Saturday, July 3, 2004

Represent!

Valedictorian Denied Diploma After Speaking Truth to Power - Global Black News (African American News) -- Donna Lamb -- 2 July 2004

Tiffany Schley told it like it is and now she can't get her valedictorian diploma until Labor day. I'll be interested to see how far up the legal food chain this goes. It's a legitimate grievance, and a good step away from black infantilization.

...Tiffany blew the whistle on the Bushwick, Brooklyn school's overcrowded classrooms, lack of textbooks and other basic materials, unqualified teachers, frequent turnover in staff and indifferent administrators who refuse to meet with students to discuss their grievances. ...

School authorities refused to award her the valedictorian plaque publicly during the ceremony, and the next day when Tiffany and her mother, Felicia Schley, arrived at the school to pick up Tiffany's diploma, they were told she couldn't have it; the document would be mailed to her by Labor Day. And worse yet, when they protested, Tiffany and her mother were escorted out of the assistant principal's office by three security guards. Once in the hallway they were removed from the building by twelve security guards, as though they were dangerous criminals.

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