Knox County schools remove Alex Haley's Roots from libraries

Rob Of The Void135

As a white guy I'm sure this is a controversial opinion but maybe white kids SHOULD be sad about slavery. But God forbid kids learn the reality of this country's horrifying origins.

Susan L66

They banned it because it makes some white PARENTS sad

Betty Cracker of Florida64

I remember the "Roots" TV series, which my social studies teacher asked us to watch for class. Yes, we were sad about slavery, as any non-sociopath would be. White kids were not made to feel personally guilty about it. It gave us a new perspective about U.S. history. Banning it is disgraceful.

SELMa55

This white kid from Alabama was told by her parents that she wouldn’t be allowed to watch “Roots.” Fortunately, the ABC station in Birmingham also broadcast on AM Radio, so I turned on my b&w bedroom tv with no sound, attached an earphone to my clock radio & watched every damn second of it.

mt9270.bsky.social42

Levar Burton never makes people sad.

Big Steve (BP)33

If it makes White kids sad, imagine how it must make black kids feel.

REJECT CRUELTY; DEMAND COMPETENCE (Now 87% Good Human)28

That ban is criminal. The TV series had a huge lasting impact on my childhood. I read the book when I was a little older, and others Haley wrote. An amazing journey filled with gut-punches and triumphs, that have stuck with me for decades.

MadGreek 🧿21

White folks are "offended" by reading the truth about what they did to Black folks.

"Recently Juiced" Ella Tailor18

I for one think more white kids should be sad about slavery.

Anthony England17

It educated this white kid in a big way watching it on TV in the 70s

catherinecats.bsky.social13

Everyday white supremacists show how very unsupreme they are.

b'Airely Sane12

George, it might make "white kids THINK" about how POC got here in America, & HOW their forefathers (that they adore) for having a 5-year "culture" with the Civil War to adhere to even now... Remind them that the LAST CONFEDERATE FLAG was a white flag of SURRENDER. That is their heritage. <3

swirlOsquirrel12

When I was a kid in the 1970’s, and that aired on TV for the first time, it didn’t make me feel sad about me, because I didn’t have hate in my heart to regret. What it did do, was make me deeply pissed off that someone who looked like me, did shit that was that fucking STUPID, back in the day.

timplex.bsky.social9

I would guess the main reason they banned it is they want to see voters fighting culture wars rather than looking at grocery store prices.

Pe.Le9

Knoxville banned it because the don't want to hear the truth.

carp689

What a bunch of horseshit. Fuck Tennessee.

Harriet Jones8

Let’s hope the savor of being banned introduces a whole new generation to Alex Haley.

zelle1960.bsky.social7

Southern history should make white kids sad

US Asunder6

If they're worried about making kids sad... They'd need to ban the Bible too, cause what they did to Jesus made a lot of kids cry.

Craig Dodge6

We gotta do reconstruction right this time.

2strong2silence.bsky.social6

No it would make white kids reflective. They would begin to ask questions, they would begin to look at power imbalances and ask why this was allowed to happen & what their parents, grandparents & other family members did about it. They want them waving a flag & never questioning anything

💙 Jode rhymes w/ toad ribbit ribbit 🐸 🪨🌵🩹6

Roots is an American history ! All of it! Such Imbecile behavior 🤬🤬🤬

Tim Williams Art6

Talk to them, George. We are all tired of this shit.

Paulj25

Living in Knoxville makes everyone sad.

the-original-ray.bsky.social5

White kids need to stop being so sensitive, and start learning the real history of the United States.

Mrs. Bee5

Contrast - in high school, we had to go to the local theater and watch the miniseries every day for two weeks. The whole giant student body. How far we've fallen.

Damaged Goods.4

In London we’ve just seen a rally of angry old red-faced drunks who are shit scared of 14-year old girls in hijabs. The fragility of these people is off the fucking scale.

playswiithdragons.bsky.social4

I was a 'white kid' watching Roots. It DID make me sad. That's called EMPATHY. It's a thing we need a hell of a lot more of!

📎 Otto Von Danger4

His book and the TV mini series should be mandatory for all students. It opened a lot of minds to the horrors of American slavery. Of course these Modern Confederate Nazis want to ban it...sounds like homework to me. Watch/Read it with your kids and explain it. Make sure it's available. Sue the gov.

Laura Wallingford4

The side that bans books never represents the heroes of any story.

Hold My Beer ❌👑🐸🇲🇽🇨🇦3

It SHOULD make white kids sad. It made EVERYONE sad. This is a travesty, but a temporary one. This shit, all of it, is all temporary if we ALL vote. Do not be deterred by anything SCOTUS or any other dipshits in gov't do. Vote your asses off. Figure it out. Register. Keep checking. Help others. 💜

michaelspoint.bsky.social3

This is fucked up...If they're not willing to acknowledge history they will definitely try and repeat it. With another ten years of gerrymandering they might try and buy and sell some black people on the internet. It'll be easier with the crypto. Crypto slave apps, sounds like a stand up routine.

Coastal Cyclist3

It just an admission that way too many white people are so timid, weak, scared and incompetent that they can't function in a free market of ideas.

TweetiePie 🌺 🇨🇦3

And because it might educate kids. They need their voters uneducated.

The Soggy Boggy Witch 🪻🌱🧹 🇺🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇵🇸♿🏳️‍⚧️3

That book was my wake up call. This is devastating.

Dan Roberts2

When did we become so fragile? As a Gen-X white kid, I was taught about slavery in school. It didn't make me hate myself for being white. The lesson was slavery = wrong. These book banners lack critical thinking. And I hope their actions help sell a lot of copies of Alex Haley's Roots.

chris quixote2

or it might make Black kids feel proud

Schrodinger's Leftist (he/they)2

It made this white kid sad, and I’m better for it! Stop running from your feelings, you cowards!

NancyNY 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦🇩🇰2

It should make them sad, which is not a bad thing.

Indybhoffman2

You know what should make white kids sad? Having narrow-minded parents and elected government officials.

Jerelle2

The censorship of ‘Roots’ is proof that Americans, as a whole, were more open-minded, curious, tolerant, and enlightened fifty years ago—in 1976–than they are now. It’s a race to the fucking bottom and America just might win!🏅

Lou2

so glad the effin’ racists on the Supreme Court decided racism wasn’t an ongoing problem in this country.

CatLady Lil2

As a white person in Appalachia, I'm continuously pissed off that I wasn't told the whole story on anything. Like, there were so many white people who were abolitionists and I wasn't told about them. It's not to make me feel better, it's to serve as a model for what to do

Unknown Person2

We watched Roots in middle school (in the early 90s). I would prefer our kids to learn this country's awful history. What's that old saying? Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Not an exact word-for-word quote, but same idea.

Unraveled2

It's not because it would make white kids sad. It's because it might give them some understanding of what slavery actually was, and inspire them to fight racism and injustice rather than perpetuating it. We can't have THAT.

[email protected]2

They can just be sad. So what?

robinsc.bsky.social2

White person here. I remember walking through the living room at age ten, and my mom stopping me and saying, “Sit down and watch this with me- it’s important”. Besides being sucked into the beautiful storytelling it really opened my eyes. Which, I guess, is why it must now be banned. :(

Bluebird (BB) 🐦 🌼💫🎶🫶 🐦2

Thank you Randy for including me in your Starter Pack. I am not surprised by what TN has done. The KKK began in TN. 'Roots' was hard to read and watch but it is OUR history. Learn from it and do better as a country. SCOTUS has set back voting rights 60 years.

DianneSpiritlight2

I was gonna say Florida definitely had a bunch of books banned. I have Rescue Akita‘s and the story about the Japanese Akita who went to the train station every day to meet his owner even after he died,he went for years. In Japan, they built a statue for him, and this is a true story.Banned?!Mine⬇️

Maureen Berzanski 🧷🇺🇦🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈🟧🌊 🐾2

Good afternoon Randy The right is also attacking the LGBTQ community in their book banning agenda. I know you’re more familiar with that than I but I was once a Pre-k to K teacher who taught inclusivity. They have banned many child favorites. What are they afraid of? Grateful to be included ⬇️

Sarcastic_hubby2

Ronald Reagan's cheering in his grave finally being able to secure his goal of kids not learning about slavery

RayO_ElGatubelo2

Well, technically, they did build the Africa Pavilion. They just decided to put it in Animal Kingdom.