KKK In The Classroom

March 20, 2013 Subscribe · Forward What Can Students Learn From The KKK? Popular knowledge suggests that hate is learned, like writing or reading. So who is the most effective teacher, and what happens when professors and teachers invite hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and the Westboro Baptist Church into the classroom? The answer, of course, isn't simple. An engrossing piece from the Washington Times' Tim Devaney describes the rise of this teaching tactic in some schools. Randy Blazak, a sociology professor at Portland State University in Oregon, told Devaney that he brings neo-Nazis into class because they humanize a hatred so extreme that students often consider it separate from humanity's capacity -- like a relic of some past time that's carried to this day by people who no longer understand it. This lesson is a big day in a syllabus that considers the role of extremism in broader society. "It's a good idea to know what's out there," Blazak said. "They're not monsters. They're human beings, wrestling with their own issues." It's this passion that may scare students into grasping a lesson that otherwise wasn't considered so close at hand.  Continue reading... Behind The Scenes At BET's 'Rip The Runway' The LAPD Looks Inward After Dorner's Death A Visual Breakdown Of HIV In Black America 'Black Don't Crack': Black Women Believe They Age Best That's One Hot Mama! Voice Of Elmo Sued, Again! Should White Women Grace The Cover Of Black Magazines? WATCH: Prince Records New Theme Song 'Black Don't Crack': Black Women Believe They Age Best Singer Slams New Beyoncé Track Brazil's Mix Of Racial Openness And Exclusion Offers Lesson To U.S. MATTHEW LYNCH, ED.D. Diverse Conversations: Supporting Underserved Populations in Higher Education First-generation, low-income and minority students fare better when they have adequate access to financial aid, support programs that properly introduce them to and sustain them through the academy, and proper high school preparation that equips them to handle the rigor of college work. Continue reading... LAVERNE COX 'Speculum Orum,' M. Lamar's New Video, Grapples With Black/White Relationships and Confronting History (VIDEO) With the upcoming release of his album Speculum Orum and the video for its title song, I wanted to talk to M. Lamar about what inspires his music, which is steeped in racial politics and meditations on the history of black bodies and souls in America. Continue reading... WILL CROSSLEY We Need the President's Election Commission Desilene Victor's determination to vote was applauded last Tuesday by the joint session of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. With her story, and with his commission, the president has summoned us to our shared obligation to protect the right to vote. Continue reading... TERRANCE ROSS Digitizing Love At this rate it will only be a matter of time before romantic escapades are solely conducted via technology. Just imagine a dystopian world where virtual kisses replace real ones and awkward romantic advances are merely an app away? Continue reading... JIM WALLIS Call and Response: What the President Did This Week There is a tradition in the black church named "call and response." It's simply the experience of the preacher "calling" and the congregation "responding." Obama is ready to issue "calls" to the American people, over the heads of the Washington politicians and pundits. It's time for our response. Continue reading... Received this from a friend? Sign up for alerts from The Huffington Post here. Unsubscribe here. Huffington Post, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003