Editor’s Note: Folks, go back to my articles published April 23, 2018 and April 25, 2018 regarding how the Black Community was refused the opportunity to speak up about “Racism” in a song played to black children at school at the April 23, 2018 School Board Workshop meeting, how the school board could have allowed the black community to speak up but didn’t. And how I predict the black community will be shut down again Monday evening.
Folks, the “Race Card” played by Commissioner Candidate Massa Eddie Holbrook in the Democrat Commissioner Primary Election worked. The Black Community was split by the racist song played at Washington Elementary School and the racial backlash suspensions at Burns High School over the Confederate Flag which caused white voters to single-shot vote Massa Eddie sufficient to send him to the November Election. The Schools played their part before the May 8th Primary Election, so don’t expect anything to happen now. That will come in the run-up to the November 6, 2018 General Election when there will be more of the same “Plantation Politics” that always seems to work in Cleveland County.
In my April 23, 2018 article a contingency of the black community came to that School Board meeting with the intention to speak under the “Citizens Recognition” portion of the meeting agenda. My article, based on the fact that the school board has intentionally cut out Citizens Recognition at their so called Workshop meetings, rightly predicted the members from the black community would not be allowed to speak. My April 23, 2018 article also stated how any board member could make a motion to add “Citizens Recognition” by simply making a motion to do just that. All a board member had to do was say this. “I make the motion to include Citizens Recognition to this Board meeting as well as every board meeting.” With Channel 9 TV News cameras rolling, no board member would have voted “NO” to shutting down the black community right before an Democrat Primary Election.
But, as I accurately stated in my April 25, 2018 article about the meeting, NO school board member made such a motion and citizens recognition was NOT allowed and the black community was shut down from making a public statement.
Soon thereafter a Massa Eddie Holbrook sycophant started a false report on Facebook that Dena Green and Danny Blanton had planned to make that motion but they were lied to-falsely implying that I had lied to them.
Of course I had sent an advanced copy of my April 23, 2018 article to every school board member, including Danny Blanton and Dena Green. Every board member, including Danny Blanton and Dena Green had the correct information on how to make a proper motion as previously stated and every board member including Danny Blanton and Dena Green did NOT do what was necessary to allow the black community to speak on an issue that was important to them. And still is.
If Danny Blanton and Dena Green had any intention of making that motion, they blew it. Danny Blanton and Dena Green blew it, not me. I am not a board member, they are.
In fact, the video of the April 23, 2018 School Board meeting as well as the minutes of that meeting that will be voted upon this evening to make the minutes a part of the public record shows the truth of it. Not only did Danny Blanton NOT make the motion to allow Citizens Recognition, Danny Blanton “seconded” the motion made by Phillip “Bully” Glover to approve the agenda WITHOUT citizens recognition. Both Danny Blanton and Dena Green voted with the rest of the school board to approve the agenda without citizens recognition. Which simply shut down the black community from making their public statements. Whatever Danny Blanton and Dena Green may have intended to do, they were outsmarted and outmaneuvered on this one. Or, more likely, the Massa Eddie Facebook post was a lie.
Not being able to read Danny Blanton and Dena Green’s minds to know what they really intended to do, the smart thing for them to have done was to make the motion and second it. That would have forced a vote by the whole school board and it is very unlikely that, with TV Cameras rolling, the other board members would undoubtedly have gone along. So, you have to pretty much assume Danny Blanton and Dena Green were indeed outsmarted and outmaneuvered. Dena is new, but Danny is a five year veteran on the school board who always seems to lose these kinds of parliamentary procedure battles. Danny Blanton has been very effective in asking questions and bringing up important issues but mostly ineffective in maneuvering the board in the right direction to correct anything. Perhaps someone should coach all the school board members in the correct and effective use of Robert’s Rules of Order.
It is also not too late to make sure this kind of thing never happens again. Some School Board Member should make a motion Monday evening to add a “Citizens Recognition” session to EVERY school board meeting and allow five minutes per person to speak. That would be a step in the right direction. Someone should second it and force the entire school board to vote. This should happen Monday evening as the Black Community states they are coming to this meeting also.
It should be noted that the courtesy of speaking at school board meetings is not just the right of the black community, but to everybody.
However, I predict that the school board will refuse to do anything in regard to the allegations of racism as they have stated that these issues are “personnel matters” and state law requires personnel matters be confidential.
I say hokum to that. Racism as it relates to a white teacher playing a so called racist song to a class of black children is not just a “personnel matter.” It is a matter of School Board Policy. Which is always a discussion to be held in public. If there is a school board policy forbidding obscene behavior and such poor judgement as playing such a song, then the School Board should fire the teacher for just cause. If there is no such policy, the School Board bears the responsibility and every school board member should be forced to resign or voted out of office. It is really just as simple as that. Hopefully members of the black community can agree to that. Getting to the bottom of the issue is the best way for this thing to wind up. I suspect that is why the school board is protecting the teacher. To protect themselves!!!
As for me, I don’t allow the school board or stupid lying posts on Facebook by a Massa Eddie fanatic to outsmart or out maneuver me. Why should any of YOU???