Watertown School Board Defends 7-1 Ban of Concert Piece Over Stonewall Violence Concerns
Updated
Updated · WPR · May 18
Watertown School Board Defends 7-1 Ban of Concert Piece Over Stonewall Violence Concerns
9 articles · Updated · WPR · May 18
A 7-1 Watertown school board vote removing “A Mother of A Revolution!” from the May 18 high school band concert was defended again Sunday in a board statement.
The board said the 2019 instrumental work violated the district’s controversial issues policy because it celebrates violence and conflicts with what it called a values-neutral public school education.
Omar Thomas wrote the piece in honor of transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, linking it to the 1969 Stonewall uprising that became a milestone in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.
Band director Reid LaDew had notified parents in October that students would study the work to build empathy and cultural awareness, and the board said renewed parent complaints surfaced this month.
The removal has triggered backlash in Watertown, where hundreds of students walked out last week, 775 community members signed a support letter, and a rally was planned before Monday’s concert.
When a song has no words, who decides its message and why did a school board ban it?
What does banning a student performance teach them about art, policy, and their own expression?
If a teacher follows district policy, can a school board still censor their curriculum months later?