AFT Pennsylvania is proud to stand with Neshaminy Federation of Teachers President Tara Huber and the student editors and staff of the Neshaminy High School newspaper, The Playwickian, who were honored Thursday by the Philadelphia City Council for banning the traditional school team nickname “Redskins” from the student newspaper.
Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney offered a resolution honoring the students and Huber, who was the Playwickian faculty advisor last year, for taking the principled stand in the face of community and administration opposition.
While a national debate rages over the use of derogatory sports team names, Neshaminy High School students decided to edit out the team name from a student submission, defying the principle, the superintendent and school board. Huber was suspended briefly without pay for not stopping students from removing the word from a student’s letter, and Editor Gillian McGoldrick was suspended temporarily from the paper.
The Philadelphia City Council resolution, which passed unanimously October 2, state
s: “When our young people take a stand on an important issue such as racism and bigotry, and they should be rewarded and congratulated, not vilified and denigrated. These young men and wo
men, and their faculty advisor, deserve our praise for standing up for
not only what is right and just, but also for standing up for their own journalistic integrity.”
AFT Pennsylvania President Ted Kirsch added: “The strong and principled stand taken by the students is an example of public education at its best. It demonstrates the power of public schools to teach critical thinking and promote democratic debate by students, who will be the next generation of leaders. When national leaders like President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder support an end to such disparaging and offensive language, it’s time to put the feelings of U.S. citizens above parochial sports traditions.”
Huber and student leaders will be honored at 10 a.m. Thursday, December 4, in City Council Chambers (Room 400) in Philadelphia City Hall.
Neshaminy Federation of Teachers, Local 1417, represents approximately 650 faculty and staff in the Neshaminy School District and is an affiliate of AFT Pennsylvania, the state teachers’ union, and the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.