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Woman gets fired from school district for not doing the "Wakanda salute"


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2021 Feb 22, 5:40pm   254 views  8 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (55)   💰tip   ignore  

https://reclaimthenet.org/top-educator-says-she-was-fired-for-not-doing-a-wakanda-salute-after-virtual-meetings/


50-year-old educator in the Bronx says she was fired for refusing to do the “Wakanda Forever” salute during virtual superintendent meetings. She is now suing the city’s DOE, and some of its top-ranking officials, including Chancellor Richard Carranza.

The “Wakanda Forever” salute, which involves crossing one’s arms across the chest, is a gesture that symbolizes empowerment and black power. It was popularized by the 2018 Marvel movie “Black Panther,” set in a fictional technologically-advanced African country called Wakanda.

Apparently, the then-Superintendent of School District 12, Meisha Ross Porter, would often ask educational officials to perform the gesture after meetings. But Rafaela Espinal, the then-head of Community School District 12, did not join in with performing the gesture. According to her lawsuit, the Dominican-American, who also identifies as Afro-Latina, because of refusing to participate she “was admonished and told that it was not appropriate for her not to participate.”

She was then fired without explanation. In an effort to keep her retirement benefits (she was fired when she was only one year away from earning a lifetime DOE pension) and health insurance, the doctorate holder settled for a demotion to school investigator, a role that only requires a high school diploma.

According to her lawyers, Espinal refused to do the “Wakanda” salute because she felt it “introduced a racial divide where there should be none.”

But the city’s DOE insists that “Wakanda” salute is “a symbol used to represent the Bronx” not a racial symbol representing “Black power.”

However, according to Espinal, it was an issue of race. Apparently, racial divides started to emerge in the meetings in 2017. Some black administrators would have a separate meeting after the larger group’s meeting ended. She also claims that some DOE officials told her she was not “black enough” and should “just learn to be quiet and look pretty.”

A spokesperson for the DOE said the department is “committed to fostering a safe, inclusive work environment and strongly dispute any claims of discrimination or improper treatment.”

We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.


Comments 1 - 8 of 8        Search these comments

1   Karloff   2021 Feb 22, 6:16pm  

She should have said that it would be inappropriate as it would be considered "cultural appropriation" to do so.

However, I will offer my culture's salute, in lieu:
2   HeadSet   2021 Feb 22, 6:17pm  

It's a COMIC BOOK movie for goodness sakes, in a comic world invented by a White man decades ago. Maybe the school should mandate the Batman logo as a screensaver.

There are plenty of real world black achievers to bring up, such as the designer of the Washington DC street plan, the inventor of the "Real McCoy" railroad car hitch, and various mathematicians, scientists, and doctors.
3   HeadSet   2021 Feb 23, 7:07am  

Donald says
How does a public school teacher get fired for something so minor? I thought it was virtually impossible to fire a teacher even when they commit major offenses?


It may still be impossible to fire, as she may win her case.
4   Bd6r   2021 Feb 23, 7:40am  

Donald says
How does a public school teacher get fired for something so minor? I thought it was virtually impossible to fire a teacher even when they commit major offenses?

this is a "thought crime", and as such a much, much worse offense than diddling with minors, not showing up for work, etc
5   Shaman   2021 Feb 23, 7:56am  

Rb6d says
this is a "thought crime", and as such a much, much worse offense than diddling with minors, not showing up for work, etc


Not doing your job is forgivable. Having your own thoughts is not tolerated in bureaucracy drones.
6   Ceffer   2021 Feb 23, 7:59am  

This is fake news. She was fired for not wearing the proper style of Air Jordan sneakers and not acknowledging that ebonics is a sacred language.
7   Tenpoundbass   2021 Feb 23, 8:08am  

Too bad Trump put a bunch of backstabbers on SCOTUS, or she would have had one hell of a Law Suit.

SCOTUS starts every session now with Wakanda salute.
8   richwicks   2021 Feb 23, 4:27pm  

Ceffer says
and not acknowledging that ebonics is a sacred language.


I actually know what happened with the "ebonics" - let me tell you how long our media has been full of shit.

A school district had a bunch of black people that only knew street language, so they created this bullshit language called "ebonics" in an attempt to get funding for the school to teach English as a second language. They NEVER promoted the idea of teaching "ebonics" as a language.

All of our "news" has been bullshit for at least 30 years.

It was kind of a scummy underhanded way to get more funding, but it was always presented that the school was trying to teach "ebonics" as a second language, instead of teach a bunch of black thugs english.

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