Steve
Judd Legum1. A elementary school in Florida has banned a 1998 Disney film about civil rights hero Ruby Bridges, pending a "review."
I've obtained documents revealing exactly how this happened.
Follow along if interested.
🧵
2. At just six years old, Ruby Bridges was the first Black child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. It was not easy. She faced a mob of protesters screaming racial slurs and had to be escorted by federal marshals.
3. For years, schools in Pinellas County, Florida, have shown the film about Bridges as part of their Black History Month curriculum. Two weeks before the film was shown, parents were sent a trailer of the movie and asked to sign a permission slip.
4. According to a spokesperson for the Pinellas County Schools, out of 60 second graders at North Shore Elementary, "two families opted to not have their student participate in viewing the movie."
The inside story of why a Florida school removed a movie about Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges is a civil rights hero. At just six years old, Bridges was the first Black child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, fulfilling the promise of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. It was not easy. She faced a mob of protesters screaming racial slurs and had to be escorted by federal marshals. White parents wouldn't allow their children to share a classroom with Bridges, so she was taught alone. She could only bring food from home because federal marshals were worried that Bridges would be poisoned.
5. One of the parents who opted her child out of the movie was Emily Conklin.
But for Conklin, this wasn't enough.
On March 6, Conklin filed an official objection seeking to ban the Ruby Bridges film for all second graders — and even much older students.
6. On the form, which was obtained by http://popular.info, Conklin says the "theme or purpose" of the Ruby Bridges movie is "racism."
Conklin claims the result of a child watching the film would be to "teach them racial slur [sic]" and that "white people hate black people."
7. Conklin also objects to the movie being "very aggressive" about "the anger/racism of these white people."
She also admits to only watching the first 50 minutes of the movie.
8. Conklin's objection form also contains misleading information. She says she learned the film was NR ("Not Rated") suggesting that it may contain material entirely unsuitable for children. The Ruby Bridges movie is actually rated PG. Conklin did not return requests for comment.
9. According to school district policy, after a parent fills out a form like this, a "School-Based Instructional Materials Review Committee" reviews the challenge and decides whether or not whether the material will remain available.
10. Notably, "material in question will remain in use until the School-Based Instructional Materials Review Committee recommends a final decision." That decision can then be appealed to a district-wide materials review committee. There is no time frame for these reviews.
11. Nevertheless, in response to Conklin's objection, North Shore Elementary banned the film from its school pending a review, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
12. In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Pinellas County Schools emphasized that the "movie remains available through the district’s licensed movie library" and is accessible at OTHER schools.
13. The spokesperson, however, acknowledged that Conklin was assured that North Shore Elementary "would not have any future showings [of the Ruby Bridges movie] during this school year" pending the review.
The inside story of why a Florida school removed a movie about Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges is a civil rights hero. At just six years old, Bridges was the first Black child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, fulfilling the promise of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. It was not easy. She faced a mob of protesters screaming racial slurs and had to be escorted by federal marshals. White parents wouldn't allow their children to share a classroom with Bridges, so she was taught alone. She could only bring food from home because federal marshals were worried that Bridges would be poisoned.
14. This isn't the first time that Pinellas schools have ignored procedures and banned material
Earlier this year, the district banned The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison based an email from one parent who claimed it was pornography
Details here: https://popular.info/p/the-inside-story-of-why-a-florida
The inside story of why a Florida school removed a movie about Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges is a civil rights hero. At just six years old, Bridges was the first Black child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, fulfilling the promise of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. It was not easy. She faced a mob of protesters screaming racial slurs and had to be escorted by federal marshals. White parents wouldn't allow their children to share a classroom with Bridges, so she was taught alone. She could only bring food from home because federal marshals were worried that Bridges would be poisoned.
15. Thanks for making it to the end of this thread
But don't rely exclusively on this platform, which is controlled by a mercurial right-wing billionaire, to get accurate info
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Craig Fisher@juddlegum this platform is controlled by a right wing billionaire?
Mik Duffy@craig @juddlegum He's cross-posting with the Bird Site, I think.
PEterE@craig @juddlegum John Mastodon has always been a benevolent owner.
sheislaurence@peliopoulos @craig @juddlegum that's what happens when you #crosspost & #fedi people will experience mild annoyance to downright rage, until they go off stroke some #moss or some #cat. I am personally mildly annoyed and I don't have a cat. I am still equally grateful for the thread, but don't believe the author will ever read (and/or engage with) the comments.
Colin Fry@craig @peliopoulos @sheislaurence @juddlegum Was bored enough to check.
The author has not engaged with anybody on Mastodon this year, which presumably means they haven’t even logged on to read any replies.
The repeated digs at the Twitter CEO seem absurd in that context.
@colinfry666 @peliopoulos @sheislaurence @juddlegum right. It would be better to stop giving him the attention he so craves.
Pete@craig @juddlegum Craig, I believe Judd just copied his posts from Twitter to Mastodon, but didn’t change that comment.
Pari Moon-Forest@craig
He's posting via twitter. If he cared about THIS platform he wouldn't be doing that.
He's posting via twitter. If he cared about THIS platform he wouldn't be doing that.
myrmepropagandistOK hold up.
I thought it was the left that was so sensitive? This accusation comes on the heels of any left leaning criticism. (And criticism that often comes with encouragement to *watch* and *read* the material--)
I don't know if it'd be an effective means of protest but why not get a group together to fill out a form for every single movie and book in the library.
Ban 'em all.
Earthling@juddlegum @futurebird That’s what I was thinking. Protest them all. Muck up the system. Make it unworkable.
Southern Leftist@futurebird @juddlegum
Conservatives are hypocritical.
They'll rally against the most basic of rights for the African American but say "ew this is racist" when they try to teach you about racism.
You see, if they have their cronies in the system, they can effectively game it so that the populace is blind to the horrors bigotry.
After they benight the people, they're free to run rampant with their MAGA-Neofascist genocide on marginalized peoples, et al.
We, the leftists, resist that.
Archnemysis@futurebird @juddlegum You just know a group of high school students are going to figure out if they mass report all their text books the system will grind to a halt and they won’t have to do any school work.
@juddlegum Great thread. You might want to edit #15, since Mastodon is decidedly not run by the bigoted, dangerous fascist who own the platform where you originally posted this thread. That’s why we’re here and not there.
Sarah W@earthlingusa @juddlegum well said
No One Special@juddlegum stop cross platform posting; it's disgusting.
The Evil MicrowizardIs @juddlegum actually here, or is this just a Twitter cross-post bot?
Malaclypse@juddlegum Always worth remembering that this is not ancient history we are talking about, Ruby Bridges is only 68 years old. She has not even retired!
Simon Brooke@juddlegum I'm reading this on mastodon.scot, which is most emphatically not 'controlled by a mercurial right-wing billionaire,' but that's the glory of federation.
Carol HutchinsA newsletter I highly recommend.
#2RR - 2 Ruote di Resistenza@juddlegum are you aware that this is ridiculous? (The last toot I mean)
Everett Palmer@juddlegum I was not aware that a right wing billionaire controled Mastodon. Who is it?
@everett780 @juddlegum John Mastodon. Saviour of the world 😉
7sleepersmusic@juddlegum Unless you know something about @Gargron that we don't methinks you should thinks before cross posting ;-)
@7sleepersmusic @juddlegum @Gargron
I don't think this person cares about Mastodon. He's cross-platform posting for the subscribers.
I don't think this person cares about Mastodon. He's cross-platform posting for the subscribers.
GreenSkyOverMe (Monika)@juddlegum This platform is controlled by a right-wing billionaire?
ChrisAdamsEcon 
@juddlegum Is John Mastodon mercurial?
Mary Alicia Ziff@juddlegum
The one parent was white, right? It's rhetorical.🤷
The one parent was white, right? It's rhetorical.🤷
chicating@juddlegum It's a tough read, but also my favorite Morrison.
@juddlegum I could see, however, that an inept teacher could make a mess of that one, hard-core!
But that is not the problem with the book, as such.
But that is not the problem with the book, as such.
Stygian Lizard@juddlegum there seems to be a rash of school boards banning things based on the protest of a single parent. One might ask themselves "what's up with that?"
Kris Samsel@juddlegum Gerry Spence would have stopped this unconstitutional action. Ruby Ridge made him famous. Disney needs to hire Mr. Spence. Stop this nonsense.
Milcom Miasma@juddlegum One of my favorite songs - something else for them to ban I guess. 😠
Lori McKenna - Ruby's Shoes
https://youtu.be/71v--WyufA8
Ruby's Shoes
Andrew Ordover@juddlegum It's good they have a formal review process instead of knee-jerk reaction, but it seems crazy to put the process into effect on the strength of a single complaint. Questioning the decisions of school and educators should require a slightly higher bar than that.
Eddie the Bulldog@juddlegum one meth-addled person can shut down education in a public school for a year or more by filling out a complaint form.
Sounds like “protecting kids” can easily be made into “depriving kids”. Way to go Florida!
Sounds like “protecting kids” can easily be made into “depriving kids”. Way to go Florida!
Robert DenbyName and shame!
DebraMilazzoSha@juddlegum when did the US become so backwards??
FS9-BS "Bad Survivor"@DebraMilazzoSha @juddlegum become? Fam, it's literally always been this way.
EvilKiru 🇮🇸 he/him@DebraMilazzoSha @juddlegum Always has been, sadly. It's just a bit more obvious these days.
Staid WinnowOh, 1619 or so? Before it was the US.
1776 since it was the US.
"All men are created equal."
Yet the wise founders excluded women, "3/5ths people," and the poor from even being able to choose their representation in government.
Black people were definitely not part of that "...are created equal" creed.
T.Wllmsin the 1600's....
Memere@DebraMilazzoSha @juddlegum This whole time
Iwillyeah@DebraMilazzoSha not trying to be funny, but what period in time are you comparing today to?
obscurestar@DebraMilazzoSha @juddlegum Always has been. Grew up in rural OK long time ago. This same stuff was going on then it just didn't make national news and was usually swept quietly under the rug.
Steven Hilton@DebraMilazzoSha @juddlegum The right wing lost its mind in 2008 when a black man became President. It wasn't great before that, but I believe that was the breaking point.
Another, earlier big lurch toward right wing crazy was Nixon's explicitly racist "southern strategy" You could say the wheels started falling off over 60 years ago. Around the time of the actual events in the Ruby Bridges movie.
I just looked. The actual Ruby Bridges is still alive.