Why The Statement "Look Who's Leaving - All The Black People" Is Racist

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents two videos of comments that were made by Nancy Gordeuk, the founder& principal of TNT Academy, a private high school in Georgia (USA) during that school's 2015 graduation ceremony and provides commentary about why Gordeuk's statement "Look who's leaving - all the Black people" is racist.

Summaries of that incident is given below and in the summary statements that are found below the video examples.

The content of this post is presented for sociological reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to those who published these videos on YouTube.

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SUMMARY OF THIS INCIDENT
From http://www.salon.com/2015/05/11/georgia_high_school_principal_under_fire_for_racist_comments_at_graduation_look_whos_leaving_all_the_black_people/
A high school principal in Lilburn, Georgia has come under fire for making a racist remark during Friday night’s commencement ceremony. Video of the event shows that moments after Nancy Gordeuk accidentally dismissed the assembled crowd before all of the speakers were finished, she called out, “Look who’s leaving — all the black people!”

“You people,” she said, “are being so rude, not to listen to this speech. It was my fault that we missed it in the program. Look who’s leaving — all the black people!”

At that point, the person recording the ceremony, as well as many of those in attendance — black and white alike — stood up and headed for the exit.

“It’s just that’s where I looked,” Gordeuk explained to WSB-TV, “the man that came up front was black. I guess I was frustrated at him for interrupting this speech for this student.”

But the person who took the video, Brooklyn Jacobs, said that Gordeuk had been “rude” the entire ceremony, and that that was the only reason she was even recording the proceedings in the first place.

For her part, Gordeuk blames Satan. “The devil was in this house,” she said, “and he came out from my mouth. I deeply apologize for my racist comment and hope that forgiveness is in your hearts.”
-snip-
Although Nancy Gordeuk initially "apologized" for what she indicated was a racist remark, she later indicated in a retracked her apology indicating that she didn't think that saying "all the black people" was racist and she didn't use "the n word".

The Salon article whose link is given above also indicates that Gordeuk's son defended his mother by posting Facebook comments that included profanity and what is commonly known as "the n word". Gordeuk's son later deleted those posts but screen shots were made of them and saved online.

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WHY THE STATEMENT "LOOK WHO'S LEAVING - ALL THE BLACK PEOPLE" IS RACIST
The statement "Look who's leaving - all the Black People" that Nancy Gordeuk made was both racist and incorrect. The statement was racist because it lumps all Black people at that graduation ceremony together as those who were doing something that the speaker considered to be wrong.

The comment was also incorrect, in part, because videos document that every Black person at that event weren't leaving before Gordeuk made that statement and, in part, because it wasn't just Black people who were leaving that graduation ceremony before Gordeuk made the statement. The fact that Gordeuk singled out Black people with her statement is further demonstration of that statement's racism.

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From http://thegrio.com/2015/05/09/georgia-school-founder-shocks-school-racist-remarks-graduation-ceremony/ [comment]
Terrance Heath, Washington, District of Columbia, May 9, 2015
"Wow. I'm from Georgia, born and raised, and this doesn't surprise me. She just said out loud what she usually said to herself in her head, or when there weren't any POC around. What's funny is that she couldn't see or ignored all the black people who were still in their seats until she opened her ignorant mouth.

I'm sure there were a lot of students saying, "See?! I told you," in the car on the ride home.*

If I were a parent of a child in that school, I'd tell them "You already had your last day at this school." My next call would be to request their transcripts in order to start the withdrawal process.
-snip-
POC = People of Color
* I read that some Black students from that school have shared that the founder/principal has made a number of racist comments before that rant during that commencement event.

One commenter to another article about this incident wrote that it's likely that parents who enrolled their children in that school used state sponsored school vouchers that were available to pay that school's tuition because they believed that the quality of education in that private school was higher than the quality of education in the area's free public schools.

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ADDED: May 14, 2015
WHAT DID GORBEUK MEAN WHEN SHE CALLED SOMEONE A "GOOBER"?
Nancy Gorbeuk referred to a man attending the graduation (and taking a photograph with his tablet) as a "goober". She then called him a "little coward".

Nancy Gordeuk's use of the word "goober" might have just been a non-racial putdown. "The Andy Griffin Show", an American television show about a fictitious small town Southern sheriff included the character "Goober Pyle". "Goober" was the dimwitted cousin of the sheriff's deputy, Gomer Pyle.

However, the word "goober" comes from the Kongo & Kimbunda word "nguba" (and the word "peanut" comes from the Kongo word "mpinda". Also, "peanuts" could be associated with the racist stereotype that associates Black people with monkeys. One colloquial word for peanuts is "monkey nuts" and quite recently in Europe and elsewhere White fans insulted Black football (soccer) players and other Black athletes by throwing peanuts at them during their games.

Click http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/04/20/304585019/a-legume-with-many-names-the-story-of-goober for information about the word "goober".

So, was Gordeuk just being rude or did she mean anything racist when she called that man (who one account noted was Black) a "goober"? I don't know.term

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From http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/nancy-gordeuk-fired-black-people
"Georgia School Principal Fired For Calling Out ‘All The Black People’"
..."the board chair of TNT Academy, a middle and high school, wrote that the board had voted to let go of Gordeuk....

Gordeuk apologized for her comments over the weekend, claiming the “devil was in the house.” However, on Monday, she defended them and said she wasn’t racist.

“People always think the worst,” Gordeuk said. “You know, oh you say the word 'black,' you know, was I supposed to say ‘African American?’ Were they all born in Africa? No, they’re Americans. And, they live here. And, but just, I’m not a racist. People that know me, I’ve worked with disadvantaged kids like this that couldn’t get through school, we help them get a high school diploma.”
-snip-
From this quote, Nancy Gordeuk still doesn't understand that what was offensive was that her "All Black people" comment was offensive because she projected her criticism of some Black people to all Black people (who were present at that event).

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Lilburn, Georgia: School Founder Apologizes for 'Black People' Comment at Graduation Ceremony




The Lyrical Elitist, Published on May 10, 2015
A day of celebration quickly turned to disgust when a high school principal started spewing racist comments, causing most of the senior class and their supportive families to leave the graduation in protest.
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread which provides background information about the founder/principal's "Look who's leaving. All the Black people" comment.
The Lyrical Elitist, May 8, 2015
"A day of celebration quickly turned to disgust when a high school principal started spewing racist comments, causing most of the senior class and their supportive families to leave the graduation in protest.

Video of the commencement ceremony for TNT Academy in Lilburn, Georgia on Friday shows the moment the schools' founder Nancy Gordeuk stood up and admonished some of the students for leaving, saying: 'Look who's leaving...all the black people!'

At that statement, the incredulous crowd grows loud with anger and most of those sitting appear to get up and leave the church where the ceremony was taking place.

Daily Mail Online spoke to Suzette Cole of Colorado, who was in town on Friday to see her nephew graduate in the alternative school's small class of just 48.

Cole, who was spent most of her career working in higher education, says she has attended at least 30 commencements in her life and has never heard someone speak at a graduation the way Gordeuk addressed the audience during the ceremony.

She says that the entire ceremony was 'tense' and that Gordeuk's racist comment was just the tipping point for herself and most of the other family members in the crowd.

Daily Mail Online contacted both Gordeuk and the school for comment, but did not receive a response Saturday afternoon.
Cole's recollection of events is similar to several from commenters online who say Gordeuk lost control of the ceremony when she skipped over the valedictorian's speech and dismissed the graduating class early.

The valedictorian's mother, who was sitting directly in front of Cole, stood up as the recession music started and waved Gordeuk down saying 'You missed his speech! You missed his speech!'

Gordeuk then returned to the podium and told the class to come back into the auditorium so that they could hear the valedictorian (who Cole described as a white male) speak.

Upset that some were not heading her orders, Gordeuk snapped at individual members of the audience - including an African-American man who had come up to take a picture of the honor students sitting behind the podium with his iPad.

'I think ya'll owe this young man apology,' Mrs Gordeuk says, referring to the valedictorian. 'Especially that goober who was coming through with that little thing [an iPad] that was so rude where are you, you little coward? Come back here let's talk.'
'Ya'll are among the rudest people I've seen in my whole life,' Mrs Gordeuk continues, while ordering someone in the back to close the doors.

'You people are being so rude to not listen to this speech, it was my fault that we missed it in the program. Look who's leaving - all the black people!'

Following the comment the crowd erupts in anger, and Cole estimates that about two-thirds of the class and their families left the room to go outside - fed up with Gordeuk.

'I've recognized my white privilege since I was nine years old. I grew up on the south side of Atlanta in a predominately black and African-American community. I was deeply offended that that would come out of an educator's mouth. Not only an educator but the founder of the school,' Cole said.

'I can't help but feel that it must be motivated by something...some racist underdone of racist belief system,' Cole said.

She said the statement was especially shocking considering that it was incorrect. According to Cole, the first family to leave was a white female graduate and her family.

On Saturday, Gordeuk issued an apology for her remarks, which she said were made 'in the emotional state of trying to let this last student finish his speech' after inadvertently skipping it.

'Frustrated with the prospect of ruining the once-in-a-lifetime ceremony the graduates have worked so hard for, my emotions got the best of me and that is when I blurted out "you people are being so rude to not listen to this speech," Gordeuk wrote in an apology letter, obtained by NBC News.

In relation to her slur about 'all the black people' leaving, she said: 'When I looked up all I saw was black families leaving, and thus the comment.' She added: 'I deeply apologize for my actions.'
On Friday, several others who attended the graduation issued similar sentiments to Cole online.

A woman named Brooklyn Jacobs posted a version of the video saying: 'I was here and captured the video of this very disrespected lady calling "black people" out. Never have I ever seen a high school graduation turn for the worse.'

A user on YouTube named Leonard James commented on a video and said he was there and that everyone in the audience - black and white - was offended by Gordeuk's statement.

'White people even rushed the podium and cursed her out shortly before she made that outlandish comment. Everyone collectively got up and left as a unified group in co-ordinance, NO ONE agreed with this,' he wrote.

In addition to the racist remark, Cole says that Gordeuk told families with babies near the beginning of the speech to 'either keep their mouths shut or leave.'

While she wasn't there, Cole says that she believes the valedictorian was able to give his speech at one point. She says a friend who stayed behind heard a group of parents confront Gordeuk, telling her she was 'out of line'.

The alternative school in Stone Mountain, Georgia educates middle and high school students who chose to complete their education through independent study.

The school has been criticized in the past for having too easy a curriculum, compared to Georgia state standards - a state which ranks among the worst for public school education in the country."

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Example #2: Georgia Principal Shocks Students" Look who's leaving, all the black people"!



Michael Scott Andrews, Published on May 12, 2015
'Look who's leaving - all the black people!': High school principal causes outrage with 'racist' outburst in the middle of graduation ceremony.

Nancy Gordeuk, founder and operator of TNT Academy in Stone Mountain, Georgia, made the statement at Friday's graduation ceremony.

According to those who were at the event, Gordeuk accidentally dismissed the senior class early without letting the valedictorian give his speech.

She grew upset when some students and their families did not heed her orders to come back into the auditorium for the speech.

After commenting that all of the black people were leaving, most of the crowd and students got up and left in anger.

On Saturday, Gordeuk apologized for her remarks, which were made 'in the emotional state of trying to let this last student finish his speech'

Video of the commencement ceremony for TNT Academy in Lilburn, Georgia on Friday shows the moment the schools' founder Nancy Gordeuk stood up and admonished some of the students for leaving, saying: 'Look who's leaving...all the black people!'

At that statement, the incredulous crowd grows loud with anger and most of those sitting appear to get up and leave the church where the ceremony was taking place.