05-18-2005, 12:39 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Crazy
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Voted "Most Whipped" in his High School Class
Quote:
For a mother who remembered the senior superlatives in her own high school yearbook hewing to "Most Likely to Succeed" and "Best Smile," the picture came as a surprise to Jacqueline Nobles. In Boynton Beach High's 2005 yearbook, her son, Robert Richards, is shown with a leash around his neck.
Students voting on superlatives — a staple of yearbooks for decades — elected Richards as "Most Whipped" by his girlfriend, using the slang term for a person who is controlled by another in a relationship. The accompanying photo shows Richards, who is black, on a leash held by Melissa Finley, who is white. Nobles wants the books recalled.
"I know it's supposed to be in fun, but there are people still having trouble with African-Americans' past and this will be offensive," said Nobles, who said the picture reminded her of the poster for the 1970s miniseries Roots, which featured a manacled slave. "This picture, to me, is very distasteful."
Another photo, of the winners of the "Most Likely To Be On Jerry Springer" category, features a male student pretending to be on the verge of hitting a female with the back of his hand.
The pictures are inappropriate, school district spokesman Nat Harrington said. The professional standards committee will investigate the situation, Harrington said, and there could be "serious disciplinary consequences" for yearbook adviser Jordan Barenburg and "anyone else who should have brought it to the forefront for review before it was published."
Harrington said the review likely will include Principal William Latson.
"We expect the adviser to apply good judgment, good common sense, ethical standards, moral standards and standards that reflect the level of respect and dignity we expect in our schools," Harrington said.
About 240 copies of the yearbook made it into students' hands before Nobles called the school Tuesday to complain to Latson. The principal is holding an additional 460.
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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localne...book_0518.html |
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