A Seattle writer is angry beyond words, because late last month his 8-year-old child was removed from her honors elementary school class. No, the child did not misbehave. Instead, the little girl was guilty of using a hair moisturizer that allegedly annoyed her Caucasian teacher. Now the NAACP has joined the angry dad in filing a complaint against the child's school.
Charles Mudede, the father, claims that the school administrators at Thurgood Marshall Elementary initially moved his child out of her honors classroom, placing her in a hallway and then, ultimately, moved her to another classroom. Why?
Because the child's teacher stated that she was allergic to the smell of the olive oil moisturizing hair lotion that the little girl used, Organic Root Stimulator (pictured below).
Mudede's daughter, who is biracial, is an honor's student and the only child of color in her grade's accelerated program.
After the teacher complained about her hair grease, though, the child was permanently placed in a classroom with predominantly African American children who were academically not on par.
The child's parents were never even contacted about the matter.
"I couldn't comprehend it. I was really try to make sense of it and that took a while. My daughter kept saying that she was afraid and it's your hair and that she could come into her class to get her work, then go to another class for the rest of the day."
The family contacted the NAACP, and the organization has taken the reins on this case by filing a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The civil rights organization says that the incident has "less to do about hair and more to do with how the whole situation was handled."
Mudede and his wife have also decided to hire an attorney. Until the matter is settled, Mudede writes in his blog, The Stranger:
"We decided not to send our daughter to school until the teacher had medical proof that our daughter's hair or something in her hair was to blame for the nausea. (The last thing you want to happen to your daughter is for a teacher to faint or vomit at the mere sight of her.) Days passed and the school took no action. This unresponsiveness left us with no other choice than to turn to a lawyer. The whole thing is a mess. Getting entangled in a racial dilemma is something most black parents do not want for their children. It's just not worth the trouble. Then again, like I said, if not checked and confronted, the incident will have permanent consequences for my child."
In a statement, the school district told King 5 News:
"We're concerned and we're looking into it. Our priority is to get the child back in school."
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24-May-2010 - The 21-year-old R&B sensation recently went on a Tweeting tirade against Atlanta-based celeb gossip blogger Sandra Rose. Reportedly, Brown resorted to attacking the blogger's complexion by using juvenile "you're so black" jokes.
23-May-2010 - If I'm blessed enough to live past my 10th decade on this planet, then 103-year-old Gladys Flamer is going to be my blueprint for how to behave after I pass the century mark.
21-May-10 - Its tough for a tiger to change its stripes. And in the case of the 70-year-old Julianna Farrait, wife of Frank Lucas, one of the most notorious drug kingpins in American history, prison stripes might again be a part of her wardrobe.
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18-May-10 - President Barack Obama's very colorful, very opinionated ex-pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is making headlines yet again, but this time it is in the form of the written word. The Associated Press came across an explosive, missive written by Wright that talks about the president in a very unflattering light.
It is so sad that race has to be brought in to it. As a Teacher, I do not wear any perfumes or scented anything in respect that a child may have allergies. They could have removed the girl for the day, had a talk with the parents about the Teachers allergies, the parents could have used a different product and that be that. It was handled very wrong though I do agree...but it is a shame that the parents and ethnicities on this board are turning it in to a racial thing.
Why, oh why, must the President be dragged into this? Why, because a small group of black people want to keep that race card alive and well! They want to be able to play the race card over and over. History shows that some of the "slaves" that were brought over from Africa actually sold themselves into slavery! I am caucasian and I'm proud of our President! He has been the only president with enough courage to tackle the health care system. Albeit I don't agree with his handling of it. I DON'T LOOK AT THE COLOR OF SOMEONE'S SKIN WHEN I'M FORMING MY OPINION OF THEM! Most of the people that I know are that way. This teacher needs to be sanctioned and/or dismissed for her blatant racism! There is no other way to look at this! If it had just been a case of allergies, she would have informed the child, her parents, and at the very least, the school administration!!! Evidently didn't want a bi-racial child in her class! SHAME ON HER!
last i heard, the president was half white and half black. it is pathetic that people are bringing that moron into everything. What is wrong with a teacher being allergic to something in HER classroom so she removes the source? Why does the bs naacp get brought into everything? They are the biggest problem in all of this. Act like civilized people and you will get treated that way!
This story reminds me of when I was a child attending an all white catholic school, when the teacher told me I couldn't come to school with my hair like that (a natural). That happened in 1968. When will racism cease to exist.
When will racism end? Sadly, I see as few comments above yours that show me that it's just going to keep going and going. I was always taught that skin color didn't mean a thing, and I'm a "WP" who voted for our current president, so sorry to burst your theory, ReggShepp and Agent2k38, but not all "YT" are racist trash. Vikki, I used to go to Gary schools in Indiana. And if you don't know the area, I was one of just a few white children in the area. Some of the other kids used to rough me up and steal from me, and when I told one of my teachers, she told me I should consider it reparations. Racism is a two way street, and sometimes we expect our school systems to teach our children what is right, but it doesn't always work that way. Sadly many times, our kids will get the wrong lessons if we don't take the time to teach them ourselves. There is only one color I teach my child to see: Red- The color of the blood of of Christ, our savior.
Racism will cease to exist when people like you and everyone else on here quit bringing it up as an issue, and when people blame other people for their ignorance and not their color.
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Comments: (471)
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By: rita massey on 6/07/2010 5:10PM
i agree with you
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By: bcbktravelng@aol.com on 6/07/2010 5:03PM
get over it, no wp care about color, why do bp always make it about that!
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By: Katarina on 6/07/2010 6:29PM
It is so sad that race has to be brought in to it. As a Teacher, I do not wear any perfumes or scented anything in respect that a child may have allergies. They could have removed the girl for the day, had a talk with the parents about the Teachers allergies, the parents could have used a different product and that be that. It was handled very wrong though I do agree...but it is a shame that the parents and ethnicities on this board are turning it in to a racial thing.
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By: Katie on 6/07/2010 6:42PM
Why, oh why, must the President be dragged into this? Why, because a small group of black people want to keep that race card alive and well! They want to be able to play the race card over and over.
History shows that some of the "slaves" that were brought over from Africa actually sold themselves into slavery!
I am caucasian and I'm proud of our President! He has been the only president with enough courage to tackle the health care system. Albeit I don't agree with his handling of it. I DON'T LOOK AT THE COLOR OF SOMEONE'S SKIN WHEN I'M FORMING MY OPINION OF THEM! Most of the people that I know are that way.
This teacher needs to be sanctioned and/or dismissed for her blatant racism! There is no other way to look at this! If it had just been a case of allergies, she would have informed the child, her parents, and at the very least, the school administration!!! Evidently didn't want a bi-racial child in her class! SHAME ON HER!
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By: joe on 6/07/2010 8:03PM
last i heard, the president was half white and half black. it is pathetic that people are bringing that moron into everything. What is wrong with a teacher being allergic to something in HER classroom so she removes the source? Why does the bs naacp get brought into everything? They are the biggest problem in all of this. Act like civilized people and you will get treated that way!
Report This
By: VIKKI on 6/07/2010 11:56AM
This story reminds me of when I was a child attending an all white catholic school, when the teacher told me I couldn't come to school with my hair like that (a natural). That happened in 1968. When will racism cease to exist.
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By: ant on 6/07/2010 2:56PM
When will racism end? Sadly, I see as few comments above yours that show me that it's just going to keep going and going. I was always taught that skin color didn't mean a thing, and I'm a "WP" who voted for our current president, so sorry to burst your theory, ReggShepp and Agent2k38, but not all "YT" are racist trash. Vikki, I used to go to Gary schools in Indiana. And if you don't know the area, I was one of just a few white children in the area. Some of the other kids used to rough me up and steal from me, and when I told one of my teachers, she told me I should consider it reparations. Racism is a two way street, and sometimes we expect our school systems to teach our children what is right, but it doesn't always work that way. Sadly many times, our kids will get the wrong lessons if we don't take the time to teach them ourselves. There is only one color I teach my child to see: Red- The color of the blood of of Christ, our savior.
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By: LG on 6/07/2010 3:40PM
TO ANT
AMEN SISTER
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By: Rain on 6/07/2010 4:51PM
Racism will cease to exist when people like you and everyone else on here quit bringing it up as an issue, and when people blame other people for their ignorance and not their color.
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By: TW on 6/08/2010 6:28PM
That was 1968..get over it..an BTW..I am a black woman
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