Recalling Kennedy assassination and a child’s introduction to civil rights

The recent commentary in The Baltimore Sun by Bob Brody, “When teachers had to break the news that the president was dead” (Nov. 22), brought back a suppressed memory that I’d never shared until now. I was a 13-year-old 7th grader sitting in Miss Petersen’s English class. My assigned seat was by the door. We were halfway through class when the principal came to the door and asked Miss Petersen to step outside into the hallway.

I just remember Miss Petersen gasping as her hands went up to her face. I could hear the principal ask if she was alright because he needed to go see the other teachers. Miss Petersen came back into the room and tears were running down her cheeks. For that moment, I was confused. Then Miss Petersen, her voice cracking and her cheeks damp with tears, told us that our president had been shot in Dallas.

As I tried to process what that meant, she then said so quietly and in such a heartfelt tone that President John F. Kennedy was dead. She followed that by saying at any moment the bell would ring and we were to get our belongings from our locker and go directly home. As if the timing were to be so, the bell rang the next moment and everyone left the room. Miss Petersen was by then sitting at her desk, her hands grasping the table as if to steady herself and her subtle tears were now pure sorrowful crying.

I was just a boy but I couldn’t just leave the room and leave her alone. Something was wrong for us all but for Miss Petersen in particular. You see, we had been studying voting rights in social studies and I had put myself in the shoes of someone who couldn’t always vote. And, I learned how President Kennedy was going to try and fix that. I thought of the promise that he had made and how him being gone might stop that from happening. Then, thinking about that and watching Miss Petersen all by herself crying caused me to stay.

I was only 13 but I touched Miss Petersen’s hand. She looked at me and gave me the best smile that she could given under the circumstances. She thanked me for my touch and understanding as I left. You see, Miss Petersen was Black and the city schools had only recently integrated. She was alone in the room thinking about what this might mean for all people being treated equally. From social studies, I understood that as well. And for that moment, we weren’t teacher and student but two people who recognized, together, that we all should be treated fairly.

— Jim Mundy, Ellicott City

Teaching kids about values, not identity politics, can lift Baltimore

Christopher Anderson of the Maryland Black Republican Council is 100% correct when he stated in his recent commentary that “the reality is this ‘woke’ agenda is getting us nowhere. It’s time to shift back to our original conservative values, ones that prioritize family, education, and self-reliance — values that can help elevate our communities and put us on a path to real empowerment” (“Black voters can’t depend on identity politics to empower our communities,” Nov. 21).

When and if the community embraces these values, opportunities will be endless. There is no good reason that leaders like Colin Powell, Vice President Kamala Harris, Dr. Ben Carson, Condoleezza Rice and others can’t be emulated and used as examples of what can be accomplished with hard work and a good education.

If I were Mayor Brandon Scott, I would speak to home room classes in every middle school in Baltimore emphasizing the value of a good education. I would also tell them not to have babies until you can afford them. The mayor has to start getting in front of issues, not fighting fires all the time. His efforts with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) show he can do it — he just needs to do the same on other issues.

— Lyle Rescott, Marriottsville