I’m working on a writing question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.
Watch the following brief video by Russell Ellis: “White Supremacy: Same Dog, Same Tricks. Time to Change the Training”:
Write a Pre-Vote Position Statement: Congratulations! Imagine that you ran for the highly contested vacant open seat for the Pinellas County School Board District 7 – and you won! As one of your first agenda items on the Board (remember that all School Boards are open to the public), you are asked to voice your position and vote on a special request by the Principal of St. Petersburg High School, Principal Biafora. Specifically, Principal Biafora has submitted a request to the Board asking for permission to use high school funds to bring to campus noted guest speaker, Mr. Russell Ellis, a self-proclaimed expert on racism and white supremacy. Mr. Ellis’s popularity rose in social media circles after his recent TedX Talk he delivered at the State University of New York, Geneseo campus where he shared his story about growing up in the South and how he become a “reformed racist.” He now travels the nation and teaches others how to deconstruct their own racial biases. Since his Ted talk, Mr. Ellis has appeared on several daytime and late-night TV shows. In his letter to the Board, Principal Biafora made a very compelling argument that Mr. Ellis could “help to unite our school and shed a light on the scourge of racism that still, unfortunately, permeates our halls.” In his letter, Principal Biafora also highlighted the recent incident where Nazi symbols were spray painted on the door of the office of Multi-Cultural Affairs at St. Pete High. Many students and parents were outraged by this “hate speech” and said that the time had come for Principal Biafora to do something. Thus, the request to bring Mr. Ellis to school for a half-day town-hall assembly and conversation.
You are one of seven members on the Pinellas County School Board. And each member has exactly five minutes to express their views on this important matter – addressing specifically their thoughts on Principal Biafora’s request to use public school funds to bring Mr. Ellis to campus and require all students to listen as part of a community-building experience. You are aware that School Board members must submit their written letters as part of the meeting record. You are keenly aware of the current issues surrounding hate speech and white supremist propaganda. In fact, you heard a great deal about this during your campaign for the school board seat you now occupy. You are also keenly aware that school board meetings are open to the public, and that sitting in the room will be both a) angry parents who want you to support Principal Biafora’s request, and b) concerned citizens who do not believe funding speaker Ellis is a good use of public tax dollars and believe that his presentation may in fact have the opposite effect and further polarize the student body.
As you draft your letter that will be read in this public forum, you reflect deeply on the course you took at the University of South Florida “Racial and Ethnic Relations” and the textbook author, Dr. Golash-Boza. As the newest member of the Board, you are the last to present your case. You know ahead of time that three of the Board Members will speak/vote in favor of Principal Biafora, and that the other three will speak/vote against. Your letter and your vote will essentially be the tiebreaker. You also know that in the audience will be the education staff writer for the Tampa Bay Times who will most certainly quote you in the Sunday paper.
Begin your two-page letter to the School Board with:
Dear President *Long, Members of the School Board, and Constituents of Pinellas County,
I am writing this letter to express my views on the request of Principal Biafora to bring to campus Mr. Russell Ellis to St. Petersburg High School to share his personal experiences and ideas on becoming a reformed racist.
End your letter with:
Respectfully Submitted,
(Insert your name), Pinellas County School Board Member District 7 1
Inch margins all around, 12 pitch/font, APA Citation Style) in length on a complex issue related to the central issues advanced in this course.
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