High School Woes
In my opinion your article was offensive toward many races religions and cultures. I don’t understand the need for the article other than reinforcing stereotypes.People with your ability to reach out to the community should help to reinforce some good.Help the community to heal from the years of bigotry and racism.Thank you.
–Curtis Thurman
It’s a slideshow, and calling out these old stereotypes is absolutely to find light in the ideas that have tried to keep us apart. The question, “where did you go to school?” perpetuates, in part because these stereotypes do. Ignoring them won’t change that.
I am writing you in response to your publication’s recent article “What Your Louisville High School Says About You.” While I would agree with the staff’s position that entirely too often Louisville’s citizens use the question “Where did you go to high school?” to help them better understand who they are talking to; there are several concerns I have for the manner in which you chose to address the issue. My major concern regarding the article is that it stereotypes people badly, and stereotyping is not very productive if your goal is to reach a more inclusive Louisville community.
In 2022 attended an ASALH national conference that centered the study of African American life and history. One of the breakout sessions included a deeper dive into the role of newspapers in pre-Civil War America. Ads for run-away slaves was a big money generator for the publications and so, while the newspapers may not have been actively participating in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, their well-being and, in some cases, mission became intertwined with the mission of legalized forced labor that was chattel slavery. When I read an article like “Where did you go to high school?”I have to wonder where the newspaper’s loyalties lie.
Redlining in Louisville and across the country developed and cultivated a divided group-think by geographical area by limiting perspectives historically. Your article seems to understand this division, but does not adequately address the positive cultural connections that are being cultivated across community boundaries and a deeper dive is needed. To move forward we must recognize our unconscious bias to make decisions based on these same limited perspectives.
I am also troubled by the timing of the piece. As a JCPS teacher who is working hard to keep our students engaged as we recover from a historic pandemic, I really do not appreciate an article that could be interpreted as pouring salt on the wounds of public education. There are serious decisions that must be made within our JCPS and Kentucky public education systems on the table as I write. The future depends on getting these issues resolved in such a way that our most vulnerable are lifted up. Please publish articles that emphasize inclusion rather than division in the future.
Sincerely,
–Greg Tichenor
It is the ignoring of these stereotypes and division that let’s them fester. My advice is to read more of LEO’s articles if you want to know where we stand, and have historically for over 30 years. We are certainly concerned about how all communities are treated, but we are not above making fun of the things that have been used to stereotype or divide us. Even in today’s school system the question, “where did you go to school,” has implications for categorization. We’d suggest that your concern be better placed on the transportation and whether or not your students have schools to attend next year.
I skimmed this article and found a couple funny and spot on. Then I read what you said about Moore High School and thought you all were better than being racist. And Valley wasn’t much better.Kind of disappointed if I’m being honest.
–Angela Bray
Kids at Moore H.S. of all stripes and colors wore gold teeth in the ‘80s. The yearbooks tell all tales. We’d also invite you to check the history of the South End of Louisville including Valley Station and Shively. Perhaps read about the bombing of a Black family’s home in the ‘60s.
RItttenhouse Schmittenhouse
I finally sat down and read through the last issue (March 27) and I really appreciated your column on the Rittenhouse event at WKU. I hate everything that criminal stands for. While many were calling for the cancellation of that event, I was uneasy about saying “Yep, cancel that talk”, and frankly until I read your column I hadn’t been able to articulate why. Now I’ve got the words, your words. Thank you. Keep writing!
–Mark Rountree
Your article was fantastic thank you.
–Mary Nestor O’Toole
