieri. She said Rapaglia "dismissed the whole thing, and that was the end of that."
Rapaglia became pastor of Mount Carmel - in Fordham, Bronx - in 2009 and hired Borzellieri as principal that year.
A former teacher at St. Barnabas said she alerted the Archdiocese of New York in 2007 that students had complained Borzellieri was using them as "research" for his books, but the teacher never got a response.
Archdiocese spokesman Joe Zwilling said there is no record of a complaint against Borzellieri, but said the matter is under review.
Zwilling added that sweeping changes in hiring parish principals went into effect in 2009 - right after Borzellieri got the gig.
"Previously, pastors had great leeway and discretion in the hiring of principals," Zwilling said. "That practice usually worked well, but we saw room for improvement."
Parents of students at Mount Carmel voiced concern after the Daily News informed them of Borzellieri's past.
"I've heard kids say they don't like him," said one mother, a Jamaican immigrant. "I was wondering where the heck he came from. He shouldn't be teaching here. He could look at kids differently because they're black. It's not fair."
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
Top Arkansas Student Denied Sole Valedictorian Honors Because of Race
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"Kymberly Wimberly’s lowest grade at Arkansas’ McGehee High School was a B, and it only shows up on her transcript once. There were no other students at the school with marks as high as Kymberly’s, but she wasn’t the only one at graduation named valedictorian. Instead, she was forced to share the title and honor with another student whose grade point average was lower than her own. Why? According to supporters, it’s because Kymberly’s skin wasn’t the color McGehee administrators had in mind for their top student.
Wimberly is black, and though she had been informed by a school counselor that hers was the highest G.P.A. in the Class of 2011, the principal decided to name a white student with lower grades co-valedictorian. According to the racial discrimination suit filed against the school, Wimberly’s mother Molly Bratton, who works at McGehee, overheard other administrators talking about the “big mess” that would result from her daughter’s appointment as valedictorian. When Bratton tried to take up the matter with the school’s superintendent, Thomas Gathen, she was denied for not jumping through the correct bureaucratic hoops. Gathen told her that there was nothing he could do until at least a month after the school’s graduation.
According to Wimberly’s lawyer, there is a “pattern and practice of school administrators and personnel treating the African-American students less favorably than the Caucasian ones.” The school has a white majority, but not an overwhelming one. Forty six percent of McGehee’s students are black, yet there has not been a black valedictorian in the school district, located southeast of Little Rock, since 1989.
Wimberly took Advanced Placement and other honors courses at McGehee, and even gave birth to her daughter during Junior year, yet she still managed to maintain the school’s highest G.P.A. The 18-year-old, who plans to major in biology at the University of Arkansas this fall, says that school administrators have a practice of discouraging black students from taking honors and AP courses, which, in today’s competitive academic climate, are nearly-required for consideration into many four-year universities. “They tell them, among other things, that the work [is] too hard,” she explained.
Kymberly hopes her suit, which is pending federal review, will help the McGehee’s future students avoid the racial treatment she received. “My teachers thought I’d fall flat on my face, but I kept trying to succeed,” she said, adding, “This won’t be a repeat at my school.”
"Kymberly Wimberly’s lowest grade at Arkansas’ McGehee High School was a B, and it only shows up on her transcript once. There were no other students at the school with marks as high as Kymberly’s, but she wasn’t the only one at graduation named valedictorian. Instead, she was forced to share the title and honor with another student whose grade point average was lower than her own. Why? According to supporters, it’s because Kymberly’s skin wasn’t the color McGehee administrators had in mind for their top student.
Wimberly is black, and though she had been informed by a school counselor that hers was the highest G.P.A. in the Class of 2011, the principal decided to name a white student with lower grades co-valedictorian. According to the racial discrimination suit filed against the school, Wimberly’s mother Molly Bratton, who works at McGehee, overheard other administrators talking about the “big mess” that would result from her daughter’s appointment as valedictorian. When Bratton tried to take up the matter with the school’s superintendent, Thomas Gathen, she was denied for not jumping through the correct bureaucratic hoops. Gathen told her that there was nothing he could do until at least a month after the school’s graduation.
According to Wimberly’s lawyer, there is a “pattern and practice of school administrators and personnel treating the African-American students less favorably than the Caucasian ones.” The school has a white majority, but not an overwhelming one. Forty six percent of McGehee’s students are black, yet there has not been a black valedictorian in the school district, located southeast of Little Rock, since 1989.
Wimberly took Advanced Placement and other honors courses at McGehee, and even gave birth to her daughter during Junior year, yet she still managed to maintain the school’s highest G.P.A. The 18-year-old, who plans to major in biology at the University of Arkansas this fall, says that school administrators have a practice of discouraging black students from taking honors and AP courses, which, in today’s competitive academic climate, are nearly-required for consideration into many four-year universities. “They tell them, among other things, that the work [is] too hard,” she explained.
Kymberly hopes her suit, which is pending federal review, will help the McGehee’s future students avoid the racial treatment she received. “My teachers thought I’d fall flat on my face, but I kept trying to succeed,” she said, adding, “This won’t be a repeat at my school.”
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