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from the cool justice report

Firing Teachers Who Encourage Students To Think
Poet Cites Injustice Against Students And Teachers

Editor’s Note: World-renowned poet Marilyn Nelson is speaking out against the outrageous firing of two California teachers who celebrated Black History Month in part by examining the life and death of Emmett Till. Following are Nelson’s letter to California education officials and a news account of the controversy. Nelson read her poem, “A Wreath For Emmett Till,” to thunderous acclaim and a standing ovation at the Litchfield Inn on Jan. 6, 2006. Her reading was broadcast on the Connecticut Network, CT-N, as part of a tribute to Bill Cibes, Chancellor Emeritus of the Connecticut State University System.“People in power often wield that power unjustly and unwisely … it is our responsibility to speak truth to power and to resist injustice.”

March 20, 2007
Dear Ms. McFarlane and Ms. Canada:
It has come to my attention that controversy apparently related to my book, A Wreath for Emmett Till, has led to the firing of two of your teachers. I feel compelled to defend Marisol Alba and Sean Strauss, who were fired because they had signed one of several letters written by students to protest the summary cancellation of the seventh grade’s contribution to the Black History Month program at Celerity Nascent Charter School............