Schoolchildren's ethnicity to be altered in Prescott mural

[datachicane]

The children's faces are being lightened, officially to make them 'happier and more radiant'.



"I am not a racist individual, but I will tell you depicting a black guy in the middle of that mural, based upon who's president of the United States today and based upon the history of this community when I grew up, we had four black families - who I have been very good friends with for years - to depict the biggest picture on that building as a black person, I would have to ask the question, 'Why?'"

"I'm not a racist by any stretch of the imagination, but whenever people start talking about diversity, it's a word I can't stand."

-Prescott City Councilman Steve Blair, who has led the campaign to alter the painting


http://www.dcourier.com/SiteImages/Article/81753a.jpg


I can only wonder what the Miller Valley Elementary kids who modeled for the mural will take away from this.
Daily Courier (http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubsectionID=1086&ArticleID=81753)

[Indy]

Wow. I vote for secession, providing we let them go this time.

[racermike]

I was going to travel down to see the Seahawks/Cards game this fall, and cancelled my reservations 3 days ago when this story broke.

Arizona is not getting any more of my money.

(I also may have to drive through there in a few weeks, but will detour around and go through Utah instead)

[TravelGal]

In addition, Blair suggested that the mural creators might not have made a good enough case in their storytelling for the mural. "I don't see anything that ties the community into that mural," he said.

"I was very surprised to hear Councilman Blair on his radio show target the ethnic differences of the students who modeled for this mural as a problem," Katan said. "I see the students in the murals as a cross-section of the school's population."

Talk about being totally unaware of what is happening in your own community=Blair. :rolleyes:

[oddlycalm]

based upon the history of this community when I grew up
Translation: "I want all the benefits of having manufacturers (Ruger, etc.) come to our hayseed retirement village and having development occur but I don't want the people that actually do the work to live here. They should have to live in Cottonwood and drive over Mingus Mountain to work every day. That goes double for those artsy fartsy types who should have to live in Jerome with the rest of their kind."

I'm guessing anything as cheerful as a mural would be offensive to the dessicated sourpusses in Prescott on general principles regardless of what is being depicted.

oc