Censorship in School
A black student was driven out of school for her essay about Frederick Douglass. She pointed out connections between keeping slaves illiterate and failing to teach black students today. This connection is pretty obvious to anyone familiar with history and modern education, but it really pisses off teachers when pointed out.
I bet she's learning a lot more now than she was in school. You go, girl! Read. Write. Scare the crap out of people. Anyone who's scared of a smart student deserves to worry.
Also, Frederick Douglass is one of my favorite authors and role models, right up there with Harriet Tubman. They were some of the earliest examples that really got me interested in history. Some of the things I write about oppression -- how bad it can be, the importance of knowledge, the value of finding even one staunch ally -- are heavily influenced by these and other slave narratives. Poke a bigot in the eye: read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.
I bet she's learning a lot more now than she was in school. You go, girl! Read. Write. Scare the crap out of people. Anyone who's scared of a smart student deserves to worry.
Also, Frederick Douglass is one of my favorite authors and role models, right up there with Harriet Tubman. They were some of the earliest examples that really got me interested in history. Some of the things I write about oppression -- how bad it can be, the importance of knowledge, the value of finding even one staunch ally -- are heavily influenced by these and other slave narratives. Poke a bigot in the eye: read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.