Current Events > Principal refuses to allow first black valedictorian to give speech

(+) Yeah! (+)

When Jaisaan Lovett graduated last month as his high school's first black valedictorian, he prepared a speech but he says his principal wouldn't let him give it. So someone else stepped in who wanted to hear what he had to say: the mayor of Rochester, New York, Lovely Warren. Not only that, she gave him a much wider audience for his message.

Lovett, a new graduate of Rochester's University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men, was planning on encouraging his classmates and thanking his parents, siblings and teachers, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. He also acknowledged some past run-ins with the principal over student protests.

Lovett said he was never asked to give a graduation speech, though past valedictorians had gotten to, according to the newspaper. When he asked to speak anyway, he said the principal, Joseph Munno, said no.

"He didn't want to see the speech or what it said, nothing," Lovett told the Democrat and Chronicle. "He just said no." The paper said Munno declined to comment.

Mayor Warren invited Lovett, who works in her office as an intern, to deliver the speech at City Hall. She then posted it on her YouTube channel and Facebook page.

"Unfortunately, Jaisaan's school did not allow him to give his valedictorian speech," Warren said in the video. "For some reason, his school in a country where freedom of speech is a constitution right, and the city of Frederick Douglass turned his moment of triumph into a time of sorrow and pain.

"Jaisaan will never graduate from high school again. He will never get that moment back. This is not the time to punish a child because you may not like what he has to say."

Lovett had his own message for his principal, too.

"I'm here as the UPrep 2018 valedictorian to tell you that you couldn't break me. I'm still here, and I'm still here strong," Lovett said in the video. "And after all these years, all this anger I've had toward you and UPrep as a whole, I realized I had to let that go in order to better myself."

The school's board of trustees responded to the controversy in a Facebook post, saying they're "aware of the concern" and will be "reviewing the circumstances regarding what happened." They wished Lovett "much success as he continues his education at Clark Atlanta University, which he will attend on full scholarship, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/principal-refuses-to-allow-first-black-valedictorian-to-give-speech-so-rochester-mayor-intervenes/

So he did some protesting and now the principle wont let him make a speech?
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LightHawKnight posted...

So he did some protesting and now the principle wont let him make a speech?

That's the sum of it.
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fair next
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What a spiteful prick

And he's fired:
https://13wham.com/news/local/university-preparatory-charter-school-for-young-men-announces-new-president

EDIT:
Although I'm pretty sure this is one of those charter schools that you send violent kids to, so I'd really love to know what his "past incidences" were. The school itself refuses to say:

When asked about Lovetts past of disciplinary issues, she said his past is irrelevant and that he should be able to speak at graduation.

"At the end of the day, this young man achieved great accomplishments in our community," Warren said. "And we highlight the negative things that young people do in this community. I believe we need to highlight the great things and the great opportunities that people do in our community."

"Let's not look at what went wrong here, Warren said. "Let's look at what went right. When I looked at Jaisaan after he could not give his valedectorian speech, he was broken and we put him back together."

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Why is race relevant to this story
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SomeLikeItHoth posted...

Why is race relevant to this story

Because we're supposed to act like a black valedictorian is so rare as to make this doubly-bad, I guess
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s0nicfan posted...

so I'd really love to know what his "past incidences" were.

It literally doesn't matter

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

Why is race relevant to this story

cause it might be that the principle said no cause he didn't want a black boy giving a speech. that's the impression I got

Axiom posted...

s0nicfan posted...

so I'd really love to know what his "past incidences" were.

It literally doesn't matter

It literally does. He wouldn't be the first person in the history of schooling to have the right to give a speech at graduation revoked due to behavior. That's gotta be about as rare as class trips or dance being cancelled because of a senior prank or drugs.
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Axiom posted...

s0nicfan posted...

so I'd really love to know what his "past incidences" were.

It literally doesn't matter

maybe he has a history of racially charged comments and protests
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When asked about Lovetts past of disciplinary issues, she said his past is irrelevant

Well that settles that.
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Why didn't CBS include race in their title when they were writing about a Hispanic was racially attacked by a black woman?
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Why is everything that happens to a black person apparently news now?

This is getting silly
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are smart black people rare? why is the story acting like they are

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Theoretically speaking, what if his past was that he sexually assaulted a teacher? Would that change your opinion of the past "mattering"?
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Coffeebeanz posted...

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Theoretically speaking, what if his past was that he sexually assaulted a teacher? Would that change your opinion of the past "mattering"?

How can you claim to be a doctor and create this stupid strawman

why do smart people who claim to be smart debating people try to insult people when they can't answer questions

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Doing a little research and it appears the past 2 valedictorians were also black.

Axiom posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Theoretically speaking, what if his past was that he sexually assaulted a teacher? Would that change your opinion of the past "mattering"?

How can you claim to be a doctor and create this stupid strawman

I explicitly stated it was a theoretical question.

You made a blanket statement that one's past "doesn't matter in the least."

I'm just asking you back it up.

You can be a valedictorian and still have a criminal record. A criminal record can and probably should prevent someone from being a keynote speaker at a graduation.
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The mayor wouldn't ask him to speak if he raped someone and the principal sure wouldn't hestitate to give that as the reason for denying him. That's just a dumb "theoretical"

is this what its like to see a trump speech cause its cool

WheezinEd posted...

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Doing a little research and it appears the past 2 valedictorians were also black.

How are the past 2 black if he was the first black valedictorian?

s0nicfan posted...

And he's fired:
https://13wham.com/news/local/university-preparatory-charter-school-for-young-men-announces-new-president

myzz7 posted...

fair next

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From the student's words, it sounds like there was some existing animosity between him and the administration
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SomeGuyUO posted...

"Unfortunately, Jaisaan's school did not allow him to give his valedictorian speech," Warren said in the video. "For some reason, his school in a country where freedom of speech is a constitution right, and the city of Frederick Douglass turned his moment of triumph into a time of sorrow and pain.

I am so tired of people misunderstanding what that actually means. People that lean on this crutch are like a child that just learned about the first amendment and immediately runs around spouting obscenities and vulgarity claiming "freedom of speech!!!"

Axiom posted...

The mayor wouldn't ask him to speak if he raped someone and the principal sure wouldn't hestitate to give that as the reason for denying him. That's just a dumb "theoretical"

Don't make a blanket statement if you can't back it up.

You don't know this person's past. You can't state plainly that you have enough information to criticize the administration.
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Coffeebeanz posted...

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Theoretically speaking, what if his past was that he sexually assaulted a teacher? Would that change your opinion of the past "mattering"?

why would he still be at the school if he sexually assaulted a teacher

why would the mayor invite him to speak if he's been convicted of sexual assault

what point do you think you're trying to make
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Kitt posted...

s0nicfan posted...

And he's fired:
https://13wham.com/news/local/university-preparatory-charter-school-for-young-men-announces-new-president

myzz7 posted...

fair next

We have a culture of "fire first, verify later".

Not worth the constant public backlash.
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Freddie_Mercury posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Theoretically speaking, what if his past was that he sexually assaulted a teacher? Would that change your opinion of the past "mattering"?

why would he still be at the school if he sexually assaulted a teacher

why would the mayor invite him to speak if he's been convicted of sexual assault

what point do you think you're trying to make

It's pretty obvious what point I'm making.

You don't have enough information to make an informed opinion of this case, and there's not enough information provided in the article to rectify it. Everything else that extends beyond it is a jump to conclusions.

This culture of instant-crucification has to stop.

As long as we have a "public flogging of the day" mindset, things are just going to get worse. One day it may even happen to you, and you'll wonder why you didn't get at least a few hours to try and explain what happened.
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Axiom posted...

The mayor wouldn't ask him to speak if he raped someone and the principal sure wouldn't hestitate to give that as the reason for denying him. That's just a dumb "theoretical"

It's also highly unlikely he would still be at that school
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You say as you insinuate he has some terrible background without any indication whatsoever that is actually the case while another guy claims it's a school for violent offenders

All evidence indicates the principal had a grudge against him and yet you guys claim he was justified because of a terrible background that isn't indicated anywhere

Axiom posted...

You say as you insinuate he has some terrible background without any indication whatsoever that is actually the case while another guy claims it's a school for violent offenders

All evidence indicates the principal had a grudge against him and yet you guys claim he was justified because of a terrible background that isn't indicated anywhere

I'm not claiming it was justified at all.

I'm saying we don't have enough information to make an informed opinion one way or another.

For all we know, the principal could've been a total asswipe and deserved to be fired. Likewise, for all we know the valedictorian could've been a total dickhead to the administration for years and this is his comeuppance.
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Coffeebeanz posted...

I'm saying we don't have enough information to make an informed opinion one way or another.

Actually we do. The student admitted that he and principal had issues and the principal was later forced to retire. There is far more information that says a grudge was the case instead of something like his background preventing him

Axiom posted...

All evidence indicates the principal had a grudge against him

This was my takeaway
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Coffeebeanz posted...

I'm saying we don't have enough information to make an informed opinion one way or another.

Common sense is all you need. If his past actions were so horrendous then he wouldn't still be in the school.

That's why your point about sexual assault was dumb.

Axiom posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

Axiom posted...

No it literally doesn't. He's valedictorian for a reason and every valedictorian has given a speech before at this school. His past doesn't matter in the least. You're just attempting to smear the guy for who knows why

Theoretically speaking, what if his past was that he sexually assaulted a teacher? Would that change your opinion of the past "mattering"?

How can you claim to be a doctor and create this stupid strawman

Typical racist hapa, don't take it seriously.
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Coffeebeanz posted...

Axiom posted...

You say as you insinuate he has some terrible background without any indication whatsoever that is actually the case while another guy claims it's a school for violent offenders

All evidence indicates the principal had a grudge against him and yet you guys claim he was justified because of a terrible background that isn't indicated anywhere

I'm not claiming it was justified at all.

I'm saying we don't have enough information to make an informed opinion one way or another.

For all we know, the principal could've been a total asswipe and deserved to be fired. Likewise, for all we know the valedictorian could've been a total dickhead to the administration for years and this is his comeuppance.

Jumping to "what if he sexually assaulted someone" was the dumbest way to say this possible. You might as well have said "what if he's actually a space alien"
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Frankly I'm just fed up with the idea of Twitter Lynch Mobs destroying the credibility of people without due process.

As much as Gawker makes me want to vomit, their public apology follow-up to Justine Sacco is required reading for anyone who wants to know about the dangers of a "kill first" response mentality:

http://gawker.com/justine-sacco-is-good-at-her-job-and-how-i-came-to-pea-1653022326

So I did it: I said I was sorry posting her tweet had teleported her into a world of media scrutiny and misery. I'd tried not admitting even to myself that I was sorry, toying with various exculpatory principles like a child's wooden blocks: posting her tweet had been media criticism, industry watchdoggery, social justice, karma.
I'd managed to half-convince myself what I'd done was right, but then I saw her face. How often do you get to say you're sorry to someone you ruined on the internet? I was in a daze.

"I was so naive," she said. She had never expected the tweet would be interpreted the way it was.

To her, the entire thing had been plain:

She was flying to South Africa, where she has family.

This trip, she explained, made her think about how so many westerners consider HIV/AIDS an "African thing," when of course there is a domestic AIDS epidemic.

Her tweet was supposed to mimicand mockwhat an actual racist, ignorant person would say.

Ergo, tweeting that thought would be an ironic statement, a joke, the opposite of what it seemed to say. Not knowing anything about her, I had taken its cluelessness at face value, and hundreds of thousands of people had done the sameinstantly hating her because it's easy and thrilling to hate a stranger online.

Sacco was not depressed, or even slightly bitter, and said she bore no resentment towards me at all. She'd only wanted to meet up, she explained, because I owed it to her. I should get to know her before ever writing about her again. There was no catch, no setup, no tricksshe just wanted me to consider her a person, and not a meme.

How could someone who tweeted something so stupid be so emotionally perfected? How could she not hate me? She was serene, decent, and despite the continued existence of Twitter, hopeful: "Someday you'll Google me and my LinkedIn will be the first thing that pops up." That part was heartbreaking.

The point I'm trying to make is this: NEVER assume you know the full story about anything - and especially don't demand that actions be taken immediately in those situations. These are real people's lives. To so carelessly label people as racist without having a shred of knowledge about the person can ruin their lives forever, all for a few minutes of self-gratification.
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Every post Coffeebeanz has made in race related topics has been anti-black, even when the black person was clearly a victim like this topic.

SomeGuyUO posted...

How are the past 2 black if he was the first black valedictorian?

It appears that's something the media is literally just making up. I couldn't find any statements from the school or Lovett that he was the first black valedictorian at the school. And I found this video of the 2016 graduation where the valedictorian makes a speech and is a black person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28DMJW5Cj1s" data-time="

Always do research. Never take anything at face value.

Oh_Boy_ posted...

Every post Coffeebeanz has made in race related topics has been anti-black, even when the black person was clearly a victim like this topic.

I'm not going to tolerate this. The only reason I post in any "race related topic" is because I am tired of people having their lives ruined (on either side) because we've created a society that enjoys the drama of it. It literally has nothing to do with race at all - other than racial issues tend to be the ones that people are most likely to immediately react so extremely to.

It doesn't matter if it's politics, race, sexual orientation, whatever. I do not tolerate this "assume first, question later" culture we've created. Someone has to stand up to it.

The officer who arrested Sherita Dixon-Cole received death threats even AFTER he was vindicated with body cam footage. That's absolutely unacceptable. This Twitter-fueled obsession with vigilante justice has to stop.
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Coffeebeanz posted...

Oh_Boy_ posted...

Every post Coffeebeanz has made in race related topics has been anti-black, even when the black person was clearly a victim like this topic.

I'm not going to tolerate this. The only reason I post in any "race related topic" is because I am tired of people having their lives ruined (on either side) because we've created a society that enjoys the drama of it.

Blah blah blah, tolerate these nutz. You're a racist shit head and you run around trying to make it seem like racism doesn't exist due to cognitive dissonance. LMAO, someone said you're a hapa?I'm actually hapa myself(well 3/4 white)...i see which side of the fence of that cluster fuck you fall on, and with that nothing else to say to your ass.

Oh_Boy_ posted...

Every post Coffeebeanz has made in race related topics has been anti-black, even when the black person was clearly a victim like this topic.

Clearly? The point is we don't know if his race mattered for this situation. Claiming it is, based off solely the fact he is black and the other isn't is ignorant and just plays into this victimization culture we are in now.
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What you just said about me is completely unacceptable and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Just because you disagree with my philosophy on doubting the veracity of stories like these does not give you the right to label me a racist. That is pathetic and unacceptable.
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Dusk_ posted...

Oh_Boy_ posted...

Every post Coffeebeanz has made in race related topics has been anti-black, even when the black person was clearly a victim like this topic.

Clearly? The point is we don't know if his race mattered for this situation. Claiming it is, based off solely the fact he is black and the other isn't is ignorant and just plays into this victimization culture we are in now.

In my opinion, has nothing to due with him being black. This looks like a school for fuck ups with a large black student body. This doesn't take away anything said about Coffeebeanz, it's 100% true.
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WheezinEd posted...

SomeGuyUO posted...

How are the past 2 black if he was the first black valedictorian?

It appears that's something the media is literally just making up. I couldn't find any statements from the school or Lovett that he was the first black valedictorian at the school. And I found this video of the 2016 graduation where the valedictorian makes a speech and is a black person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28DMJW5Cj1s" data-time="

Always do research. Never take anything at face value.

So they're putting out a fake news article and it has absolutely zero to do with him being black.

Those are very sick people. Trump is so right about them.
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Coffeebeanz posted...

What you just said about me is completely unacceptable and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Just because you disagree with my philosophy on doubting the veracity of stories like these does not give you the right to label me a racist. That is pathetic and unacceptable.

If you're replying to me and not Oh_Boy:

I'm not ashamed of anything I've ever said on this site since 1999. Second, he's right about you and so am I. You're a racist piece of shit who despises black people and are a bit too chickenshit to be direct about it, so your average CE racist(not saying all of CE is racist).
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