THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 9, 1995 TAG: 9503090445
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: AMELIA LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Amelia County High School has staged a belated Black History Month program that school officials hope will end discontent among black students who complained when the program was not held in February.
Several weeks ago many of the school's black students became angry when they learned Delmartri Womack, a special education teacher, had been asked to stop wearing her African-inspired clothing.
School officials said it was a misunderstanding, and Womack had been asked only to not wear headdresses - a violation of the school policy.
But student frustration quickly spread to include anger that no Black History Month program was held in February. Last week, most of the school's black students and a handful of white students held a sit-in and presented the administration with a list of requests.
Among the requests was one asking that the Black History Month program always be held in February. Superintendent Charles Shell said scheduling problems and difficulty securing a speaker caused the delay.
School officials said they were concerned about rumors that white students might stage a protest or stay out of school en masse over Tuesday's program.
Principal Susan Roberts said she did not know how many students were absent, but she did not believe it was an unusually high number.
The two-hour program was held in the gymnasium and featured several songs and poems.
The speakers were Del. Riley E. Ingram, R-Hopewell, and the Rev. Antoine Edwards of First Baptist Church in Richmond. by CNB