Dallas School Officials Accused Of Stereotyping

A decision by Dallas, Texas Public Schools to send 5,700 fifth-grade boys on a bus trip to see the movie "Red Tails," while showing "Akeelah and the Bee" for the girls, has ignited a controversy surrounding stereotypes. The Huffington Post reports the district used $57,000 in federal funding for low-income students to pay for the bus trip for the boys.

"Red Tails" is the George Lucas film dramatizing the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black pilots allowed to fly in the US military. "Akeelah and the Bee" is the story of an 11-year-old girl who competes in a national spelling bee. Jon Dahlander, a spokesman for the Dallas Independent School District, explained space at the movie theater was limited, and told The Dallas Morning News the administration thought boys would enjoy the movie more than girls would.

Lisa Maatz of the American Association of University Women replies, "stereotypes are alive and well. Part of what we did here was show the girls they weren't as valuable. That's not a lesson that we want to teach our children."

Herb Carter, an original Tuskegee Airman whose wife, Mildred, was denied military service as an aviator but later flew for decades as a private pilot, said of the story, "My wife would turn flip flops. She thought that all human beings were equal, regardless of sex, race, creed or color. She would take great offense to young women being denied this."

FMI: www.redtails2012.com