It's not hard to guess how Amelia Earhart would have responded, even in the 1930s, to news that girls in the Dallas School District were excluded from an outing to see a film about fighter pilots.
And former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison is likely wondering the same thing many others are now: What was the Dallas school district thinking?
While the boys were bused (using federal funds) to a theater to see the film, girls stayed back with substitutes and were offered at some schools a film about a spelling bee on DVD. Why not just offer them hoop skirts and corsets and send them back to Home Ec?
The film about African-American fighter pilots in WW II ("Red Tails") - meant to teach about racial discrimination - has ironically been used to discriminate against girls in the Dallas Schools.
How will our children ever learn if our teachers don't have a clue?
Tell the Dallas School District that Sexism is Discrimination too.
We, the undersigned, hope by now that you see the irony in allowing only male students the opportunity to see a film about African American WWII pilots. We are puzzled and concerned to first hear that girls were excluded from a film about pilots, but more so to hear news reports that the school district sees nothing wrong with the exclusion and has no intentions of apologizing.
In the 1920s Amelia Earhart had to defy conventional ideas about "feminine" behavior and challenge sexual prejudices. After her solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932, Congress awarded Earhart the Distinguished Flying Cross. According to the official Amelia Earhart website, "Earhart felt the flight proved that men and women were equal in 'jobs requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness and willpower.'"
What would she be thinking now? That was 1932, Dallas!
Hopefully Dr. Mae Jemison, our first African American woman in space, will tell you what she thinks. According to her website, she says she "had to learn very early not to limit [her]self due to others' limited imaginations. I have learned these days never to limit anyone else due to my limited imagination."
Not only is excluding girls from a film about flying sexist, but also the choice of the movie girls were allowed to see, a film about spelling, further reinforces an earlier notion that girls could excel in language, but not math and technology. This notion has led to schools discouraging girls from such fields in the past and is apparently still affecting how schools perceive girls' capabilities and careers.
It's admirable that the district made an effort to honor African American History month, and films are often a great resource for learning, however, it would make more sense - and would not be violating the law - if you didn't practice sexism while you were teaching about racism.
Please give your other students the opportunity to see the film you allowed only boys to see and stop discrimination in all its forms.
And, apologize! Make a real effort to correct your sexist ideas and help the girls understand they should never feel limited by others' limited imaginations.
Thank you for your attention to these requests.
