Essay 1815

Pills and pep talks in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The EEOC has accused Walgreens of systematically discriminating against Black employees, spurred by gripes from managers and pharmacists in Florida. “It’s a systemic pattern or practice of discrimination in promotion and assignments for their management employees,” said one EEOC official. Another official added, “Essentially, Walgreens has made store assignments based on race. This policy has served to restrict the opportunities for advancement of African-American employees at Walgreens stores nationwide.” The drugstore chain’s slogan reads, “The Pharmacy America Trusts.” Not sure that will continue to include all Americans.

• Here’s an interesting story from the Associated Press:

School pep talks divide students by race

CONCORD, Calif. — A high school divided students by ethnicity for separate pep talks on boosting test scores, featuring jazz music for black students and flags of Asian students’ foreign homelands.

Mount Diablo High School in Concord also held separate assemblies Friday for white and Hispanic students, stirring accusations of segregation from some students’ parents.

“In this country, everybody is supposed to be treated equally. It sounds like racism to me,” said Filipino parent Claddy Dennis, mother of freshman Schenlly Dennis.

Principal Bev Hansen said she held the divided student assemblies this year and last year to avoid one ethnic group harassing another based on test scores, arguing that the state has long reported test results based on race.

“In this country, race is a very uncomfortable topic, and it’s time we got over it,” Hansen said.

The principal of a San Ramon high school apologized last year after holding pre-test pep talks for black and Hispanic students but not white students.