What if your child was told they could not go on a field trip because of the color of their skin?
That’s exactly what happened in Michigan. Mike Madison, principal of Dicken Elementary School in Ann Arbor, MI, arranged a field trip to hear Alec Gallimore, an African-American aerospace engineering professor at the University of Michigan speak.
Sounds like a great, educational, low-cost trip. Something that would inspire children’s dreams of working in the aerospace field, become an Astronaut or even explore engineering in general, right? The only catch is, only students of the African-American academic support group were allowed to go.
No white children, Hispanic children, Asian children allowed. Which is likely illegal in Michigan, under the state’s Proposal 2 which bans racial favoritism in public schools.
The decision was made to help close the achievement gap that exists between black students and other students in the school. I understand wanting to inspire kids with an example of achievement. The students attending would have been less inspired if children of other races were present?
While I’m sure there was no ill-intent, and they were trying to do what they thought was in the best interest of those kids. Ann Arbor School District spokesperson, Liz Margolis, made the situation worse, in my opinion, when she said, "But we also have to have better education for our parents so they know why it’s being done.”
So if you don’t agree with this decision, and feel your child should have been able to go; you need an education? Can you imagine if it were the opposite scenario today?