ABSTRACT
Ruth Sherman, a third-grade teacher at P.S. 75 in Brooklyn, is not going back to her class. Black and Hispanic parents denounced her for insensitively deciding to teach a certain book. The book is Nappy Hair, a critically praised children's story by a black professor about black self-esteem. In the story, a young girl's hard-to-comb hair becomes a metaphor for racial pride and the girl's fiercely independent spirit. Blacks do not like whites to use the word "nappy," a traditional racial insult. But it is, after all, in the title of the book. The author, Carolivia Herrón, went on TV to support Sherman and said she would work with her to produce a study guide for the book. Though Sherman is obviously a well-meaning teacher who did nothing wrong, support for her has been surprisingly scarce. Racial touchiness does not appear to be the reason for this odd squeamishness.
