A top Dallas school official is in hot water for allegedly making insensitive racial remarks regarding her staff. A four-page grievance has been filed against Marian Hamlett, claiming she called black members of her staff “Aunt Jemimas.” The comment was said to have been made on May 28 during a birthday party held at the district’s administration building.
Hamlett, the district’s executive director of accounting, said it was just a joke and has since apologized; however, the outburst may eventually cost Hamlett her job.
Other staff members say the comment was racist and want immediate disciplinary action since the Dallas Independent School District employee handbook has a statute that maintains employees shall not practice behavior that may be perceived as a form of racial, ethnic, religious or sexual harassment by another employee.
Speaking of the incident, Dallas NAACP President Dr. Juanita Wallace said, “Basically, she said, and I quote, ‘I was walking through, had two spatulas in my hand, I was hitting them together and I said, ‘Aunt Jemima! Aunt Jemima! Aunt Jemima!’’ And everybody knows it’s a racist comment, first of all.”
The Dallas ISD is the 14th largest school district in the nation, serves more than 160,000 students, and has more than 19,000 employees. More than 41,000 students are African American, representing approximately 26 percent of the student population. –torrance stephens, ph.d.
For more with Dr. Stephens, visit twitter.com/rawdawgbuffalo and rawdawgb.blogspot.com.
