Texas teacher fired over racially charged Ferguson tweet

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

A Dallas-area teacher who was accused of sending a racially charged tweet about events in Ferguson, Mo., was fired on Friday, school officials said.

Vinita Hegwood, a high school English teacher, was discharged at a special meeting of the trustees of the Duncanville Independent School District, according to a statement emailed by the district.

"In a special meeting this morning, the Duncanville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to terminate the teaching contract of Ms. Vinita Hegwood effective immediately," according to the statement.

Hegwood was accused of sending insensitive comments from her personal Twitter account on Nov. 7. She had apologized.

"Who the [expletive] made you dumb [expletives] think I give a squat [expletive] about your opinions. #Ferguson Kill yourselves," read one of the messages Hegwood allegedly sent.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-teacher-fired-over-racially-charged-ferguson-tweet/ar-BBdJRE9?ocid=DELLDHP

[leftynyc]

1. Have to admit to being

very surprised this teacher got canned in TX.

[Enthusiast]

4. Me too.

[snooper2]

6. I bet folks would be more surprised if they did a google image search

[New Deal Dave]

48. WOW!

[Ms. Toad]

8. It was a black woman,

using racially charged words against white folks.

Make more sense now?

[hifiguy]

13. Perfect sense.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

15. Yep, and she deserved to lose her job n/t

[Ms. Toad]

16. I just suspect that the response would not have been

so swift, or so severe, had the races been reversed.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

18. I disagree

Now, might it vary from state to state? Probably. But I don't doubt that had the races been reversed in the same school/district, the outcome would have been the same.

[Ms. Toad]

45. Any particular reason you believe that?

As a general rule, white people get away with a lot of behavior that would result in disciplinary actions if done by someone of color.

I wish I could find an article I'm remembering - because it really made it hit home for me when I realized that all the crap my spouse gets away with when she pretends rules don't apply to her result in a very different responses when people of color engage in the same behaviors. Until I read that article, I had not connected the tolerant and amused reactions she gets, and the fact that she gets away with it, with race.

I have no reason to believe this particular school district has any super-powers to avoid the different ways nearly everyone unconsiously views race in this country.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

46. I believe the school board

when they say that they can't tolerate that kind of egregious behavior. I have no reason to believe they would tolerate it from a white teacher.

Do you believe that the teacher should have been fired? If not, why not?

[AnalystInParadise]

53. Good lord

not this crap again. Let's try to stay on target and not deflect. A woman (in this case a black woman) made hateful racially charged remarks....her place of employment fired her. This is a win for the school district, a win for morality and standards and a win for those against racism. The only person that loses here is the racist woman that made the remarks.......

[Ms. Toad]

67. Let's see.

A 20 year black teacher makes remarks on Friday on her own time, on her own personal twitter account, placed on leave on Monday, apologizes and resigns on Thursday, the school board rejects her resignation so they can fire her. Standard behavior for dealing with dealing with white folks who behave badly, right?

white teacher, in school, makes similar racist remarks directly to students:

Several students were eating lunch in a North Carolina math teacher’s classroom when the teacher reportedly told one of them that “if she only had 10 days to live that she would kill all black people.” A student accused Cynthia Ramsey, the head of the math department at Camden County High School of making the remark. After the school district called in the local sheriff’s office to investigate this allegation, several students told investigators the same story, according to local news station WAVY-10 (although a few students have since come to Ramsey’s defense in a subsequent news report).

Although Ramsey spent more than a week suspended from her teaching duties, she is now back in the classroom, according to WAVY. According to a statement by the district’s superintendent, “At this point, our main concern is to investigate this incident thoroughly, and collect the facts. This is a personnel issue, and it is confidential until resolved. We are following protocol in this investigation and student and school employee investigations are confidential.”

Yup. Treated exactly the same way.

[Hoyt]

76. I agree Toad. I'm kinda surprised folks think a white teacher posting about "Thugs" would be fired.

[Oktober]

77. Thugs does not necessarily refer to African Americans...

Maybe to you it does?

[Hoyt]

78. It does when right wingers use it to apply to Ferguson protesters and the murdered kid.

Go over to the Discussionist and see who uses the term "thug" and what they mean by it in reference to Ferguson.

[Oktober]

79. Subjective....

... at a minimum

[Hoyt]

80. Go to Discussionist.com and see who uses term "thug" and what they mean by it in reference Ferguson.

Nothing subjective about it. It is an overt racist reference in that sense.

I really have no problem with the teacher using the term "cracker" in reference to the Governor, police department and right/white wingers threatening potential protesters. Surprised you do.

[Oktober]

84. Racist is racist...

Never something to be condoned or even approved of... You seem to disagree...

[ZombieHorde]

87. Generally speaking, most people like the perception of consistancy.

In the minds of many people, if saying "cracker" is OK, then saying other slurs is OK. History is irrelevant. Current power structures are irrelevant. The people we want to convince don't see history and current power structures. Most people crave fairness, and we generally believe what we personally see and hear. Because of this, publically using the term "cracker" is teaching people that all racial slurs are OK.

[ZombieHorde]

86. I noticed

the word "thug" being used in a slur-like way during the Martin/Zimmerman investigation/trial/aftermath. Of course not every use of the word is based on anti-black bigotry, but it does seem to be used as a slur lately.

[Oktober]

89. In the sense...

... that a black person can act like a thug and so can a white person.

It's the behavior and not the person.

[Cooley Hurd]

100. I'm sure you're one to also point out that...

...the f-word (in relation to LGBT) is also a bundle of sticks.

[Oktober]

101. No... because I understand the concept of context...

... and modern usage.

When you call someone a F****t, only about .00001% of the population is going to first thing of a bundle of sticks.

When you call someone a thug, the only people who associate that with black people are racists. It certainly doesn't apply to the population at large.

[Cooley Hurd]

102. That's a subjective observation on your part...

[Oktober]

103. If you are inclined to throw common sense and your powers of observation out the window...

Sure...

[Cooley Hurd]

104. Common sense is rarely...

...common.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

81. In a completely different state

As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter how long the woman was a teacher, it doesn't matter what her record was, it doesn't matter that it was her personal Twitter account, and it doesn't matter that she was on her own time.

She made racist comments, which in my mind, means that she should in no way be in any kind of authority position over children in a classroom. And that applies whether she's black, white, yellow or spotted.

I can't believe that on a Democratic website I'm actually seeing people defend racism.

[Hoyt]

83. Is it "racism" to call out the Governor, police force, right wingers threatening protesters, etc.

I don't think so.

And I know darn well that a white teacher using the term "thug" -- or worse -- in reference to protesters and Mike Brown would not have been fired.

[ZombieHorde]

88. You're making two points here.

And I know darn well that a white teacher using the term "thug" -- or worse -- in reference to protesters and Mike Brown would not have been fired.

I suspect you are correct here.

Is it "racism" to call out the Governor, police force, right wingers threatening protesters, etc.
I don't think so.

If racial slurs are used, then the call out will appear racist. Doesn't matter if it's racist or not. Perception is reality. Not all parents are delighted to hear their child's teacher using racial slurs. Our words can decrease tensions, increase tensions, or do nothing to tensions. Public use of the word "cracker" increases tensions, whether you like it or think it's the dumbest thing ever.

[Hoyt]

94. I hear you, but I don't have a problem calling white racists, "crackers"

Especially local officials who are arming up and threatening potential protesters. Throw in threats from the KKK, and I can see this teacher using the term "cracker."

Of course, I'm one of those who really don't think Blacks typically have the requisite power to be racist.

[AnalystInParadise]

90. Yes very standard behavior

towards a racist........white or black.

Spin it however you want, your mind is already made up, but the fact that you are upset a black racist got fired is very telling.

[mercuryblues]

92. here is a lovely teacher from Houston.

Angela Box @TheBoxThatRoxx
· Jun 29
The next time a #LowInformationVoter says I am a racist for opposing @BarackObama I'm going to go #Apocalypse on them.


Angela Box @TheBoxThatRoxx
· Jul 1
Ask Larry Sinclair how Barry likes his crack...among other things. Stay classy @BarackObama . http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/06/30/Obama-Jokes-White-House-Pastry-Chef-Puts-Crack-In-His-Pies …

And much more and worse at her account.

She does not limit herself to twitter hate. She is a regular guest on a Houston cable access show called Tommy’s Garage. It is described as being Conservative raunchy, bigoted, and profane show.


http://egbertowillies.com/2014/11/15/bigot-against-muslim-teacher-angela-box/

What is the reaction?

Despite parents concern that a virulent racist is teaching their kids The school is keeping her. This is being framed a free speech issue.

"How can any parent trust that whatever she sends home about their child is truthful when you have a teacher with such bigotry and such hateful beliefs?," said Quanell X.

Houston ISD has reviewed episodes of "Tommy's Garage" and says Box will remain in the classroom. Parental concerns, the district says, will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/27392681/more-parents-object-to-racial-views-of-hisd-teacher

[simak]

95. Not when it comes to racism.

It's far more serious to be accused of racism as a white.

There are some who argue that racial animus is not racism by definition when the offender belongs to the minority population. IOW, "blacks can't be racist".

I say this as a response to the apparent suggestion that the school's being overly hard on her because she's black. It's far more likely that they're cutting her some slack compared to a white teacher who might say something similar. Apologies if that wasn't what you meant.

[Hoyt]

96. Wrong. A white teacher would not have been canned for that. Plus, I think what lady said is true.

See #92 for some examples.

[Ms. Toad]

97. Right.

That explains the disparity the recent widely publicized case, in which a White teacher told her students (in school, while on the job) that her bucket list included spending the last 10 days killing black people. She was treated so much harshly - they lynched her....if by lynching you mean they gave her a brief unpaid suspension and she is back on the job.

[840high]

36. It would have been the same.

[d_b]

52. oh, absolutely not

I knew she wasn't white just by the headline.


if she were white, right now the school would be in the 'reviewing the facts' stage.

after that, maybe a 30 day vacation. Then she'd do the fox news thing. etc.

[Oktober]

61. It would have been faster...

[Ms. Toad]

65. Really?

A 20 year teacher tweets on Friday, is suspended on Monday, apologizes and resigns on Thursday, her resignation was rejected on Thursday for the sole purpose of firing her on Friday?

Even in the case of a teacher having sex with students I don't know that I have ever seen a reaction that swift.

[Oktober]

66. Apples to apples is the only real way to compare this...

IOW, is there an equivalent teacher out there who tweeted "Who **** the made you dumb Ni****s think I give a squat about your opinions. Kill yourselves"

Maybe there is...

I'm confident that if it were to make level of national news then that teacher would be out on their ass in a heartbeat.

[Ms. Toad]

68. You would be wrong about that.

This white teacher spoke similar words, directly to students, on the job at school

Several students were eating lunch in a North Carolina math teacher’s classroom when the teacher reportedly told one of them that “if she only had 10 days to live that she would kill all black people.” A student accused Cynthia Ramsey, the head of the math department at Camden County High School of making the remark. After the school district called in the local sheriff’s office to investigate this allegation, several students told investigators the same story, according to local news station WAVY-10 (although a few students have since come to Ramsey’s defense in a subsequent news report).

Although Ramsey spent more than a week suspended from her teaching duties, she is now back in the classroom, according to WAVY. According to a statement by the district’s superintendent, “At this point, our main concern is to investigate this incident thoroughly, and collect the facts. This is a personnel issue, and it is confidential until resolved. We are following protocol in this investigation and student and school employee investigations are confidential.”

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/03/3587641/high-school-teacher-back-in-classroom-despite-reportedly-saying-she-would-kill-all-black-people/

It's been more than a heartbeat, and guess what - she's back on the job.

[Oktober]

69. It's closer but the evidence is much clearer for the twitter feed... Written word and all...

According to the story you provided, some deny it, some affirm it etc..

[Ms. Toad]

72. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

There are always reasons for treating individual black people more swiftly and harshly than individual white people for similar behavior. But the problem is systemic, and if you cant see it - and continue to rationalize it away - you are part of why it still continues. We are not a race blind society.

[Oktober]

73. You think it's an excuse to conduct an investigation to see if it really happened?

Should the word of some students be enough? Especially when others disagree?

The moron teacher in the OP sealed her fate the moment she publicly and permanently outed herself as a racist. There was no question other than to make sure someone didn't hold a gun to her head.

[Ms. Toad]

74. I think when people insist there are no differences between how whites and blacks are treated

and individual instances of differences are always explained away as "apples and oranges" or "see here, there's this difference. It really isn't disparate treatment, because I can always find some difference in any example you provide." Yes - excuses.

Do you really think a black teacher accused by several students of saying that she would like to spend her final 10 days on earth killing white students would be back in the classroom while they were investigating? Seriously? If so, there's a bridge in Brooklyn with your name on it.

[Oktober]

75. Find the example and we can chat...

Otherwise you are just conjecturing through the lens of your own personal views.

Pointing out how things are significantly different doesn't fall in the excuse category. It falls in the facts and logic section...

The word of a student and friends, especially when taken against another group of students is not even close to the same thing as a self immolating blast of public and immediately verifiable racism that we see in the OP.

[mercuryblues]

85. Even if

situations were exactly the same and outcomes different there would people who would say well, she obviously picked her nose during the meeting so that is the reason.

Saying that you would kill black people (some of whom are your students) is more egregious to me than some random posts cherry picked from twitter.

[randys1]

26. She forgot her place, just for a minute

[SickOfTheOnePct]

29. I really hope you're being sarcastic n/t

[randys1]

30. I am pointing out that Black people cant do what white people do all the time and

get away with

[SickOfTheOnePct]

31. You're assuming that a white teacher

in the same district wouldn't be fired for tweeting racist remarks, whereas I'm assuming he or she would be.

Do you believe this teacher should have been fired?

[NaturalHigh]

42. Like what?

[Oktober]

70. Forgetting ones place and going on racist screeds for the whole world to see are oceans apart...

The only place she forgot was the one for being a decent human being.

[tammywammy]

24. Duncanville isn't a little whites only hick town.

There's a larger minority population than white. Being from the area, on the news and such people heavily favored her getting fired. So yeah I think if it was a white teacher it would have been just as swift.

[Lee-Lee]

33. For an area with such a huge minority presence the school board has 6 of 7 seats filled by whites

http://duncanvilleisd.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=226215

Just sayin

[Travis_0004]

43. If thats who the voters elected then I dont see a problem

[New Deal Dave]

49. Travis, you're kidding us, right?

[Travis_0004]

60. no

There was an election and those people won, so the community thinks those are the best people for the job.

[Hoyt]

93. Sounds a lot like Ferguson.

[tblue37]

56. Apparently she is black, and her tweets were aimed at whites, whom she

called "crackers."

So not all that surprising in Texas after all.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

59. What does "racially charged" mean?

It sounds suspiciously ambiguous.

[Dont call me Shirley]

2. Now does Vinita give a squat? Racist words do have consequences.

[840high]

37. Yes they do.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

3. Good n/t

[SickOfTheOnePct]

5. And they need to stop saying "allegedly"

She has admitted she sent the texts.

[KingCharlemagne]

7. How many souls will Ferguson consume before the fires of

rage have burned themselves out and the shrieks and cries of pain turned to whimpers?

Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

~Langston Hughes

[awoke_in_2003]

34. Wow, I will have to check out more...

of Langston Hughes.

[KingCharlemagne]

39. Reading his work may get you put on an NSA watch list. (He was a

Commie old school.) One of my favorite American poets. I believe "Harlem" comes from a larger book-length work called Montage of a Dream Deferred, but it's been awhile since I've studied his life or work in detail.. "Harlem" in turn inspired Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun.

Enjoy!

[awoke_in_2003]

40. I am probably on it already...

I can be kind of vocal sometimes

[New Deal Dave]

50. Old school commies are the best kind. We need a new Popular Front

[Fla Dem]

9. It's difficult to judge whether this was a good thing or not. Not knowing what the

thread of tweets were about, it's hard to say what she was responding to. I think she may tweeted about Ferguson, like how awful it was and someone tweeted back at her with a racially charged insult. Which then caused her to make the response that she did. Was it appropriate? No. For a teacher to tell someone to kill themselves is just wrong. But I got from the headline she was tweeting something negative against Ferguson, which I don't think was the case at all.

[Ms. Toad]

12. It wasn't the case.

That tweet is distorted beyond recognition in the article. She was slamming whites for offering their unwanted (to her) opinions about Ferguson.

[New Deal Dave]

51. Yeah, but the "cracker" comment ...

[AnalystInParadise]

54. Twitter is a public space

Don't like what idiots are saying? Block them....Don't respond with more racist rhetoric, that gets you fired and deservedly so. I see a whole bunch of winners in this case and only one racist loser. (the woman is not a loser in the sense that she is a sucks at life, she lost the second she went full racist).

[Oktober]

62. Are you suggesting that there are some circumstances where this is acceptable...

... or excusable?

There are no circumstances under which this can be mitigated short of a gun to the head that forced her to twit against her will.

[Ms. Toad]

64. I was agreeing with the prior poster

that it wasn't the case that she was saying something negative about Ferguson.

With the excerpted words removed (as in the OP), the quote appeared to be directed toward the people of Ferguson. That was not the case - as the prior poster suspected. I was confirming the poster's suspicion.

[Ms. Toad]

10. That "quote" twists the tweet beyond recognition -

to the point it certainly feels as it it is directed at a different racial group than it is, and perhaps has almost the opposite meaning.

Here's the quote as printed in the article:

"Who the {expletive} made you dumb {expletives} think I give a squat {expletive} about your opinions. #Ferguson Kill yourselves"

With the expletives filled in: Who the f*ck made you dumb a** crackers think I give a squat f*ck about your opinions RE #Ferguson? Kill yourselves.

Quite a different feel, and not so surprising that she was fired in Texas for tweets which were racially charged against whites.

[logosoco]

20. In the tweet it says "dumb duck ass..."

I wonder if she is somehow referring to the duck dynasty folks who have been pretty open about their racism.

I can understand anger and frustration, but saying you wish someone would kill themselves isn't a good thing, especially in something public like a tweet.



Or it could be dumb duck ass is just some new slang i am unfamiliar with?

[Ms. Toad]

47. You're right - I missed a couple of words -

that make the original "quote" even farther off.

[Boom Sound 416]

17. I bet she's pro union now

[SickOfTheOnePct]

19. I doubt the union could have saved her in this case n/t

[Boom Sound 416]

22. I know. Just a cultural joke

[WinkyDink]

21. I wonder if the trustees would have been so outraged had....you know the rest.

[randys1]

28. Dont wonder, NO they wouldnt have

[Travis_0004]

32. I hope they would have fired any racist teacher

The only difference is if they fired a racist white guy people wouldnt be rushing to his defense.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

35. I don't get it

I don't see how anyone can defend this type of behavior.

[KingCharlemagne]

41. Are people rushing to her defense? - nt

[AnalystInParadise]

55. Reading for comprehension is key

A few people in this thread are defending her, or at least trying to deflect and say "but, but, but.....white people"............

[logosoco]

63. I was not defending her. I think what others have said in this thread,

is that there seems to be a problem with our society where when a black person does something they get treated differently. Our country is not supposed to be like that, but here we are into the 21st century and it still hasn't got that figured out.

In the news recently, a woman told students (not twitter, but directly), that if she only had 10 days to live, she would spend it killing black people. She was suspended with pay and is now back on the job.
I guess one could say it is the differences in the school board, but I like to think that the Constitution protects everyone the same everywhere. Any person who works with kids and talks about killing or telling someone they should kill themselves really should be directed to another line of work, no matter what color they are.

[AnalystInParadise]

91. Did she admit to it?

Or is it something some students said that she uttered and others said she did not?

If it is a he said/she said thing, then NO she should not be fired unless it is proven. This was admitted to and MADE IN A FREAKING PUBLIC SPACE. I can't believe people are trying to equivocate the two, they are so vastly different it is ridiculous.

[Cooley Hurd]

23. Her anger (not the statements) is justified given what has happened...

...in the last few weeks regarding the "leaks" from the "grand jury".

[randys1]

27. If the worst the AA Community does while being murdered in the streets is send a tweet that

is a bit off the mark

[Oktober]

98. Anger doesn't justify racism...

[Cooley Hurd]

99. As I said...

Her anger is justified, not her statements.

[joeybee12]

25. Let's face it, most people shouldn't use twitter...

It's far too easy to simply tweet ther first thing that comes into your head when you're angry...I'll never use twitter

[NaturalHigh]

38. No kidding.

The filter that most people have that censors their mouths is completely absent when typing out a twitter.

[joeybee12]

58. Yup...and there's a record of that unfiltered stuff...nt

[Fla_Democrat]

44. I use it for my Charity Miles

but that's it. I don't think I've ever posted any original tweets. Just finish the work out, click the button, and forget.

[joeybee12]

57. It's useful if you can do what you do...

Walk away as soon as you're done...unfortunately, I bet most people can't do that.

[MH1]

71. Agreed, I have a Twit account but don't use it. I also locked it down from the beginning,

so my tweets would only go to followers. Or something like that.

My initial intent was to use it for family and close friends only. But being old farts, we have other ways to stay in touch, and there's also Facebook. So haven't yet found a real need to be a Twit.

Also ...

I think maybe I'll invent a usb device that works like a breathalyzer for a car. You wanna post on the internet? Blow into the tube first.

A lot of this stuff is caused by PWI. Not sure if this woman's case is that, but if not, she's too dumb to be a teacher anyway.

[NaturalHigh]

82. You would make money with that invention.

Hell I don't even use twitter or facebook and I would buy one just to be on the safe side.