NYC MAYOR ADAMS AND
CHANCELLOR BANKS DISCUSS
MAYORAL CONTROL AT BHS
By Nicole Meselsohn & Fiona Zhuo
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On the morning of March 8, 2022, alumni Mayor Eric Adams and Chancellor David Banks called a press conference at Bayside High School. On the very steps he used to climb as a student, Mayor Adams addressed the issue of mayoral control over public schools.
During an interview with Mayor Adams, he stated that “as the mayor and a graduate of New York City schools, I am able to use that perspective and those experiences to make transformative changes that will best suit the needs of students and impart memories that will last a lifetime.”
Similarly, Chancellor Banks commented, “It has been a really exciting position. I visited schools all over New York City and every day, I am so inspired - I mean, wonderful, smart, amazing people… I took this job as chancellor because I wanted to help as many young people as possible around New York City achieve their dreams.”
In addition, Chancellor Banks and Mayor Adams continued on to discuss the importance of accountability and stability. According to an article from the New York Post titled “Mayor Adams Calls on Albany to Make Good on Hochul Promise of 4-year Control of Schools” by Reuven Fenton, Selim Algar, Bernadette Hogan, and Sam Raskin, Mayor Adams said, “We brought that certainty and clarity when the school system started and we inherited it in January, and that is the clarity we brought with mayoral accountability… It would have been unimaginable that we had to debate whether to open schools or close schools during the COVID conversation. Because we had mayoral accountability, we were able to make split-second decisions and move our school systems and families in the right direction.”
In addition, an article titles “Mayor Adams, Schools Chancellor Banks Push to Extend Mayoral Control of NYC Public Schools” from Eyewitness News ABC7NY states, “‘Mayoral accountability allows us to collectively tackle systemic problems so that all of our kids may have bright starts and bold futures…’ Both believe it has led to higher graduation rates and significant growth in the preschool system.”
Correspondingly, Bayside High School Assistant Principal Mr. Morrison says, “I think that it is important for our city to have Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks since they both came up through the public school system in New York City and attended two large high schools. It is very important for folks to realize that we have great schools in our city that produce mayors and chancellors, and Mayor Adams decided to do it [his press conference] from Bayside High School, which just begins to show his level of giving back.”
We had the pleasure of meeting both Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks as they came back inside the school to meet and interact with Bayside staff/administrators and students. This not only showed their level of involvement, but their true commitment to being a part of the school system as they spoke with us and our future goals, knowing students are the future of society.
With the knowledge that children grow and learn from their surroundings, Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks are dedicated to making sure that mayoral control over the NYC public school system not only benefits students’ education, but enhances their ability to successfully cultivate their personal and professional future.
COMEDIANS' FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER ATTACK IN AMERICA
By Ahmed Huossein
Editor’s Note: Views expressed in this article are
solely from the author's opinions and beliefs.
​
At the 94th Academy Awards Ceremony, on March 27th, 2022, there was an altercation between actor Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock involving Smith slapping Rock due to a joke made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. This event has raised questions on political correctness, censorship, and freedom of speech.
Chris Rock’s joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Smith, received very mixed reactions and left people questioning whether the joke was appropriate or not. I do not believe the joke was too insulting for an awards ceremony as it is not clear whether Rock even knew about Jada’s condition, alopecia. I believe it's fine for comedy to be “offensive” to a certain level, but it's also fine for the jokes to be met with criticism. After all, humor is subjective.
It is completely reasonable for Will and Jada Smith to be offended by the joke and Chris Rock, as a comedian, should be accepting of that. There is a line between funny and offensive humor that comedians have to be wary of when deciding what jokes they will say, especially at a large public event.
Regarding Will Smith’s reaction to Chris Rock’s joke, I believe it was completely unacceptable for Smith to act the way he did. Nothing justifies resorting to violence when you simply do not approve of what someone says. Will Smith’s actions put both him and Chris Rock in an unfavorable situation. It is reasonable to be upset with the joke, but what Smith should have done was speak to Rock about it in a civil manner. Will Smith has been banned from all Academy events including the Oscars for the next 10 years. Companies such as Netflix and Sony have also terminated movie projects with him.
Currently, Will Smith and Chris Rock are in an awkward situation because of what happened since many think that both are to blame. I believe comedians will censor themselves in the future to stay out of controversy. Yet, many comedians feel that political correctness is “ruining” comedy, setting the stage for comedians to fight against such censorship.
In my opinion, the Academy should not put stricter limits on what jokes future hosts can make. Censorship has its own negative effects and people should have the right to free speech. Pushing the limits of a joke is a risk that a comedian should know they are taking. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the Academy to select an appropriate host. Chris Rock is known to utilize “offensive” or dark humor in his comedy. If the Academy were to pick someone similar in the future and proceed to censor them, their comedic style would be undermined.
Whether this event remains relevant in the future or not, its occurrence has brought about important discussions on what comedians are allowed to say and if censorship should be a consideration for large televised events like the Oscars.
