WE have class on Dr. MLK, Jr's B-day. Get a load of this...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

Because the administration feels we wouldn't use the day productively. Everyone else in the STATE gets out. We don't. We go longer, get out later than everyone else, and we don't get anything other than spring break off. The black students are excused if they want to go to a DOCUMENTED celebration or whatever, but that's not even available to the other students. It's ridiculous. As if the only ones that can appreciate MLK are black people.
Duckie

[Pale Blue Dot]

1. Just for giggles...

What WOULD you have done if you had the day off?

:-)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. There's a "monumental celebration" over in a smaller town nearby...

And they are having a festival. We were talking about going. But that's all we can do is talk.
Duckie

[hlthe2b]

3. Gee, that's a bad precedent...

I teach a 3-hour class on Mondays and have had to schedule two in a row for next week to makeup for it. But the only way I would not have cancelled the class on MLK would have been if the students had demanded it, rather than to have a make-up. I'm heartened that none did. If we use it as a relaxing, do nothing holiday... so be it. At least the memory of the day and what it serves to memorialize should stay with us.

[Catfish]

4. I'm annoyed about having to work that day

Up until this year, I had some input into company policy. I felt it was important to close the office on MLK day because there is so little respect for him or minorities, in general, in this small town in WV. We still had support staff return customer calls but just closed the office. This year, it's been decided by my former partner that the office will be open. It isn't the day off that I miss, it's the public expression of respect by our company that I'll miss. We take very few holidays and this was an important one to me.

[MercutioATC]

5. Excuses for black students but not white smacks of racism.

Essentially, they're saying that only blacks should honor Dr. King's work. Hmmmm, interesting...

[Catfish]

6. I agree

it's as if they are saying that MLK is only important to one group of people and that civil rights only matters to minorities.

[newyorican]

7. Racism in America?!?

shocking....

[MercutioATC]

9. Granted, but for a school to make this a policy??

I think an op-ed piece to the local paper would be in order, at the very least...perhaps a call to the ACLU (not that they don't have bigger fish to fry, but it sounds like something they might like).

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. There were several people who did that last year...

And it didn't work. I live in the middle of a town where the only black people live or work at the University. It's a white bread town in the middle of Oklahoma.
Duckie

[veganwitch]

12. its just like trent lott

saying there are more important people that deserve to have a day (when he opposed making MLK day a national holiday). what other holidays do you get off that you actually take time to reflect on their namesakes?? practically none except for maybe veterans day. the fourth of july is just an excuse to blow of fireworks and the 'murkcins to wave their flags.

[nuxvomica]

8. This sounds pretty racist to me

Why would they single out MLK's day as one were you would be unproductive over holidays celebrating white guys? And the black students are excused but not that whites! :wtf:

[veganwitch]

11. we had class at my college too

of course we were a small private school.

but it was interesting because you could count the number of African-American students with two hands (of about 2000 total students). and the only major think happening that day was the right-to-life organization linking the civil rights movement with the anti-choice movement.

i loved my school. *gack*