The principal of a Tennessee middle school sent families a letter apologizing after announcing that the school’s Black History Month theme would be “All Lives Matter”.
What We Know:
- The phrase “all lives matter” has become a controversial rebuttal against the Black Lives Matter movement as a means to belittle and patronize the cause.
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Principal Christy Caldwell Drake of East Ridge Middle School announced her apology on Monday, explaining that the theme was meant to be portrayed in a mural at the school which would say “Where Every Child Matters”.“I want to apologize for not more fully considering the context of that theme,” she wrote in the letter that was sent to students’ families.
“As a black woman in leadership, I embrace civil rights, Black History Month and the sacrifices that have been made by those who came before me. I hope that my students, many of whom look like me, believe in the possibilities of their unlimited potential,” she wrote.
- Drake also added that both of her parents were educators and her father was even a local pastor and civil rights leader. “I had the opportunity to experience firsthand the fight for equality,” she stated.
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One parent, Jessica Arnold, told CNN affiliate WRCB that she addressed her concerns about the theme with the principal. “Whoever thought that was a good idea really just has refused to think critically about this or (is) willfully ignorant about it or just doesn’t want to educate themselves about it, and that disturbs me from the educators of my children,” Arnold said.
- A spokesman for Hamilton County Schools, Cody Patterson, says the school district has not come up with an alternative theme for the month, but claims that the East Ridge Middle School community will be “recognizing and celebrating the sacrifices made by so many Black Americans.”
The Tennessee Department of Education reports that 71.1% of the school’s students are Black, Hispanic or Native American.
