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Show SCHOOL BOARD ISSUES hearing he was sorry it had to happen, but he never made a public statement of apology to the press or in front of the whole school saying he was sorry and he thought RALLY HELD ON RACISM - racism was bad and must be ended. A demonstration was called on Following are the demands and August 1 by a coalition of groups comments made by the and individuals to protest the war demonstrators: in Vietnam and racism at home. In ¥ 1. No Tuition for public schools. order to fight the war and racism For the Salt Lake City High more directly, they made five Schools, the minimum fee is concrete anti-racist demands against $21.00, and it goes up for every the Salt Lake City School Board. little thing. Shop, for instance, There was a rally at noon at the costs an extra $5, and it is $10 for CAP Center in Central. City drivers education. The board says followed by a march to Tracy this money is for locker fees, book Collins Bank which owns slum rentals, mandatory yearbook, and housing in Central City, and then to so forth. All these are just excuses the Board of Education to present to take more money from working demands to a representative of the people who pay for everything board who was asked to come to anyway through their labor and receive the demands. Speakers taxes. The board could spend less included a Black student, a Black money by not putting cops on high mother, a white welfare mother, a school campuses, less on truant university leader, and student, a Chicano a member of BBOS (Black Brothers Organizational Society). Each speaker addressed © themselves to a specific demand. Following are some remarks on the war and racism which were made during the rally. The U.S. Bureau of Statistics reports that 59% of the combat casualties in Vietnam are members of racial minorities, while minority groups comprise less than 20% of the population. This clearly points out that the war is racist. The war is racist because of it’s attack on the Vietnamese people, killing two million of them, officers, less principals’ priorities. who run could pay Palace and carpeting School, on athletics, less on salaries, and other wrong Also, the businessmen this state’s government less money for a Salt University Sports Arena, for Cottonwood High salaries for a government bureaucracy which doesn’t help anyone, and other extravagant projects. This wasted money should be spent to better our schools and pay teachers, instead of charging tuition for our supposed free public schools. Most states haven’t been able to get away with this trick of charging tuition. For a family with many kids it comes to a lot of money, especially since our junior high schools have at least $11.00 fees, too. One family pays around a maiming thousands more, and destroying their whole country. The war is often justified with racist explanations, referring to ‘hundred dollars for their kids’ Vietnamese people with inferior tuition to go to “free” public and sub-human names, to make it schools. Again this hurts Black and easier to kill them, or saying the Brown people the worst sinte they Vietnamese people are ignorant suffer job and wage discrimination. - natives who don’t care what kind of 2. Cops Off High School government they have. These are Campuses. What are the reasons the definitely racist slurs used to justify school board gives for cops on ageression against the Vietnamese campus? The ones given are to stop people and to discourage American drugs and thievery. Then why working people from identifying hasn’t the Granite Board put cops with their plight. How could a _at Skyline and Olympus where both people hold back the strongest stealing and drugs are just as military force in the world for prevalent, or more so, than in the seven years if they couldn’ city schools? The real answer is that organize and govern themselves, or at West and South you find the if they didn’t care who ran their biggest concentration of Black and country? Brown kids. Also, all students at The speakers told how all - these schools have been most vocal working people should fight racism in sticking up for their rights. The because of the terrible way of life cop is really there to harass high forced on minority people by racist school students who try to organize practices. The Chicano and Indian migrant workers, for example, get paid less than a dollar an hour and must live in the bosses’ housing (shacks or even boxcars, usually without running water). By fighting racism white workers can _ help Black and Brown people and also’ can join with these people in fighting against the war, for higher wages, and better living and working conditions. A good example of this was the Postal Strike where the Black workers lead and to intimidate the students. At 150 . South High last spring, students marched out of school in protest of Kent State and the war in Asia and the leaders of the march were later suspended for a time. The Board hopes to stop this kind of organizing, and one way is to put can't take a chance on anyone else even going on campus. More importantly, though, there are many examples of high school students being intimidated — by administrators and teachers for trying to fight the war and change the board’s policies. 4. Hire Black and Brown school teachers and counselors. In Salt Lake City, there are 5,000 Black people and 10,000 Chicanos. In the City district, there are, according to the Board of Education, only 4 Black teachers and seven Chicano teachers. There .are no Black or Brown counselors. Besides this, we know of one Black man, certified to teach, who applied twice and was turned down and given no. reason. As was mentioned before, minority people get the worst jobs even when they have the qualifications. To change this, it is in the white people’s interest to join with the minority people and fight for preferential hiring until a percentage of minority people equal to their population are working in the schools. 2. Fire the racist teacher Maher and the racist Principal Kerr. These two men work at west High and are the most blatant examples of racism at that school. We think all people have racism, indoctrinated into them by the system, but all people should recognize that racism and try to get rid of it. Those people in school administrations and positions as teachers who do not try to eliminate racism and who blatantly attack Black and Brown students must be fired. It is also obvious that by firing these men the problem of racism in the high is a beginning and a warning to The incident last spring involving Maher and four black students was never explained in the press and consequently many white students and parents acted in a racist way. If the real story is told we think most people will understand and support the black parents and students in this demand. The following is the story as told by the Black parents the people in the community together, Black students so that many white have a successful campaign, and win these just demands. . white students. This isolated fs ajs Die Bis 2s nhc aha Die ae Ole Df OIE Se Die 25s Ble 3s IS Dis OS Os Oe als OE ae aS He ke BK Oak a DON RAY SAMPSON and students and testified to by the Vice Principal and Maher himself at the hearing at the Board of Education. To begin with Maher has acted in a discriminatory way in the past to black students, but the following was the last straw. Four Black students were walking down the following some junior high cops on campus to attempt to hall intimidate people. At West last students visiting West. The Jr. high spring, 8 police dragged down and students were making noise and handcuffed an innocent Black Maher was annoyed. He wasn't student they claimed was holding class however, but was only suspended. When they found out it in his office on break, though the was thw wrong boy, they still took papers didn’t report this. He then him to the Detention Home so that came out and saw the four students walking and said, “This is why they people wouldn’t find out. 3. The right for high school call you‘nigger.’ ” One student _it and white workers all over the US supported it. By getting together, real gains were won by all the Postal workers. _ Racism hurts all working people, _ students to organize, prepare white, black, and brown, and leaflets, and hear speakers they Indian by keeping the different want. All year, the school board has races and nationalities divided from tried to stop students from fighting each other. This racism not only the war. Last fall and this spring, keeps people from joining together the board passed all these rulings to fight to change things, but by restricting “off-campus agitators.”” use of racist pay differentials, the ig businessmen who effectively These rules imply two things: 1) the main high school control this country make 22 that billion dollars a year by paying organizers are off campus, which is Black and Latin people. less than | just not true. For instance, the South High walkout was unknown white people. They presented 5 anti-racist, to those off-campus until after it pro-working class demands against happened. 2) that high school students are so stupid that they can the school board. If accepted, these be duped by outsiders. The Board demands should help break down the walls of racism in Utah, which must be really scared of outside ideas since they brainwash the is in the interest of all white students eight hours a day and then working people. There is no reason to believe that he regrets his racist practices except as they temporarily endangered his job. Maintaining racist teachers means encouraging racial discrimination and the continued teaching of racist ideas in the public schools. Maher shoudl be fired! crisis, the school board, Kerr, and Some people associated with some white people were saying and West wrote letters to the editor of implying that the Black students the Tribune and Desert News were trying to run the school and supporting Maher and saying what a were always sluffing and tardy. great guy he was and a good How could 34 Black students run a teacher. That isn’t the wuestion. school of 60 teachers and 1800 Coach STeinke was a great guy, the students? In fact, according to students like him, and he was a fine coach, taking his team to the state Kerr’s own figures, out of 200 meet. But when he was caught ‘chronic sluffers and late-goers, only 3 were Black. Kerr could have stealing he was suspended without easily stopped these racist lies pay, the very next day. Maher was himself had he wanted to, but he given a paid vacation and is now In fact, he encouraged back at West. The school board lied didn’t. when they said they weren’t aware them--Kerr himself has a history of of the problem of racism in the racism. He once testified in court school system, because they knew that a 16-year-old black girl should about Maher and he’s still going to never go to school again because teach at West in the Fall. The when she got .in a fight, he school board and Kerr consider ‘suspended her, and she called him a stealing a greater fault than racism, name. Many students have gotten in when racism injures millions of fights before, and many students people every day. We believe, have called administrators names furthermore, that if a Black teacher without being expelled forever had called some white students from all schools. The only reason “honkies” and “white trash”, the why %e should have picked on this girl is that she was black and he is a teacher would have been suspended . racist. There are many more stories in a minute. | _ During all this, Kerr, the about Kerr and his racist policies which we haven't room to re-tell. prinicpal, could have been Last spring the school board instrumental in getting Maher fired, succeeded and successfully divided but he did nothing. In fact he did the White working people from the what he could to divide white Black working people. This can students and parents from Black change by having public discussion students and parents. He suspended of the various issues and by white the Black students from school on people sincerely fighting racism. A the ridiculous premise of their good way to begin is to get all “protection”, supposedly from schools will not be ended, but this other teachers. and administrators that openly racist practices will not be tolerated. students didn’t even know who was suspended or why. One white student at West said that he thought that the Black students were trying to run the school and was angry. When he found out who was suspended he was amazed because they were his friends and he changed his mind. Kerr then called two separate assemblies, one Black and one White. This did nothing but breed suspicion between the White and Black students and create fear. During the replied, “You can’t call me a ‘nigger.’ ’” Maher then said “Ill call you nigger if I want, I have free speech, nigger, nigger, nigger! Then one student shoved Maher and told him to, stop it. By that time the Vice Principal was there. Popping from behind the Vice Principal’s back Maher later called the students again nigger, nigger. The Vice Principal testified that all this was true and so did Maher himself. Maher said he didn’t think it would bother the students to call them niggers, which is an_ incredible statement. He never would have called white students walking down the hall, “honkies”. ‘‘white Maher trash” or told the Board people can better themselves. It is the best program I’ve seen. Salt Lake CAP can grow into the most Public Relations Director for the - effect program in the nation. It has been highlighted in Denver as one | Salt Lake Area Community Action of the leading offices in the Western Program. He came to this position United States. My job as Public. after starting as a Community RElations Director is to keep the Organizer with the CAP program. our Don Ray spent most of his life in news media informed of activities, and to inform the public the entertainment field. He sang of what we are doing so that they with a church choir, then went on won't be confused by rumor. I’m to sing with professional groups presently working on a total public touring Canada with the Four Tops, relations program for CAP and this singing with The Incredibles, and is very time-consuming.’ Don Ray’s traveling overseas to Korea, Japan, obvious enthusiasm for his job and Vietnam and Thailand to entertain the community explain his U. S. troops. At San Bernadino State College, he majored in appointment in Public Relations. Don Ray started in his present Sociology and minored in position in January of 1970. He Criminology. He has been active in was in Utah earlier with the Job sports, playing for two years in the All-Eastern Football Conference | Corp: Program in Clearfield. This is one reason he is so aware of the and being named to the Junior needs and problems at the Job Corp College All American first team. He Center. He sat in on a meeting with played pro-football for the Governor Calvin Rampton Montreal Alouettes for I year. Don Ray just finished serving as regarding the recent stabbing at the Center and offered his support in Master of Ceremonies for the Miss Black Utah Beauty- Pageant and is establishing better relationships between the young Corp men and coorinating the Miss Black Utah the community. Salt Lake City is Talent Show Case. His band, “Don Ray Sampson and Stuff” are fortunate to have such a talented, dedicated man working to make constantly booked for local events. “I feel the CAP program is very this city a better place in which to useful. It can be very effective in an live and CAP selected an excellent spolesman for it’s program. area in which the underprivileged Don Ray Sampson is a young man with a varied and extensive past. He is presently serving as |
