Fri Nov 14, 2014, 05:15 PM

Texas teacher fired over racially charged Ferguson tweet

A Dallas-area teacher who was accused of sending a racially charged tweet about events in Ferguson, Mo., was fired on Friday, school officials said.

Vinita Hegwood, a high school English teacher, was discharged at a special meeting of the trustees of the Duncanville Independent School District, according to a statement emailed by the district.

"In a special meeting this morning, the Duncanville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to terminate the teaching contract of Ms. Vinita Hegwood effective immediately," according to the statement.

Hegwood was accused of sending insensitive comments from her personal Twitter account on Nov. 7. She had apologized.

"Who the [expletive] made you dumb [expletives] think I give a squat [expletive] about your opinions. #Ferguson Kill yourselves," read one of the messages Hegwood allegedly sent.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-teacher-fired-over-racially-charged-ferguson-tweet/ar-BBdJRE9?ocid=DELLDHP

104 replies, 14782 views

Thread info Bookmark this thread Trash this thread

Reply to this thread

Always highlight: 10 newest replies | Replies posted after I mark a forum

Replies to this discussion thread

104 replies	Author	Time	Post
Texas teacher fired over racially charged Ferguson tweet (Original post)	Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin	Nov 2014	OP
Have to admit to being	leftynyc	Nov 2014	#1
Me too.	Enthusiast	Nov 2014	#4
I bet folks would be more surprised if they did a google image search	snooper2	Nov 2014	#6
WOW!	New Deal Dave	Nov 2014	#48
It was a black woman,	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#8
Perfect sense.	hifiguy	Nov 2014	#13
Yep, and she deserved to lose her job n/t	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#15
I just suspect that the response would not have been	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#16
I disagree	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#18
Any particular reason you believe that?	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#45
I believe the school board	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#46
Good lord	AnalystInParadise	Nov 2014	#53
Let's see.	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#67
I agree Toad. I'm kinda surprised folks think a white teacher posting about "Thugs" would be fired.	Hoyt	Nov 2014	#76
Thugs does not necessarily refer to African Americans...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#77
It does when right wingers use it to apply to Ferguson protesters and the murdered kid.	Hoyt	Nov 2014	#78
Subjective....	Oktober	Nov 2014	#79
Go to Discussionist.com and see who uses term "thug" and what they mean by it in reference Ferguson.	Hoyt	Nov 2014	#80
Racist is racist...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#84
Generally speaking, most people like the perception of consistancy.	ZombieHorde	Nov 2014	#87
I noticed	ZombieHorde	Nov 2014	#86
In the sense...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#89
I'm sure you're one to also point out that...	Cooley Hurd	Nov 2014	#100
No... because I understand the concept of context...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#101
That's a subjective observation on your part...	Cooley Hurd	Nov 2014	#102
If you are inclined to throw common sense and your powers of observation out the window...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#103
Common sense is rarely...	Cooley Hurd	Nov 2014	#104
In a completely different state	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#81
Is it "racism" to call out the Governor, police force, right wingers threatening protesters, etc.	Hoyt	Nov 2014	#83
You're making two points here.	ZombieHorde	Nov 2014	#88
I hear you, but I don't have a problem calling white racists, "crackers"	Hoyt	Nov 2014	#94
Yes very standard behavior	AnalystInParadise	Nov 2014	#90
here is a lovely teacher from Houston.	mercuryblues	Nov 2014	#92
Not when it comes to racism.	simak	Nov 2014	#95
Wrong. A white teacher would not have been canned for that. Plus, I think what lady said is true.	Hoyt	Nov 2014	#96
Right.	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#97
It would have been the same.	840high	Nov 2014	#36
oh, absolutely not	d_b	Nov 2014	#52
It would have been faster...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#61
Really?	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#65
Apples to apples is the only real way to compare this...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#66
You would be wrong about that.	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#68
It's closer but the evidence is much clearer for the twitter feed... Written word and all...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#69
Excuses, excuses, excuses.	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#72
You think it's an excuse to conduct an investigation to see if it really happened?	Oktober	Nov 2014	#73
I think when people insist there are no differences between how whites and blacks are treated	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#74
Find the example and we can chat...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#75
Even if	mercuryblues	Nov 2014	#85
She forgot her place, just for a minute	randys1	Nov 2014	#26
I really hope you're being sarcastic n/t	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#29
I am pointing out that Black people cant do what white people do all the time and	randys1	Nov 2014	#30
You're assuming that a white teacher	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#31
Like what?	NaturalHigh	Nov 2014	#42
Forgetting ones place and going on racist screeds for the whole world to see are oceans apart...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#70
Duncanville isn't a little whites only hick town.	tammywammy	Nov 2014	#24
For an area with such a huge minority presence the school board has 6 of 7 seats filled by whites	Lee-Lee	Nov 2014	#33
If thats who the voters elected then I dont see a problem	Travis_0004	Nov 2014	#43
Travis, you're kidding us, right?	New Deal Dave	Nov 2014	#49
no	Travis_0004	Nov 2014	#60
Sounds a lot like Ferguson.	Hoyt	Nov 2014	#93
Apparently she is black, and her tweets were aimed at whites, whom she	tblue37	Nov 2014	#56
What does "racially charged" mean?	Donald Ian Rankin	Nov 2014	#59
Now does Vinita give a squat? Racist words do have consequences.	Dont call me Shirley	Nov 2014	#2
Yes they do.	840high	Nov 2014	#37
Good n/t	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#3
And they need to stop saying "allegedly"	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#5
How many souls will Ferguson consume before the fires of	KingCharlemagne	Nov 2014	#7
Wow, I will have to check out more...	awoke_in_2003	Nov 2014	#34
Reading his work may get you put on an NSA watch list. (He was a	KingCharlemagne	Nov 2014	#39
I am probably on it already...	awoke_in_2003	Nov 2014	#40
Old school commies are the best kind. We need a new Popular Front	New Deal Dave	Nov 2014	#50
It's difficult to judge whether this was a good thing or not. Not knowing what the	Fla Dem	Nov 2014	#9
It wasn't the case.	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#12
Yeah, but the "cracker" comment ...	New Deal Dave	Nov 2014	#51
Twitter is a public space	AnalystInParadise	Nov 2014	#54
Are you suggesting that there are some circumstances where this is acceptable...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#62
I was agreeing with the prior poster	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#64
That "quote" twists the tweet beyond recognition -	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#10
In the tweet it says "dumb duck ass..."	logosoco	Nov 2014	#20
You're right - I missed a couple of words -	Ms. Toad	Nov 2014	#47
This message was self-deleted by its author	jwirr	Nov 2014	#11
This message was self-deleted by its author	Ykcutnek	Nov 2014	#14
I bet she's pro union now	Boom Sound 416	Nov 2014	#17
I doubt the union could have saved her in this case n/t	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#19
I know. Just a cultural joke	Boom Sound 416	Nov 2014	#22
I wonder if the trustees would have been so outraged had....you know the rest.	WinkyDink	Nov 2014	#21
Dont wonder, NO they wouldnt have	randys1	Nov 2014	#28
I hope they would have fired any racist teacher	Travis_0004	Nov 2014	#32
I don't get it	SickOfTheOnePct	Nov 2014	#35
Are people rushing to her defense? - nt	KingCharlemagne	Nov 2014	#41
Reading for comprehension is key	AnalystInParadise	Nov 2014	#55
I was not defending her. I think what others have said in this thread,	logosoco	Nov 2014	#63
Did she admit to it?	AnalystInParadise	Nov 2014	#91
Her anger (not the statements) is justified given what has happened...	Cooley Hurd	Nov 2014	#23
If the worst the AA Community does while being murdered in the streets is send a tweet that	randys1	Nov 2014	#27
Anger doesn't justify racism...	Oktober	Nov 2014	#98
As I said...	Cooley Hurd	Nov 2014	#99
Let's face it, most people shouldn't use twitter...	joeybee12	Nov 2014	#25
No kidding.	NaturalHigh	Nov 2014	#38
Yup...and there's a record of that unfiltered stuff...nt	joeybee12	Nov 2014	#58
I use it for my Charity Miles	Fla_Democrat	Nov 2014	#44
It's useful if you can do what you do...	joeybee12	Nov 2014	#57
Agreed, I have a Twit account but don't use it. I also locked it down from the beginning,	MH1	Nov 2014	#71
You would make money with that invention.	NaturalHigh	Nov 2014	#82

Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Fri Nov 14, 2014, 05:23 PM

leftynyc (26,060 posts)

1. Have to admit to being

very surprised this teacher got canned in TX.

Texas teacher fired over racially charged Ferguson tweet

1. Have to admit to being

4. Me too.

6. I bet folks would be more surprised if they did a google image search

48. WOW!

8. It was a black woman,

13. Perfect sense.

15. Yep, and she deserved to lose her job n/t

16. I just suspect that the response would not have been

18. I disagree

45. Any particular reason you believe that?

46. I believe the school board

53. Good lord

67. Let's see.

76. I agree Toad. I'm kinda surprised folks think a white teacher posting about "Thugs" would be fired.

77. Thugs does not necessarily refer to African Americans...

78. It does when right wingers use it to apply to Ferguson protesters and the murdered kid.

79. Subjective....

80. Go to Discussionist.com and see who uses term "thug" and what they mean by it in reference Ferguson.

84. Racist is racist...

87. Generally speaking, most people like the perception of consistancy.

86. I noticed

89. In the sense...

100. I'm sure you're one to also point out that...

101. No... because I understand the concept of context...

102. That's a subjective observation on your part...

103. If you are inclined to throw common sense and your powers of observation out the window...

104. Common sense is rarely...

81. In a completely different state

83. Is it "racism" to call out the Governor, police force, right wingers threatening protesters, etc.

88. You're making two points here.

94. I hear you, but I don't have a problem calling white racists, "crackers"

90. Yes very standard behavior

92. here is a lovely teacher from Houston.

95. Not when it comes to racism.

96. Wrong. A white teacher would not have been canned for that. Plus, I think what lady said is true.

97. Right.

36. It would have been the same.

52. oh, absolutely not

61. It would have been faster...

65. Really?

66. Apples to apples is the only real way to compare this...

68. You would be wrong about that.

69. It's closer but the evidence is much clearer for the twitter feed... Written word and all...

72. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

73. You think it's an excuse to conduct an investigation to see if it really happened?

74. I think when people insist there are no differences between how whites and blacks are treated

75. Find the example and we can chat...

85. Even if

26. She forgot her place, just for a minute

29. I really hope you're being sarcastic n/t

30. I am pointing out that Black people cant do what white people do all the time and

31. You're assuming that a white teacher

42. Like what?

70. Forgetting ones place and going on racist screeds for the whole world to see are oceans apart...

24. Duncanville isn't a little whites only hick town.

33. For an area with such a huge minority presence the school board has 6 of 7 seats filled by whites

43. If thats who the voters elected then I dont see a problem

49. Travis, you're kidding us, right?

60. no

93. Sounds a lot like Ferguson.

56. Apparently she is black, and her tweets were aimed at whites, whom she

59. What does "racially charged" mean?

2. Now does Vinita give a squat? Racist words do have consequences.

37. Yes they do.

3. Good n/t

5. And they need to stop saying "allegedly"

7. How many souls will Ferguson consume before the fires of

34. Wow, I will have to check out more...

39. Reading his work may get you put on an NSA watch list. (He was a

40. I am probably on it already...

50. Old school commies are the best kind. We need a new Popular Front

9. It's difficult to judge whether this was a good thing or not. Not knowing what the

12. It wasn't the case.

51. Yeah, but the "cracker" comment ...

54. Twitter is a public space

62. Are you suggesting that there are some circumstances where this is acceptable...

64. I was agreeing with the prior poster

10. That "quote" twists the tweet beyond recognition -

20. In the tweet it says "dumb duck ass..."