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Compact case
Case
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Reference no. HKS1461.0
Published by: Harvard Kennedy School
Published in: 1998
Length: 1 pages
Topics: Ethics

Abstract

A school board official in South Dakota is faced with a demand by local Indian tribes to change the name of the Annie Tallent School. Annie Tallent was among the first white pioneers to arrive in the Black Hills and became a leader in education. She was the first schoolteacher, first principal, and first superintendent of the school district. But her writings about her experience contained references to Indians that are believed by Native Americans today to be demeaning and offensive. For this reason, they have demanded a change in the name of the school. When it is time to decide the question, the school board is evenly divided, and the protagonist in the case has to cast the decisive vote. The case raises questions about the meaning of racism and how to be responsive to the concerns of minority communities.

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Abstract

A school board official in South Dakota is faced with a demand by local Indian tribes to change the name of the Annie Tallent School. Annie Tallent was among the first white pioneers to arrive in the Black Hills and became a leader in education. She was the first schoolteacher, first principal, and first superintendent of the school district. But her writings about her experience contained references to Indians that are believed by Native Americans today to be demeaning and offensive. For this reason, they have demanded a change in the name of the school. When it is time to decide the question, the school board is evenly divided, and the protagonist in the case has to cast the decisive vote. The case raises questions about the meaning of racism and how to be responsive to the concerns of minority communities.

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