Councilman Wants Huckleberry Finn Banned

Tylibah Washington, a hip-hop artist and self-published author of the book Streets in Poem Form: A Compilation of My Thoughts, has outraged the principal at a public school in Canarsie who thinks her book was inappropriate for fifth graders. Washington had conducted a four-week writing workshop at PS 279, and on the last day she handed out copies of her book, which includes poems such as "Supa-Dupa!" (which contains a reference to a crackhead performing oral sex) and "Who's The Evil Axis?" (which says George W. Bush "loves war so much he gets an erection!").

When Principal Lorenzo Chambers was sent a sample of the controversial verse, he asked that the students return the 60 copies that Washington had distributed. One teacher tells the Daily News, "I'd be appalled if my child came home with that book." But Washington says she has given out about 5,000 copies of her book at 50 city schools with no complaints. "My message is positive and I'm encouraging kids to read," she tells the News. She's registered with the DOE and she was reportedly paid $37,915 for her work in city schools this year.

Washington also happens to be the goddaughter of City Councilman Charles Barron, who rose to her defense yesterday, telling the tabloid, "I find it interesting that 'Huckleberry Finn' is a classic when it says [the N-word] 200 times. Tylibah's book is the opposite. It's very inspiring. I'd like to see 'Huckleberry Finn' banned." Obviously this Mark Twain guy must be stopped before he exposes NYC kids to the n-word!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Arts & Entertainment on December 23, 2010 10:52 AM

Comments [rss]

The Great Arturo Bandini

I'm sure her being a city councilman's niece had NOTHING to do with her getting this lucrative appointment with the Dept. of Ed. Yeah, her and Nicholas Cage...

ishtar_79

What qualifies this woman to host a writing workshop? What are her credentials?

ktinnyc

Didn't you read the post? She's a self published author. Not anyone can be a self published author. Oh, wait, what? Never mind...

ishtar_79

I guess I skipped right over that because it wasn't preceeded by "critically acclaimed".

Mordicai

Wait, what. People, he was JOKING. Right? I know people have tried to ban Huck Finn in the past-- missing the point entirely-- but I think that is what City Councilman Charles Barron is referring to. He has to have been joking.

langleycollyer

Anybody who reads Huckleberry Finn and sees it only as using the n-word a lot -- and then says he'd like to see it banned! -- is an imbecile.

Guest

wow. just wow. i know there is a lack of money for textbooks but isn't there important information that elementary kids should be absorbing in school? this "author" stumping for her "book" in a public school like some Times Square mixed-tape hustler is a fabulous waste of educational resources.

and comparing a shitty self-published screed to Mark Twain is the very definition of conceit.

ktinnyc

I find it very satisfying that the Rent is Too Damn HIgh Guy got more votes than Barron in the gubernatorial race.

HypocraticOath

The only way this self-published crap on a page should even be mentioned in the same sentence as anything by Mark Twain is if the wording is arranged as such: "Streets in Poem Form cannot hold a candle to the first chapter of Huckeberry Finn."

Although anything from the mouth of Charles Barron are automatically ridiculous and stupid.

Dan Lurie

I think there's something significantly different about historical word use (which can teach kids about cultural issues) and what her book apparently describes.