Two year old forced to take part in Rosa Parks re-enactment

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hollydolly

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A two-year-old black girl has been subjected to a 'horrific' Rosa Parks reenactment involving a lighter-skinned child 'handcuffing' her in front of her peers in a Florida preschool classroom.

Civil rights group the NAACP shared shocking photographs of the incident online as it is called on the Florida Department of Children and Families to investigate Building Brains Daycare in Saint Cloud, Osceola County.

In a letter to the department, the NAACP said the black pupil was 'subject to an alarming act of simulation, where she was handcuffed and fingerprinted by a white peer' in early December.

The NAACP's National Director of Education, Dr Ivory Toldson, shared the photographs on Facebook with the pupils' faces blurred. In unedited versions of the images seen by DailyMail.com, the children appear visibly disturbed and upset.

The toddler's outraged parents described the lesson as 'horrific' and immediately pulled her from the school. The female teacher involved has not been named and continues to work at the daycare.

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Good grief, we're become a society of delicate flowers. A two year old "forced"? Forced? Really? It's highly unlikely a two year old would have had much idea of what was going on. As to a two year old being "visibly disturbed and upset", I'm sure that happens in that classroom, oh, every hour or so.

I think it's important to discuss this type of thing, but we mustn't let sensationalism from all sides of the media dictate the narrative. From what I can make out, a teacher decided - rightly or wrongly - to teach children about the horrors of racism, and an historical figure within American history. This has been dressed up in clothes that scream "shocking", "disturbed", and so on for dramatic effect. It's so tiresome.

When is it too young to teach about racism?
At two years of age, what is the best way to tackle such a topic?
What methods are most effective in teaching the young about this insidious problem?

Those are the questions that should be asked. But instead, we get sensationalist headlines that all but shut down debate on this serious topic, but instead throw attacks on the teacher. We're getting to a point where teachers are going to be afraid to teach anything that isn't Walt Disney.

IMO.
 
I knew about racism & anti semitism my entire life. It was the post war, pre civil rights atmosphere I lived in. I always knew of it, always.

But not from any school. From the environment, from life. However, in early school, we were aware as my classmates grew up in the same situation I did. Come to think of it, all my teachers were of the same background, so yes, it was always 'in the air.'
 
Pepper said:
I knew about racism & anti semitism my entire life. It was the post war, pre civil rights atmosphere I lived in. I always knew of it, always.

But not from any school. From the environment, from life. However, in early school, we were aware as my classmates grew up in the same situation I did. Come to think of it, all my teachers were of the same background, so yes, it was always 'in the air.'
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That's how racism works. It's a part of life, of every day life. From birth to death. A two year old may not recognize it for what it is, but we can educate them. So...
 
VaughanJB said:
That's how racism works. It's a part of life, of every day life. From birth to death. A two year old may not recognize it for what it is, but we can educate them. So...
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I was taught AGAINST racism my entire life. I was taught the black struggle was similar to Jews and we must support them and NEVER be racist.

I am glad of these early teachings.
 
Pepper said:
I was taught AGAINST racism my entire life. I was taught the black struggle was similar to Jews and we must support them and NEVER be racist.

I am glad of these early teachings.
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Honestly? I was not taught to be against racism. In fact, racism was not only everywhere in my youth, but it had no reason to hide itself. It wasn't the kind of insidious racism we have today, all you had to do was listen to people talk. Racism was normal!!!

Man, 1970's UK was so chock-full of racism, it's amazing anyone of color managed to stick it out. Ashamed? Sure I am. My excuse is, I was a product of my environment. I was ignorant and stupid. I was insensitive and disgraceful. I try to be mindful today, and it goes without saying, racism is wrong.

When education about racism did come in to my purview, it was never related to the Jews. This seems to be mostly an American thing, where every struggle is referenced to Jewish history.
 
VaughanJB said:
When education about racism did come in to my purview, it was never related to the Jews. This seems to be mostly an American thing, where every struggle is referenced to Jewish history.
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You better believe Not in Wyoming, you are thinking of the coasts where Jews have thrived. It is definitely not an 'American' thing, ask the other Americans here.

I grew up in a ghetto. All Jews of my age or older did. For safety. Ghetto isn't a word for blacks, it's a word for Jews. Ghetto is a word only newly assigned to blacks. In America, we call it a 'neighborhood.'

All Jews for Millennia know you'd better be ready to run. It happens fast, those pogrom type stuff, be on the alert, always. Feeling safe in the USA is a relatively new thing in the Jewish conversation.
 
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VaughanJB said:
When is it too young to teach about racism?
At two years of age, what is the best way to tackle such a topic?
What methods are most effective in teaching the young about this insidious problem?
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Two years old is too young IMO. You would think that teaching basic learning skills and learning how to cooperate would be the curriculum. No need to be teaching innocent children abstract socio-political controversy. There are many ways to introduce the subject without such drastic means also. Let them have their childhood. Save the children!! :)
 
Paco Dennis said:
Two years old is too young IMO. You would think that teaching basic learning skills and learning how to cooperate would be the curriculum. No need to be teaching innocent children abstract socio-political controversy. There are many ways to introduce the subject without such drastic means also. Let them have their childhood. Save the children!! :)
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Basic learning skills may, or may not have been part of the curriculum. Mind, these kids were two years old, this is more a day care, not a school. Would they publish a curriculum, as such?

Drastic means? Hell, we used to play act out all kinds of situations when kids. It's a great way of learning. When it comes to racism, is it ever too early to know you might be discriminated against, or the nature of society?

I can only repeat myself - people are such delicate flowers now. We think of education only in terms of the basics of Math, English, and Science. As though being prepared for life consists of only facts and not feelings. Two year olds cry without dong lasting damage. I think we're at a point where we're being so over-protective, we're getting afraid of talking about anything controversial.

This article gives no context to the this event. But hey, who needs context when you can be outraged?
 
I agree that it is a yellow journalist type of journalism to incite outrage. Your right on. I have had children that were 2 years old. I loved them with my whole being. I know what it is to be protective. I feel protective about having any child handcuffed. What ever happened in my childhood did not include this type of "intrusion". Why not put the kid on a chair and hang a noose around his neck? :)
 
From my experience, 2/3/4 year olds are color blind. They do not care if their friends are a different color. They are a boy or a girl and skin color is not an issue. SO my first thought when reading this was that this kind of thing TEACHES racism. Doesn't it? Two little girls of different color are best friends and suddenly in preschool, this kind of stuff happens and suddenly they're made to realize "oh, we're different and one of us has to put the other "bad one" in jail with handcuffs!"

Teachers are obviously not immune to the lack of common sense and wisdom that's become rampant. 😞
 
CallMeKate said:
From my experience, 2/3/4 year olds are color blind. They do not care if their friends are a different color. They are a boy or a girl and skin color is not an issue. SO my first thought when reading this was that this kind of thing TEACHES racism. Doesn't it? Two little girls of different color are best friends and suddenly in preschool, this kind of stuff happens and suddenly they're made to realize "oh, we're different and one of us has to put the other "bad one" in jail with handcuffs!"

Teachers are obviously not immune to the lack of common sense and wisdom that's become rampant. 😞
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But that isn't common sense. You're insinuating that teaching a child how the world outside their bubble is, is teaching them racism. In fact, it's teaching them ABOUT racism. Racism is something they'll face soon enough. Do you feel the same about taking a two year old to Church? I mean, that's indoctrination of a world view that is far greater than they can grasp? Should a two year old be taught the parables?

Again, we have no context to this. We don't know what was said during the event, what was said before, what was said afterwards.

Paco Dennis said:
I agree that it is a yellow journalist type of journalism to incite outrage. Your right on. I have had children that were 2 years old. I loved them with my whole being. I know what it is to be protective. I feel protective about having any child handcuffed. What ever happened in my childhood did not include this type of "intrusion". Why not put the kid on a chair and hang a noose around his neck? :)
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Seriously? That's indulging in the same kind of outrage as the journalist. Why not hang a noose around his neck? Come now. They were play acting, learning about a key American figure (Rosa Parks) who is someone very important to the black girl. What are the chances these "handcuffs" were real? Or is it more likely they were plastic handcuffs that can be bought as a kids toy?

For example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Police-Acc...rds=handcuffs+kids&qid=1703160314&sr=8-2&th=1

When I was a kid, buying toy guns for kids was big. We'd run around "killing" each other. And I'm sooooo damaged.
 
VaughanJB said:
But that isn't common sense. You're insinuating that teaching a child how the world outside their bubble is, is teaching them racism. In fact, it's teaching them ABOUT racism. Racism is something they'll face soon enough.
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Do you have kids? I don't even know why this is being discussed. If you have kids, you'd know that at two years old, they do not care about the differences in skin color. But give them handcuffs and tell them to take the "bad kid" to jail because of their skin color, and guess what? Racism... You can't see that? Whatever lofty height you're sitting on today must be too high to realize we're talking about TWO year olds. So... no kids, right? You teach these things starting maybe in kindergarten.
 
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CallMeKate said:
Do you have kids? I don't even know why this is being discussed. If you have kids, you'd know that at two years old, they do not see the differences in skin color. They don't! But give them handcuffs and tell them to take the "bad kid" to jail because of their skin color, and guess what? Racism... You can't see that? Whatever lofty height you're sitting on today must be too high to realize we're talking about TWO year olds. So... no kids, right? You teach these things starting maybe in kindergarten.
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I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what point you're arguing. The point that they don't know what racism is, is entirely the point, and entirely the reason it's a topic that can be discussed. Kids don't go to school to learn things they already know. And they will face racism at some point.

And no - I don't think teaching kids what racism is, and events and characters from American history, makes people racists. The opposite is true. Racism is killed by exposing it to the light. You do nothing if you keep it in the closet. Do you learn to kill Germans after being taught about WW2?

As for lofty heights, I have an opinion, that's all. But you might want to check your own "lofty height". Disagree all you like, but really, that's just a personal attack on me. You have no other context than a sensationalist headline. But look at how strongly you feel about it. That might be worth considering. Why are you so riled up over a poorly written tabloid news story? IMO.
 
CallMeKate said:
Do you have kids? I don't even know why this is being discussed. If you have kids, you'd know that at two years old, they do not see the differences in skin color. They don't! But give them handcuffs and tell them to take the "bad kid" to jail because of their skin color, and guess what? Racism... You can't see that? Whatever lofty height you're sitting on today must be too high to realize we're talking about TWO year olds. So... no kids, right? You teach these things starting maybe in kindergarten.
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They do see color but at that age it's no different then seeing dark hair and light hair. It means nothing except it's different.
 
hearlady said:
They do see color but at that age it's no different then seeing dark hair and light hair. It means nothing except it's different.
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True. Children can spot differences. But education isn't about telling people what to feel. Plenty of people have been through a standard education and come out racists, as well as those that come out against racism. The argument here seems to be this was taught three years too early? As though the topic has some clearly defined line of delimitation.

But what I'm mostly getting from this is that someone read a sensationalist story, and reacted outraged to it. So much so, that they're willing to take a firm stand on something no-one, as far as I'm aware, has ever defined. My question remains, at what age should a child be told Jesus was tortured, nailed to a cross, and then came back from the dead? I mean, that's horrific. Would/did/do you allow two year olds to hear about it?

I don't feel ill-will to anyone on the forum. We're a bunch of old folk with opinions, that's all. I think in this case, some are wrong in their thinking, but more because of their reaction to any demand that two years old is too early to be taught about racism. Teach racism at two, four, nine. I have no demand of preference. But saying I think others are over-reacting is sure upsetting some folk.
 
VaughanJB said:
But look at how strongly you feel about it. That might be worth considering. Why are you so riled up over a poorly written tabloid news story? IMO.
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Aw, here we go again. You sure are scrappy sometimes. Your points concerning teaching racism are valid... when it's a proper age to do it. You'd need to know and understand children to see what I'm saying. Two years old is too young.
 

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