LEAVE BIGOTRY BEHIND - ADD MORE BIGOTRY

Click on the letter for the larger view.

The town of St. Martinville, Louisiana was handed a rude awakening recently by a part of a class reunion letter that specifically asked for “White graduates only” for a specific event for the 1973 St. Martinville Senior High School class reunion.

Despite the fact that after almost 40 years of holding segregated class reunions for the graduates of St. Martinville High School, it is the class of 1973 that has made the progressive, momentous decision to begin holding integrated class reunions.

This historic change was put forth through a letter announcing the change, and on the surface that sounds like a good thing. But within that very letter, there was a flagrant request for a “White graduates only” after party, and it is that request that has caught the attention of ABC News and other media outlets.

Supposedly, on Sept. 21st there will be a reception held at the high school after the homecoming, football game, and the letter invites all graduates to attend that function. But after the game, one of the classmates is hosting a continuation of the class reunion at their home, and that is where the request for “White graduates only” was made.

Let me get this straight.  At the same time the organizers made their "progressive, momentous decision to begin holding integrated class reunions", they put their racism on display with a very public insult to non-white graduates.  The people who arranged the "White graduates only" party do not even have sufficient self-knowledge or sense of shame to hide their blatant bigotry by - let's see (pondering) - maybe a separate note enclosed in mailings to white people only?  Or else, they just don't care about insulting "those people".  As the dear, departed Molly Ivins would say, "You can't make this stuff up."