Oh my...Well ain't that "christian," school uses Black face to mock slaves

[wndycty]

A Valley Christian School Accused of Racism
Last Update: Jun 8, 2007 6:01 PM

Leaders at Riverdale Christian Academy are accused of racism after a themed graduation party on Friday, June 1st.

The theme was southern plantations during the Civil War. Students and staff dressed up in period costumes for the event.

Controversy arose when some school employees dressed up as slaves and wore black make-up on their faces, arms and legs.

Pictures from this party ended up on the internet and have caused controversy. One photo shows a scene of a runaway slave as he is taken away. Other photos show slaves working in the field and at a lemonade stand. The scenes were part of a graduation party skit.
-snip-
http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=6b53a1d4-2163-427b-84ea-643efc5fe864

Here is a link to the blogger who wrote about it:

http://urbanknowledge.blogspot.com/search/label/prejudice

He got his hands on and posted pics.

[Colobo]

1. I don't think they intended to do wrong, but they did.

[Zenlitened]

3. No one could have foreseen...

... that yukking it up in blackface would strike anyone as offensive. :eyes:

[bryant69]

4. That's sort of my take on it as well

I'd like to be charitable, but I just can't because this was so totally forseeable.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[ulysses]

10. how could they have ever known?

:sarcasm:

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Before it became news...

Am local to what's been going on with that church, and posted this last week:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=6575148&mesg_id=6575148


And then my update:
(Al Sharpton was given a heads up and now has the photos ;) )

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=6593960

[wndycty]

5. Thanks. . .I figured it may have been on DU already but couldn't find it

:kick:

[Colobo]

9. Ok, these people are looking for trouble.

[NorthernSpy]

6. maybe they'll have a Holocaust-themed prom for next year...

School employees will put on those plastic Groucho Marx noses to serve punch while junior members of the master race dance the night away. A magical and inoffensive night!


:eyes:

[Solly Mack]

7. wow

damn

wtf

[verse18]

8. Why didn't they just go

and round them up a few of the nearest negroes? Now THAT would have been authentic. Or, how 'bout they rip a few pickaninnies from the arms of their mothers and sell them off, while tearing families apart. What a hoot!!!

[fortyfeetunder]

11. No surprise, this is becoming commonplace.

Think about it...we've been in a civil-rights downturn since the early 80's, helped along by certain politicians and religious leaders, to make us tolerant of intolerance.

This is the same attitude that allowed vitriol like Don Imus to flourish until he got called on by the Rutgers team and their coach.

[bullwinkle428]

23. It seems like some fraternity is in the news nearly every semester

for pulling this kind of crap...it most certainly has become almost commonplace in recent years.

[wndycty]

12. The principal's comments are even more appalling

-snip-
Doug Spencer, principal of the school and associate pastor of Riverdale Assembly of God, said the skits were meant to poke fun at graduating seniors, and not to offend anyone.
-snip-

Spencer, who said he was sorry for the controversy, said his school, with a student body of 150, has "three or four" black students. One of those students attended the party. Spencer said that while he is willing to apologize to anyone offended by the skits, he has not apologized to the unnamed student.

"It was not offensive," Spencer said. "And she hasn't asked for an apology."
-snip-

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/54154.html

This principal is not fit to lead a school.

[Whoa_Nelly]

15. Agreed--Spencer isn't fit to lead

But, he and his father and mother own the church, started the church and use the church for There are a whole bunch of other things the Spencers have done all for personal profit.. what is known locally as "Spencer's Church" more then being known as an AOG church.

On Update: The NAACP has begun an investigation. The story is growing, and is getting more and more interesting...as it should. This church has many other issues that will be looked into soon..am sure of it. You can read about wht people who USED to belong to that church are saying by reading through the comments on the (so far) three blogs posted on Tate Hill's web blog:
http://www.urbanknowledge.com.

[TheTimmer]

16. URL

That link goes to a parking page. Try http://urbanknowledge.blogspot.com

[Whoa_Nelly]

17. Sorry...Try this (was missing the www.)

http://www.urbanknowledge.blogspot.com/

[hedgehog]

13. Welcome to what life was like before all the "Revisionist" historians

took all the fun out of it. A lot of white people knew in their bones that life under slavery was an ongoing agony. However, many textbooks well into the 70's ignored that fact or actually lied about it. Unbelievable as it seems, a lot of ground breaking history was written in the last thirty years that did nothing more than reveal the truth about slavery. It's uncomfortable to confront this past, so some white people prefer not to.

[Sequoia]

19. Speaking of history

I was talking to my neighbor who flies to Colorado for work. I told her about the book I read "Black Kettle" and the Sand Creek Massacre, etc. and how Chivington was made out to be a hero for what he did. She told me that one of the women she works for who grew up in Denver told her they never learned anything about the Cheyenne or any other Native American history in their state when she went to school. As for slavery in history I can recall looking at my history book when I was in 9th grade and seeing happy smiling slaves in the cotton fields. However, this was a private Christian school so there you go.

[madrchsod]

14. jesus we stopped doing that in 1959 when the local naacp

asked our school district to stop putting on "minstrel shows" during our schools assemblies..that was 47 years ago.

[Bluebear]

18. Stop! They're not "real Christians"!

:sarcasm:

[wndycty]

20. Afternoon kick

:kick:

[BlooInBloo]

21. Righteousness by linguistic fiat.

[Whoa_Nelly]

22. NAACP HUGE Press conference tomorrow re: Spencer's Church AND...PICS!

The press conference was supposed to be on Saturday, but because so many other church leaders want to be there, especially Assembly of God churches, and several other civic leaders, the press conference and a demand for all the DVDs and photos of the "Plantation Senior Party" with "slaves" to be turned over and/or destroyed. It's going to be a huge deal, so someone please keep looking for the news as I'm on the road and can only get computer time sporadically.

Thanks! :hi: PS if you haven't seen the pics, here are some of them with their captions:

The slaves served lemonade - it was a riot!




Someday we gonna be leavin' When a workin' day is done




Bringing home the runaway slave in the Senior skit

[Javaman]

24. Good fucking god. Yes, these morons are really that fucking stupid.

words escape me at the level of willful racist ignorance that is on display.

[malaise]

25. They are that

fucking stupid and racist