An Open Letter to the Granite City Board of Education

April 4, 2012

An Open Letter to the Granite City Board of Education


Granite City School District #9
Board of Education
c/o Superintendent Dr. Harry Briggs
1947 Adams St.
Granite City, IL 62040

Dear Members of the Granite City School District Board of Education:

I am writing to you today as an American of Scottish descent, imploring you to reconsider your decision to not allow a kilt to be worn to the Granite City High School prom. My great grandmother Lily Boyden MacFarlane was the first of our family born in America. We are from a small town called Dunkeld in central Scotland, while my ancestors of Clan MacFarlane hail from the Highlands. I am the Director of Gatherings and the Minnesota Commissioner for the International Clan MacFarlane Society, President of the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans, Board Member of the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games, Member of the Minnesota Tartan Day Cooperative and a Trustee of the Clan MacFarlane Charitable Trust. I have traveled to my ancestral homelands three times.

I say all this so that it is clear Scottish heritage and culture is both traditional and very much a part of the daily life of myself and those of us involved in our local, national and international Scottish communities. We honor this tradition by donning our cultural attire for annual celebrations, including Burns Nights, Highland Games, and Tartan Day annually on April 6th, the recognition of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, Scotland’s Declaration of Independence.

I am also African American. I mention this for two reasons: 1. Due to our nation’s dark past of Slavery, records and information are much harder to locate for this side of my heritage, making my Scottish history that much more important and accessible to me. 2. Due to this history, I risk alienation from those on both sides of my heritage who have difficulty reconciling both in one, making it that much harder to honor my heritage. Even so, I do everyday because it is a part of who and what I am, and to have anyone deny this or how I chose to honor and recognize it is an affront to my very being. It is offensive and it is wrong, and it is what you have done to William Carruba.

More to the point, the reason you have given for denying him the right to wear a kilt to his prom is inaccurate, based upon both the Granite City High School Student Handbook as well as the very history of Granite City itself.

To begin with, there is nothing in the Student Code of Dress which prohibits the wearing of a kilt, merely prescriptive guidelines for color of various articles of clothing, length and condition, etc. There is no regulation which states that either a kilt cannot be worn, or that pants must be worn by males. Further, the handbook gives teachers and administrators the discretion to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, and it gives the superintendent the authority to amend the policy.

So, since your policy does not prohibit the wearing of the kilt, and teachers and administrators have the ability to make decisions and exceptions if they wrongly believe that it does, the question then arises as to why William Carruba is really not being allowed to dress in traditional Scottish attire. Is the discriminatory statement that Principal Jim Greenwald is alleged to have made, and its sentiment, more reflective of an unwritten policy of discrimination in the District? Ironically enough, your decision reflects a bleak time in Scottish history when King George II imposed the “Dress Act” as part of the Act of Proscription in 1746 which outlawed all Highland Dress for the next 32 years as a means of suppressing Scottish heritage and culture. Whatever the reason, discriminatory or not, prohibiting the kilt is not listed in your policies, and therefore is an arbitrary and unnecessary decision.

The Code of Dress for Granite City High School prohibits "see-through" apparel, scantily clad outfits and gang-related apparel, all of which are inappropriate attire customarily worn by miscreants who disrupt the educational environment and generally cause trouble in society. When you group traditional Scottish attire in with these outfits like this, you are denigrating not only members of the American Scottish community, but the very history of Granite City. Your first mayor was James G. McRoberts, a Scot of Clan Donnachaidh. Over the years your mayors have included Kirkpatricks, a Kennedy, a Robertson, a Hodges, a Davis, etc. – all people of Scottish and Irish descent. Many of your first settlers, including Caldwell, Cummings, Waddle and Griffins, were also Scots and Irish. Further, your first mayor was also the first superintendent of the American Steel plant, helping to establish industry in Granite City…meaning that as with America and so many American states and cities, Scottish and Irish people and their culture and heritage have been intimately intertwined with the origins and establishment of your own city. What could be more traditional than that?

Finally, the Student Code of Dress states: “Granite City CUSD #9 encourages a standard in behavior, dress, grooming, and appearance that reflects pride in self, home and school.” And the District Mission states: “This learning environment must offer students the opportunity to practice and adopt the principles, values, and ideals which will help them to become self-sufficient and effective citizens in today’s democratic society. Our goal is to promote learning as a life-long process.” Is not an outfit that has been a part of our tradition for centuries, traditional enough for a high school prom? Is not the support of a student who is honoring his history and heritage, an opportunity to practice and adopt principles, values and ideals to help them to be more self-sufficient? What message are you imparting on this young man and his peers by negating his opportunity for self expression and honoring his heritage? What message are you imparting in emulating a historical oppression of Scottish culture? What lesson are you, as a Board of Education, teaching your students here?

In closing, I wore my kilt for my wedding. There is no more formal, traditional occasion. I have worn it for nearly every formal occasion since. It is a symbol of my family and my pride. It is a symbol of my heritage. Every instance I wear it, I honor my ancestors and our traditions. Every instance I wear it is an opportunity to enlighten people about my culture and heritage. Is this not part of what makes America the multifaceted tableau of cultures that it is? Is this not part of what makes America great?

I would hope that the opportunity to encourage even one of your students to learn more about his culture and heritage would far outweigh any outdated notion of what is “manly” to wear, and that in preparing children for a global society, perhaps it is time to rethink the definition of “traditional” to be more inclusive of other cultures and heritage. Perhaps then, a young man and his peers will learn acceptance rather than discrimination as part of his education in Granite City.

Sincerely,



Jonathan Palmer
President, Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans
president@mncsc.org