Teacher reprimanded for racial remarks and racially-based discipline

By Terry McMoore | September 29, 2007 |

Reed Bergen, a teacher at Montgomery Central High School in Clarksville, has received a letter of reprimand from Principal Christy Houston for using the word “Nigger” while speaking to a group of Black students in his class. The reprimand also covers Bergen’s admission that he has written up some students for discipline issues based on their race.

The parents of the Black students have joined with civil rights activist Terry McMoore, Director of the Urban Resource Center in calling for the immediate firing of Bergen from the Clarksville Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) and are recommending that his teaching license be revoked by the State of Tennessee and United States Department of Education.

The parents of the students involved will join McMoore for a press conference on this issue on Tuesday, October 2, at 3 p.m. outside the Public Library at 350 Pageant Lane. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | 3 Comments

APSU screens ‘Hollywood Librarian’

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 29, 2007 |

Ann Seidl’s documentary film, The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film will be screened at Austin Peay State University Sunday, September 30 at 6 p.m. and again on Monday, October 1 at 4 p.m. in the Morgan Student Center, Room 303. Apsu is one of 87 sites in the United States and Canada to present this film. APSU’s Woodward Library is coordinating the event.

The screenings are being offered in tandem with a celebration of ‘intellectual freedom” known as Banned Books Week, which begins today and runs through October 6. This film includes perspectives on the controversial Patriot Act, views of the burning of John Steinbeck books in the 1930s, and an interview with Author Bay Bradbury.

This 2007 film examines the work of more than 60,000 librarians working in the United States. Libraries welcome more than one billion visitors a year.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Events | No Comments