Too Soon? D.C. School Hold “Trayvon Martin Day” With Iced Tea and Skittles

Malcolm X Elementary Principal J. Harrison Coleman has ordered the holding of “Trayvon Martin” Day at the elementary school. Students and parents will be given iced tea and skittles to honor the day.


The school says that the day is educational on race relations despite the fact that there has been no trial in the case and facts remain in dispute as well as public opinion. The school will hold a “Let’s Keep Our Children Safe” seminar using the facts of the case.

Coleman insists that the day will help reduce the needless violence and bullying in the community.

Given the deep difficulties in D.C. schools from low scores to school violence to drug abuse, the setting aside of this day on a still developing case is likely to be controversial. The school receives just 2 out of 10 points on school ratings. Last year, just slightly over ten percent of the third grade made the passing standards for DC on reading. Even in the DC system, the school was ranked as 24th out of 33 schools. In math, the percentage is only 4 percent. With the scores falling rather than improving at the school, I would prefer a focus on those issues during school days. This is not to say that the case should not be discussed in appropriate classes. I think the case is useful to discuss in terms of racism and other issues where they are relevant to the curriculum.

This is a school day, not a weekend seminar and activities. I understand the good intentions of looking at the problems of racism in society. However, I would have been more comfortable with a weekend event that did not take away from classes in a school district struggling with worsening problems of unemployment (now surpassing 50% in DC) and low performance. Moreover, is there sufficient confirmed evidence to declare Trayvon Martin days as part of public schools?

Source: WJILA

42 thoughts on “Too Soon? D.C. School Hold “Trayvon Martin Day” With Iced Tea and Skittles”

  1. Anon, Gee, thanks. So if I tell you about my plot of home grown tomatoes I’m on the list. Twice if I also tell you about the lively game of twister we played at the our last party.

  2. اغتيال
    مهاجمة
    الأمن الداخلي
    حفر
    ممارسة
    الشرطة
    تطبيق القانون
    سلطات
    كارثة المساعدة
    إدارة الكوارث
    DNDO (نووية محلية
    كشف مكتب)
    الوطنية للتأهب
    تخفيف
    منع
    استجابة
    انتعاش
    القنبلة القذرة
    المحلية في حالات الطوارئ النووية كشف إدارة
    الاستجابة لحالات الطوارئ
    المستجيب الأول
    أمن الوطن
    البحرية نطاق الوعي
    (MDA)
    الوطنية للتأهب
    مبادرة
    ميليشيا
    اطلاق النار
    أطلقت أعيرة نارية
    إخلاء
    حالة وفاة
    رهينة
    انفجار (المتفجرة)
    شرطة
    المساعدة الطبية في حالات الكوارث
    فريق (DMAT)
    عصابات الجريمة المنظمة
    الأمن القومي
    حالة الطوارئ
    أمن
    خرق
    التهديد
    المواجهة
    SWAT
    فحص
    تأمين
    قنبلة (فرقة أو التهديد)
    تحطم
    نهب
    شغب
    الهبوط في حالات الطوارئ
    أنبوب قنبلة
    حادث
    تسهيل

  3. Speaking of attention whoring:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/24/homeland-security-manual_n_1299908.html

    Homeland Security Manual Lists Government Key Words For Monitoring Social Media, News

    The Official List – Using these words online will put you in the crosshairs of Big Brother’s multi-billion dollar spy machineDomestic Security
    Assassination
    Attack
    Domestic security
    Drill
    Exercise
    Cops
    Law enforcement
    Authorities
    Disaster assistance
    Disaster management
    DNDO (Domestic Nuclear
    Detection Office)
    National preparedness
    Mitigation
    Prevention
    Response
    Recovery
    Dirty bomb
    Domestic nuclear detection Emergency management
    Emergency response
    First responder
    Homeland security
    Maritime domain awareness
    (MDA)
    National preparedness
    initiative
    Militia
    Shooting
    Shots fired
    Evacuation
    Deaths
    Hostage
    Explosion (explosive)
    Police
    Disaster medical assistance
    team (DMAT)
    Organized crime Gangs
    National security
    State of emergency
    Security
    Breach
    Threat
    Standoff
    SWAT
    Screening
    Lockdown
    Bomb (squad or threat)
    Crash
    Looting
    Riot
    Emergency Landing
    Pipe bomb
    Incident
    Facility
    HAZMAT & Nuclear
    Hazmat
    Nuclear
    Chemical spill
    Suspicious package/device
    Toxic
    National laboratory
    Nuclear facility
    Nuclear threat
    Cloud
    Plume
    Radiation
    Radioactive Leak
    Biological infection (or
    event)
    Chemical
    Chemical burn
    Biological
    Epidemic
    Hazardous
    Hazardous material incident
    Industrial spill
    Infection
    Powder (white) Gas
    Spillover
    Anthrax
    Blister agent
    Chemical agent
    Exposure
    Burn
    Nerve agent
    Ricin
    Sarin
    North Korea
    Health Concern + H1N1
    Outbreak
    Contamination
    Exposure
    Virus
    Evacuation
    Bacteria
    Recall
    Ebola
    Food Poisoning
    Foot and Mouth (FMD)
    H5N1
    Avian
    Flu
    Strain
    Quarantine
    H1N1
    Vaccine Salmonella
    Small Pox
    Plague
    Human to human
    Human to Animal
    Influenza
    Center for Disease Control
    (CDC)
    Drug Administration (FDA)
    Public Health
    Toxic
    Agro Terror
    Tuberculosis (TB)
    Tamiflu
    Norvo Virus
    Epidemic Agriculture
    Listeria
    Symptoms
    Mutation
    Resistant
    Antiviral
    Wave
    Pandemic
    Infection
    Water/air borne
    Sick
    Swine
    Pork World Health Organization
    (WHO) (and components)
    Viral Hemorrhagic Fever
    E. Coli
    Infrastructure Security
    Infrastructure security
    Airport
    CIKR (Critical Infrastructure
    & Key Resources)
    AMTRAK
    Collapse
    Computer infrastructure
    Communications
    infrastructure
    Telecommunications
    Critical infrastructure
    National infrastructure
    Metro
    WMATA Airplane (and derivatives)
    Chemical fire
    Subway
    BART
    MARTA
    Port Authority
    NBIC (National
    Biosurveillance Integration
    Center)
    Transportation security
    Grid
    Power
    Smart
    Body scanner Electric
    Failure or outage
    Black out
    Brown out
    Port
    Dock
    Bridge
    Cancelled
    Delays
    Service disruption
    Power lines
    Southwest Border Violence
    Drug cartel
    Violence
    Gang
    Drug
    Narcotics
    Cocaine
    Marijuana
    Heroin
    Border
    Mexico
    Cartel
    Southwest
    Juarez
    Sinaloa
    Tijuana
    Torreon
    Yuma
    Tucson
    Decapitated
    U.S. Consulate
    Consular
    El Paso Fort Hancock
    San Diego
    Ciudad Juarez
    Nogales
    Sonora
    Colombia
    Mara salvatrucha
    MS13 or MS-13
    Drug war
    Mexican army
    Methamphetamine
    Cartel de Golfo
    Gulf Cartel
    La Familia
    Reynosa
    Nuevo Leon
    Narcos
    Narco banners (Spanish
    equivalents)
    Los Zetas
    Shootout
    Execution Gunfight
    Trafficking
    Kidnap
    Calderon
    Reyosa
    Bust
    Tamaulipas
    Meth Lab
    Drug trade
    Illegal immigrants
    Smuggling (smugglers)
    Matamoros
    Michoacana
    Guzman
    Arellano-Felix
    Beltran-Leyva
    Barrio Azteca
    Artistic Assassins
    Mexicles
    New Federation
    Terrorism
    Terrorism
    Al Qaeda (all spellings)
    Terror
    Attack
    Iraq
    Afghanistan
    Iran
    Pakistan
    Agro
    Environmental terrorist
    Eco terrorism
    Conventional weapon
    Target
    Weapons grade
    Dirty bomb
    Enriched
    Nuclear
    Chemical weapon
    Biological weapon
    Ammonium nitrate
    Improvised explosive device IED (Improvised Explosive
    Device)
    Abu Sayyaf
    Hamas
    FARC (Armed Revolutionary
    Forces Colombia)
    IRA (Irish Republican Army)
    ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna)
    Basque Separatists
    Hezbollah
    Tamil Tigers
    PLF (Palestine Liberation
    Front)
    PLO (Palestine Liberation
    Organization
    Car bomb
    Jihad
    Taliban
    Weapons cache
    Suicide bomber
    Suicide attack Suspicious substance
    AQAP (AL Qaeda Arabian
    Peninsula)
    AQIM (Al Qaeda in the
    Islamic Maghreb)
    TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban
    Pakistan)
    Yemen
    Pirates
    Extremism
    Somalia
    Nigeria
    Radicals
    Al-Shabaab
    Home grown
    Plot
    Nationalist
    Recruitment
    Fundamentalism
    Islamist
    Weather/Disaster/Emergency
    Emergency
    Hurricane
    Tornado
    Twister
    Tsunami
    Earthquake
    Tremor
    Flood
    Storm
    Crest
    Temblor
    Extreme weather
    Forest fire
    Brush fire Ice
    Stranded/Stuck
    Help
    Hail
    Wildfire
    Tsunami Warning Center
    Magnitude
    Avalanche
    Typhoon
    Shelter-in-place
    Disaster
    Snow
    Blizzard
    Sleet Mud slide or Mudslide
    Erosion
    Power outage
    Brown out
    Warning
    Watch
    Lightening
    Aid
    Relief
    Closure
    Interstate
    Burst
    Emergency Broadcast System
    Cyber Security
    Cyber security
    Botnet
    DDOS (dedicated denial of
    service)
    Denial of service
    Malware
    Virus
    Trojan
    Keylogger
    Cyber Command 2600
    Spammer
    Phishing
    Rootkit
    Phreaking
    Cain and abel
    Brute forcing
    Mysql injection
    Cyber attack
    Cyber terror Hacker
    China
    Conficker
    Worm
    Scammers
    Social media

  4. “If, and that’s a big if, the principal is conducting this exercise to promote awareness of racism and it’s consequences, then kudos for him. ”

    According to the article, it’s some idiot chick using Martin’s dead body to send sort of message about something something something whee look at me I’m an attention whore.

    Malcolm X Elementary Principal J. Harrison Coleman says that she hopes the lesson will help reduce the needless violence and bullying in the community.

  5. If, and that’s a big if, the principal is conducting this exercise to promote awareness of racism and it’s consequences, then kudos for him. Unfortunately, I can’t help but view this as an attention seeking event at best, or a distraction from his school’s horrific performance at worst. I do hope, for the children’s sake, that it’s the former.

  6. OTOTOT
    Someone quoted that Obama should actually satisfy the Republican needs very well. He’s not apparently the first. Summary wise the stocks have risen MUCH more under Dem than Rep prez.

    Here a short excerp from Grayson’s email today.

    “On the day that President Obama was sworn into office, the S&P 500 index closed at 805. Today, it’s at 1321. Under President Obama, the stock market is up 64%, in less than four years.

    That brings the Democratic average annual stock market performance up to 10%. The Republican figure is 0.4%. No wonder Republicans hate government – they’re so bad at it. Particularly when it comes preserving national wealth.”

    And they are paying big money (pocket change for Kochs) to get rid of him. What idiots. Are we too, that support him?
    BTW, he says CEO’s are making USD 5,000 an hour…”nice work if you can get it.”…he says

  7. These kids need models, need raised self-esteem in this ghetto on our national doorstep, need something to be immersed in besides the mess around them. Something besides the media pink scum which floods us every minute fulfilling “what the public wants”. What a puke it all is.

    Our institutions and monuments don’t even reach a middle class person who is realistic today. How can we reach and
    inspire these ghetto children? Come up with better if you can.

    Otherwise I’m with Malisha and LottaKatz. Two sound heads.

  8. From blawg posting: “I would have been more comfortable with a weekend event that did not take away from classes in a school district…”
    ******

    With all due respect Professor, if you have the scores that Malcom X Elementary has, one day more or less is immaterial, it’s not going to correct the problem.

    A few years ago it was mentioned on the local news that my city had a 50% dropout rate for high-school. The better half and I were horrified. Today its up to 54%, almost 55%. America is rated as an ‘average” educator in the world (at the primary level” with scores hovering close to the 500 mark on a 0-1000 scale and our education system continues to slide downward with things like religious doctrine (creation science) being put forth as on a par with science. I don’t know what is wrong with our schools and my ideas about the problem would fill multiple comment rants (so I’ll spare you all) but one more day, more or less, won’t make diddly in terms of a difference.

    To the actual event, yea, poor taste and too soon but really, so what?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/us-falls-in-world-education-rankings_n_793185.html

  9. Malcolm X Elementary Principal J. Harrison Coleman also said, “Whee, lookat me, I’m an attention whore!”

  10. “Coleman insists that the day will help reduce the needless violence and bullying in the community.”

    Principal Coleman is painfully out of touch with reality. It is just this type of irresponsible behavior that fuels tension between the races. It serves to beatify Martin prematurely.

    “The school receives just 2 out of 10 points on school ratings. Last year, just slightly over ten percent of the third grade made the passing standards for DC on reading. Even in the DC system, the school was ranked as 24th out of 33 schools. In math, the percentage is only 4 percent.”

    Do these kids really need another dose of sugar in their diet?

    I’d say the Principal’s priorities are seriously screwed up.

  11. Whom should they consult about WHEN to do this? A professor of Constitutional Law who has not been intimately involved in their own struggles for whatever they have struggled for? A bunch of people who either think the killer of Trayvon Martin was right or wrong? ME?

    They are doing it in their OWN timing, for their OWN reasons, using their OWN goals and intentions to promote it, for their OWN very good reasons.

    It’s not a minute too soon.

    Should we wait to see whether most people think Trayvon Martin was bad enough to deserve being targeted and killed by someone who never met him? Where’s the logic in that?

  12. They are very possibly celebrating a young man who chose to physically assault another human being just because he felt aggrieved.

    This whole thing is so ridiculous.

    And has anyone noticed that MSNBC primetime hasn’t mentioned this business since the discovery dump?

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