The administration reached out today to confirm they have terminated the teacher and are implementing a new policy for racial equity across the district. I am finally proud of my alma mater again and I truly appreciate that so many of you stood with me to demand better for these …
May 14, 2017
Final supporters
Today, a video of a white substitute teacher repeatedly trying to justify his use of the “N Word” in a class full of Franklin students was brought to my attention. I am sure you are aware of this video as well; however, I felt the need to write this letter and express my disappointment with the learning environment Franklin has fostered since my graduation. In the last year, alone, I have heard of no less than three incidences of white teachers callously using/justifying the use of the “N Word” in clearly non-educational settings. This is unacceptable. Franklin students deserve only the most supportive, healthy learning environment, which cannot be accomplished while teachers continue to direct, at best, racially insensitive language at students.
Today I am ashamed to call myself a Franklin alum. As long as this behavior is tolerated in my alma mater, I will not be able to support Franklin by any means, especially financially. I am not willing to donate money to a school which continues to allow incidences of racism to go unpunished. Although there have been at least three incidents like this in the past year, there has been no meaningful action or change on the part of the school. I am not alone in this feeling of disappointment. Fellow 2015 and 2016 alumni have also expressed their deep disappointment in the environment Franklin has created since our graduation. A number of them have also agreed to withhold donations until future actions are taken which seek to address the problem of racial ignorance and insensitivity at Franklin. It is difficult for current students to organize and stand up for themselves in instances such as these. That is why we alumni feel we must take action. I hope that one day soon I will again be proud to call myself a Franklin graduate; however, as long as Franklin’s culture is one of ignorance, intolerance, and insensitivity, I will continue to stand up for what I feel is right. This letter will be forwarded not only to your offices, but to various alumni groups as well. We hope you will take this issue seriously, and institute some real changes in Franklin’s culture.
Updates
May 4, 2017
The silence from the administration is becoming deafening as more alumni reach out to me with their own painful experiences at Franklin. Knowing that my peers are just as hurt by this pattern of neglect confirms that we are right to demand better for current students.
May 4, 2017
The momentum behind this letter shows how many of us refuse to stay silent while our alma mater turns a blind eye to racism. It is heartening to see so many alumni standing together to demand that Franklin finally prioritize the safety and dignity of its students.
Reached 100 supporters
May 4, 2017
50 Comments
There should be zero tolerance for this blatant racism at Franklin. I am ashamed of my alma mater and immensely impressed by and proud of this student for his strength in calling out this 'teacher'. This should never be on the backs of students of color who have enough to deal with on a daily basis. Time for Coach Ryan to go and for Franklin to make some serious changes.
The student speaking out against the teacher is what embodies the Franklin spirit. Without him, how many others students would "coach" Ryan's rasicm be forced upon?
As someone who graduated from Franklin and is a current educator in New Orleans, I find this incident unacceptable. There need to be serious consequences for someone who believes they can use this word, especially in an educational setting.
We must require cultural empathy of our teachers. As an alumna, I am very disappointed in the passiveness the administration has displayed in dealing with this issue.
So disappointed. HOWEVER, this is not the first time that we've had and issue like this. Coach Ryan is not the first teacher who has attempted to defend a non-black's (white person's specifically) use of the word. This is a reoccurring problem, and I cannot standby and allow this to continue hapenning year after year.
BFHS, Class of 1995. As an educator myself, I have had similar discussions as the incident here with other teachers, including another teacher at Ben Franklin. Usually, I don't confront prejudiced comments for fear of starting an argument. However, prejudice is being taught in our schools, so I am not at all surprised by this incident. Respectful dialog creates an environment of tolerance and understanding, but bigoted words create an environment where bigoted actions become acceptable. If we as a society cannot recognize that racism exists, then we are endorsing it.
Class of 2011.
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The administration reached out today to confirm they have terminated the teacher and are implementing a new policy for racial equity across the district. I am finally proud of my alma mater again and I truly appreciate that so many of you stood with me to demand better for these …
May 14, 2017
Final supporters
Today, a video of a white substitute teacher repeatedly trying to justify his use of the “N Word” in a class full of Franklin students was brought to my attention. I am sure you are aware of this video as well; however, I felt the need to write this letter and express my disappointment with the learning environment Franklin has fostered since my graduation. In the last year, alone, I have heard of no less than three incidences of white teachers callously using/justifying the use of the “N Word” in clearly non-educational settings. This is unacceptable. Franklin students deserve only the most supportive, healthy learning environment, which cannot be accomplished while teachers continue to direct, at best, racially insensitive language at students.
Today I am ashamed to call myself a Franklin alum. As long as this behavior is tolerated in my alma mater, I will not be able to support Franklin by any means, especially financially. I am not willing to donate money to a school which continues to allow incidences of racism to go unpunished. Although there have been at least three incidents like this in the past year, there has been no meaningful action or change on the part of the school. I am not alone in this feeling of disappointment. Fellow 2015 and 2016 alumni have also expressed their deep disappointment in the environment Franklin has created since our graduation. A number of them have also agreed to withhold donations until future actions are taken which seek to address the problem of racial ignorance and insensitivity at Franklin. It is difficult for current students to organize and stand up for themselves in instances such as these. That is why we alumni feel we must take action. I hope that one day soon I will again be proud to call myself a Franklin graduate; however, as long as Franklin’s culture is one of ignorance, intolerance, and insensitivity, I will continue to stand up for what I feel is right. This letter will be forwarded not only to your offices, but to various alumni groups as well. We hope you will take this issue seriously, and institute some real changes in Franklin’s culture.
Updates
May 4, 2017
The silence from the administration is becoming deafening as more alumni reach out to me with their own painful experiences at Franklin. Knowing that my peers are just as hurt by this pattern of neglect confirms that we are right to demand better for current students.
May 4, 2017
The momentum behind this letter shows how many of us refuse to stay silent while our alma mater turns a blind eye to racism. It is heartening to see so many alumni standing together to demand that Franklin finally prioritize the safety and dignity of its students.
Reached 100 supporters
May 4, 2017
50 Comments
As a parent of a Franklin alum, I was greatly disturbed to read about this incident. When my daughter attended, she always left welcomed and comfortable at Ben Franklin. It is my hope that every student who attends Franklin will never have to face prejudice of any kind. Franklin should be a safe haven for every student.
There should be zero tolerance for this blatant racism at Franklin. I am ashamed of my alma mater and immensely impressed by and proud of this student for his strength in calling out this 'teacher'. This should never be on the backs of students of color who have enough to deal with on a daily basis. Time for Coach Ryan to go and for Franklin to make some serious changes.
The student speaking out against the teacher is what embodies the Franklin spirit. Without him, how many others students would "coach" Ryan's rasicm be forced upon?
As someone who graduated from Franklin and is a current educator in New Orleans, I find this incident unacceptable. There need to be serious consequences for someone who believes they can use this word, especially in an educational setting.
We must require cultural empathy of our teachers. As an alumna, I am very disappointed in the passiveness the administration has displayed in dealing with this issue.
So disappointed. HOWEVER, this is not the first time that we've had and issue like this. Coach Ryan is not the first teacher who has attempted to defend a non-black's (white person's specifically) use of the word. This is a reoccurring problem, and I cannot standby and allow this to continue hapenning year after year.
BFHS, Class of 1995. As an educator myself, I have had similar discussions as the incident here with other teachers, including another teacher at Ben Franklin. Usually, I don't confront prejudiced comments for fear of starting an argument. However, prejudice is being taught in our schools, so I am not at all surprised by this incident. Respectful dialog creates an environment of tolerance and understanding, but bigoted words create an environment where bigoted actions become acceptable. If we as a society cannot recognize that racism exists, then we are endorsing it.
Class of 2011.
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As a parent of a Franklin alum, I was greatly disturbed to read about this incident. When my daughter attended, she always left welcomed and comfortable at Ben Franklin. It is my hope that every student who attends Franklin will never have to face prejudice of any kind. Franklin should be a safe haven for every student.