White teacher accused of classroom noose display files lawsuit
www.independent.co.uk
A New York teacher has filed a lawsuit over the handling of an offensive collage

A white New York school teacher allegedly accused of putting up a racially offensive image in a classroom claims she was a victim of racial discrimination herself.

In 2019 an image circulated of a collage displayed in a classroom at Roosevelt Middle School in New York that sparked outrage among the community and school district officials.

The photo, part of a larger classroom display of teachers and students, showed a pair of nooses under a caption that said “back to school necklaces,” alongside the words, “Ha Ha,” “#YES” and a smiley face.

The school district blamed an “isolated group of teachers” for the collage and said “appropriate action” had been taken, according to The Daily Beast.

Years after the incident, Nancy Jones Doering filed a lawsuit against the school district, revealing herself as one of the teachers accused.

  • snooggums@kbin.social
    174·
    6 months ago

    Secondly (more controversially), is a picture of a noose racist? I mean, it certainly has racist connotations and I personally wouldn’t have used it, but (bear with me) I’m not sure racist is the concrete conclusion. Lots of people have been hung throughout history, if you’re not viewing it through a racial lens then are you a racist or just very insensitive.

    In the US it automatically has racist connotations because of our history of lynching. That means outside of educational settings where the context can be explained, it is most likely going to be something racist.

    Showing it as a back to school necklace is most likely racist, but even if it wasn’t intended to be racist then it is a joke about teen suicide. Both are fucking terrible.

    • soycapitan451@lemmy.world
      11·
      6 months ago

      Showing it as a back to school necklace is most likely racist, but even if it wasn’t intended to be racist then it is a joke about teen suicide. Both are fucking terrible.

      I completely agree that both are terrible. However one probably doesn’t get you ostracised from society forever but the other does. Being labelled as a racist in your community can ruin your life in a way that having some very questionable dark humor wouldn’t.

      I have no idea if the woman is a racist or not, but IF she isn’t, her punishment from the school and the community seems quite harsh.

      BTW I’m not from the US, but nooses still make me immediately think of Jim Crow or the KKK (and spaghetti westerns, but thats besides the point).

      • snooggums@kbin.social
        12·
        6 months ago

        Being labelled as a racist in your community can ruin your life in a way that having some very questionable dark humor wouldn’t.

        Bullshit. Anyone who fucks up once or twice is completely fine, it takes being consistently racist to even have the chance of any kind of negative outcome.

        • soycapitan451@lemmy.world
          12·
          6 months ago

          I hope so. Although, I can see the potential for a school community to essentially play a game of telephone over social media as well.

          We don’t know her priors. But if she has them, fair enough really.