This letter was written to my girls first grade teacher on January 21, 1996.

Dear Mrs. Crothers,

I trust this letter finds you well. I write to express my disappointment over some recent schoolwork done by Shannon.

I refer specifically to the work regarding the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr’s. birthday. I fully realize that you must teach the curriculum set forth by the school administration and therefore do not direct my anger and frustration at you. You may, if you feel comfortable with the idea, forward this missive to the proper authorities for their perusal.

I will not deny the impact that Dr. King has had on our society. Nor will I argue that he should not have a holiday set aside for him. Those are topics for another day. My disappointment is based upon the fact that nothing was taught the children about the two great Americans and Virginians whose birthdays were, for many years prior to the King Holiday, celebrated here in Virginia. Why were our children denied knowledge of the contributions of these two historical figures from our own Commonwealth?

If it is the school’s desire to teach our children about great men and women whom we wish them to emulate then I would think that the examples set by Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan Jackson are more than worthy of notice. Furthermore they represent part of my child’s heritage and that of the south in general. If other’s are worthy of mention in school curriculum then why not two native son’s?

This may seem a minor, even innocuous, point to many, but I see it as a further erosion of our children’s knowledge of their collective heritage and history. Who else will be deemed unworthy of being included in our school’s curriculum? I wish to have answers to my questions. I hope you can help me to understand.

I will close now, thanking you for your time and attention to this matter. Please know me to be,

a concerned parent,