Caucasian club started...draws anger
miller8966
Posts: 1,450
By Valerie Richardson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A 15-year-old girl's effort to start a Caucasian Club at her California high school has won her some support -- and an avalanche of anger.
Freshman Lisa McClelland gathered about 250 signatures from students and adults to start a club at Freedom High School in Oakley, Calif., that would focus attention on European heritage and history.
Her campaign has won the support of many students, not all of them white, who say such a group would be no different from the school's other ethnic clubs, which include the Black Student Union, the Latinos Unidos and the ALOHA club for Asian-American students.
"I applaud Lisa McClelland. She should be allowed to be proud of her heritage and want to know more about it just like anyone else," said one student on the high school's e-mail forum. "What a bunch of hypocrites when people start using the word 'racist.' Why isn't the Latino club racist? Or the Asian or African-American club?"
But the Caucasian Club has run into opposition from those who accuse the club of fueling racial tension.
Darnell Turner, vice president of the East County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he fears the club could morph into a white-supremacy group after Lisa graduates.
"I think she's doing this for the right reasons, but what's going to happen when she graduates? What's it going to turn into?" said Mr. Turner, who added he was speaking for himself and not the NAACP.
He suggested that she change the name to the European-American Club so that the focus would be on heritage, not race.
Lou Calabro, president of the European-American Issues Forum, said he spoke with Lisa on Wednesday when she called to ask for advice.
Since then, he's become an informal adviser for the would-be club. On Friday, he sent letters to two civil-rights organizations requesting an investigation of the school administration.
In the letters, he accused Principal Eric Volta of "resisting the formation of the club" because it "would upset the alleged current positive feelings at the school," said Mr. Calabro in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
He cited e-mail he received from Lisa on Friday describing her difficulty in finding an adviser for the club and threats from other students. She also said that teachers are allowing students to place fliers around campus criticizing her campaign.
"She's scared," said Mr. Calabro, who said he receives three to five letters a month from students interested in starting such clubs. "One white football player called her [obscene epithets]. Others are calling her names. She's only 15, so naturally she's upset."
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A 15-year-old girl's effort to start a Caucasian Club at her California high school has won her some support -- and an avalanche of anger.
Freshman Lisa McClelland gathered about 250 signatures from students and adults to start a club at Freedom High School in Oakley, Calif., that would focus attention on European heritage and history.
Her campaign has won the support of many students, not all of them white, who say such a group would be no different from the school's other ethnic clubs, which include the Black Student Union, the Latinos Unidos and the ALOHA club for Asian-American students.
"I applaud Lisa McClelland. She should be allowed to be proud of her heritage and want to know more about it just like anyone else," said one student on the high school's e-mail forum. "What a bunch of hypocrites when people start using the word 'racist.' Why isn't the Latino club racist? Or the Asian or African-American club?"
But the Caucasian Club has run into opposition from those who accuse the club of fueling racial tension.
Darnell Turner, vice president of the East County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he fears the club could morph into a white-supremacy group after Lisa graduates.
"I think she's doing this for the right reasons, but what's going to happen when she graduates? What's it going to turn into?" said Mr. Turner, who added he was speaking for himself and not the NAACP.
He suggested that she change the name to the European-American Club so that the focus would be on heritage, not race.
Lou Calabro, president of the European-American Issues Forum, said he spoke with Lisa on Wednesday when she called to ask for advice.
Since then, he's become an informal adviser for the would-be club. On Friday, he sent letters to two civil-rights organizations requesting an investigation of the school administration.
In the letters, he accused Principal Eric Volta of "resisting the formation of the club" because it "would upset the alleged current positive feelings at the school," said Mr. Calabro in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
He cited e-mail he received from Lisa on Friday describing her difficulty in finding an adviser for the club and threats from other students. She also said that teachers are allowing students to place fliers around campus criticizing her campaign.
"She's scared," said Mr. Calabro, who said he receives three to five letters a month from students interested in starting such clubs. "One white football player called her [obscene epithets]. Others are calling her names. She's only 15, so naturally she's upset."
America...the greatest Country in the world.
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Comments
I was born in America. My heritage is American.. I'm not so much into that anyways. I support individualism over heritage anyday. We're all humans in my eyes... but if you want to celebrate where your recent ancestors came from in the last 1000 years or so, do whatever floats your boat.
ok..but than can we get rid of the latino groups and the NAACP?
"I think she's doing this for the right reasons, but what's going to happen when she graduates? What's it going to turn into?" said Mr. Turner, who added he was speaking for himself and not the NAACP.
He suggested that she change the name to the European-American Club so that the focus would be on heritage, not race.
Guys like this are a joke. Funny how he doesn't have a problem with the Black Student Union.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
we all bleed the same color.
~Ron Burgundy
yeah! red, white, and blue!
cross the river to the eastside
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
which is totally news to the rest of the world
08/02/07 - LOLLA!!!
(kidding)
Well, isn't normal history class basically an European heritage class already? Except maybe for Black History Month. Let's not be hipocritical.
ha. that's what i was going to say. it will definitely be easy for them to learn about their heritage--just crack open a history book. and start with exploration and who discovered america.
cross the river to the eastside
now, it's okay to trust history books in school? okay, america IS great and perfect then.
from my window to yours
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
I see what your saying but I disagree. your heritage is american but someone down the line you have family members that came from somewhere else.
nothing wrong though with celebrating individualism. by the same tokin, we are all ethnically different. I didnt choose to be italian or irish but I am. I also enjoy celebrating Italian and irish heritage. like the great italian cooking and the awesome irish dancing. I like knowing where my family came from.
the only problem I have with this girls club is the name. other then that, I think its a great idea.
Sure, but I see nothing wrong with taking their learning about their heritage a little further then what's in their history books. As long as that is the real intent. If it's just there to piss people off then I say get rid of it.
Minority groups are often excluded by the whites, hence, the need for them to form their own groups.
Perhaps if there was no discrimination against minorities, they would feel more like part of the gang, and not separate.
Caucasians are in power, so no need to start a club.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
Seriously i would probably have a problem with a Black Student Union in a country where blacks consist the majority of citizens, political power, economy, medias, whatever.
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
caucasian is not a heritage. there would be no problem if it was an italian american or an irish american club. ditto for latino. calling the one club the black students club is the only exception. it ought to be the african american club, but in the end, the blakc people in this country all came from there anyway so it's just semantics.
It kind seems like the human rights equivalent of fighting for peace.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
good point!
the majority should never parade itself!
Exactly.
African American History clubs, for example, are born out of necessity. THAT is what makes them different. A "caucasian" history club is completely unneccesary. It already exists. Its called history class. Look i have no problem with someone wishing to learn more about their European heritage. There is no problem with that. Something tells me, however, that this isn't the REAL purpose of wanting to start this club. It is probably an attempt to stir up shit. Maybe i'm wrong. i can't help smellin' somethin stinky, though. i, like the man from the NAACP, also wonder about the types of people who be really attracted to this club. i can picture Edward Furlong from "American History X" passing out flyers.
I didnt say caucasian is a hertiage. did i? thats why i said i had a problem with the name.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
Women make up a majority of the population, can you say that womens are equally represented in every power sphere? Women are catching up on men cause mens kept their rights away from them for way too long, same could be said for minorities, now they're catching up and it's the majorities duty to help them doing so, unfortunatly it's not really happening, so they have to fight harder than the usual man part of the majority. (specially for sexual orientation, races or genders minority)
Although i do agree that if you "give a right", it must be given to everyone, in this case they have the "right" to start this club, no law prevent them to do so, but do they really need to do so? Or are they just trying to stir shits up among other cultural minorities? Such a touchy and very blurry subject, if our countries would have been built on good foundations, we wouldn't need these accomodations in the first places, unfortunatly we have a lot to catch up, even if a lot have been done (in many case thanks to minority groups). Some country have a lot more work to do than the USA or Canada on that matter.
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
they are the majority in numbers only. they are not the majority power or culture by any means. there's a big difference.
cross the river to the eastside