Prominent professor says grandson called N-word at elementary school
A prominent Georgetown University professor claims his 6-year-old grandson was called the N-word and threatened with a gun at his school in Washington, DC.
The incident, involving Michael Eric Dyson’s grandson Maxem, happened in the lunchroom Tuesday at Horace Mann Elementary School, DC Public Schools officials told Fox 5 DC.
Dyson, who teaches sociology at Georgetown and frequently speaks about race relations on TV, said the other student who allegedly hurled the slur and threats is a first-grader who is white.
“He says, ‘I’m going to go home and get my father’s gun and come back and shoot you,’” Dyson told Fox 5. “Unfortunately this represents for us the deep and abiding roots of white supremacy that are set loose in this country. How can a 6-year-old kid know to call his classmate the N-word?”
He said the confrontation occurred when Maxem and the other student rushed to be first in line.
The other child was allowed to finish out the school day, “which is incredible to me,” said Dyson.
District spokesman Shayne Wells said a threat was made but officials are working to determine whether a slur was also used.
The student was spoken to by the principal and officials are now determining appropriate discipline. They also plan to meet with the child’s parents.
Dyson provided an update on Twitter following a meeting Wednesday with Maxem’s parents, the other student’s parents, school officials and police.
“I’m glad to report none of them were defensive. They owned up immediately to what happened, were horrified themselves about the situation and behavior and have pledged not only to address this particular incident, but an institutional response to systemic problems of race and violence that need to be addressed,” Dyson said in a video posted on Twitter.
The scholar urged others to share similar stories.
“Send me your stories, I want to use my platform to advocate for you,” he said.
In a statement, the district said, “We will provide Mann the support it needs to adequately address this issue and continue to partner with our school communities to ensure meaningful learning and positive interactions occur within all of our school buildings.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/01/prominent-professor-says-grandson-called-n-word-at-elementary-school/
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