Protesters Demand Mpls. Schools Cancel Contract With Company Over Racist Books
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Protesters interrupted a Minneapolis school board meeting Tuesday night and brought it to an abrupt end.
They were demanding that the district cancel a contract with a company that provided children's books filled with racial stereotypes.
Holding signs and chanting rhymes, the group surrounded members of the Minneapolis School Board and the superintendent.
"Hey hey, ho ho, Reading Horizons has to go," they chanted.
What enraged the protesters were the company's so-called "Little Books," which were filled with images and stories that reinforce negative stereotypes.
One, for instance, is about brown-skinned "Lazy Lucy."
"I am not only appalled as a parent, but I am also very concerned that the district doesn't end its relationship with this company," said Chaun Webster, who protested at the meeting.
He has two young sons who attend Minneapolis Public Schools.
A school district spokesperson says the books are part of a curriculum created by Reading Horizons, a Utah-based company.
She says the books never made it into any Minneapolis classrooms.
It was a group of teachers in training who quickly discovered the books were inappropriate.
"I think we should cut ties," Webster said. "I don't think we should do business with folks like that."
Weeks ago, interim superintendent Michael Goar issued Reading Horizons Goar letter acknowledging the "books were not comprehensively vetted. We now know this was a mistake."
The district BOE resolution
"I'm just not confident that this company is going to be able to do that," Webster said.
Protesters want the school district to cancel its $1.2 million contract with the company.
The district says that isn't necessary since the company has agreed to revise the stories and the rest of the reading curriculum is very good.
The next school board meeting is slated for Oct.13 and has time set aside for public comment on the issue.
The protesters say they plan to attend that meeting, in large numbers.
