School Official Calls Hurricane Evacuees "Yard Apes" - Fired

[matcom]

<snip>

A Greenville Technical College official who school leaders say twice referred to New Orleans evacuees in Greenville as "yard apes" has resigned, according to the school.

The college moved Wednesday to show it was an isolated incident and that it is intent on building a work force representative of the black community.

"She's not a member of this institution today," said Greenville Tech President Tom Barton. "Too much damage had been done."

Renee Holcombe, formerly an associate vice president for student services with a staff of about 40, told employees in two separate briefings last week that the school's aid for the mostly black hurricane victims staying at the Palmetto Expo Center would include sending yellow buses to pick up the "yard apes," said Barton and senior vice president Ben Dillard.

Reached at her home Wednesday, Holcombe declined to comment except to say that she was "numb and shocked."

Dillard said Wednesday that Holcombe was referring specifically to the children of evacuees, who were provided separate transportation.

The derogatory term is based on long-held stereotypes comparing blacks to monkeys and is considered "highly offensive" to blacks, said Dr. John Simpkins, associate director of the Riley Institute at Furman University. Simpkins also is an assistant professor at the Charleston School of Law and an author on race and culture in the South.

Paul Guy, president of the NAACP's local chapter, said what disturbs him most is that 15 black workers attended the meetings and none of them reported the remark to the NAACP. He said it could indicate black employees "are afraid to speak up," although he has not fully investigated the matter.

http://www.greenvillenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050915/NEWS04/509150321

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Throckmorton]

2. I didn't know Yard Ape was a racial slur,

I call my kids Yard Apes all the time.

[DS1]

5. Well, I suppose while we're on topic

There's also a porch variation of this that's typically considered highly racist.

[Hugin]

12. Yeah, that one is really bad...

It's on my long list of things *NOT* to say while trying
to win friends and influence people.

What about "Rug Rats" and "Ankle Biters"?

[Allenberg]

7. I know alot of Pittsburghers

who use the same term in completly non-racial ways. :shrug:

[SoCalDem]

13. also...ankle-biters..rug-rats

she chose her words poorly..a public official has to always weigh their words and consider who's going to hear/read them..

I have called my own kids monkeys..because of the silly ways they acted, but it was in my own home..

[Hugin]

15. To be clear...

I've used the term "monkey" to refer to people I have a great
deal of affection for, but, it's always in an intimate conversation
and in a humorous manner. Never in a condescending tone.

Heck, I refer to myself as "a monkey" all the time. But, then
I have no problem with evolution and I think monkeys may have
one up on humans in that area anyway.

[SoCalDem]

17. That's why I said "at home"..

Anytime you are not on intimate terms with people you should always consider how your words will be received:) The Bush Admin/most republicans have tin ears:(

[Hugin]

19. No kidding...

Mean and spiteful... Mean and spiteful...

[VelmaD]

4. You know...

you lose the moral high ground in discussing the use of racial slurs...when you use gender slurs yourself.

You might want to check out that beam in your own eye.

[radwriter0555]

11. I was wondering if anyone else would notice that.

I can't imagine ever calling my kid any sort of names, whatsoever, under any circumstances, either.

But that's just me.

What happened to referring to people as women, men, kids, boys, girls, ladies, gentlemen?

Whatta world, whatta world.

[VelmaD]

20. I'm glad I wasn't the only one...

who saw it. Now if the mods would just deal with it.

[defiant1]

3. What a moron....

There are just some things you don't say in front of a room of people. Especially with 15 black people in the room.

:puke:

[underpants]

6. As in Greenville SOUTH CAROLINA???? Really? South Carolina?

[kick-ass-bob]

10. Why does SC hate America??/?

Why do they have that Islam crescent in their flag?/??/

:grr:

[underpants]

18. Why is there a toilet bowl cleaner?

Seriously, I heard a while back that that symbol is the new rebel flag. For those who fear having a rebel flag on their car but still support ;-) what it represents they can put an SC flag on their car-se SC was the first to secede.

You probably see more of them than I do....and I see a lot of them.

[RobinA]

21. The Palmetto

On the license plate, the SC palmetto always looked to me like a mushroom cloud - as in nuclear explosion. For years I could not figure out why a state would have a nuclear explosion on its cars.

[Hugin]

8. Honestly! What would possess someone to say such a thing.

Has the sense of decorum in America really degraded that much?

[Allenberg]

9. Is it really that racial of a term?

I don't believe Beverly Cleary is a racist.

http://hall.gresham.k12.or.us/esl/ramonagabym.html

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. It's not inherently a racist term - my mom used to call us that

when we were kids, as did some of our aunts and uncles, and we're all white. I know they were NOT trying to make it seem that we were acting like black kids, just that we were acting like apes in the yard. And, by God, we were! We were kids, that's what kids do.

But, in this circumstance, I would say it's clearly a racist remark, or at best, a VERY unthoughtful remark to make - even though we used to the term as kids, I would never use it for anyone non-white because of all the baggage of comparing black people to chimps, apes, monkeys.

I come down on the side of it being a clearly racist remark in this case.

[sakabatou]

14. Ape she is, no, even lower