School Superintendent Trying to Block Wilson Play

The superintendent of schools in Waterbury, Connecticut is making a plea to shut down a school production of August Wilson's JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE. Mr. Snead claims that educators should not be encouraging people to use the word 'nigger' which appears several times in the script.

The Waterbury Board of Education will discuss the issue at their meeting on Tuesday, however the school is still planning to go ahead with the play. The principal of Waterbury Arts Magnet School said that they considered substituting another word, but that the people who own the rights to the play would not allow any alterations.

For the full story, please see this article in the New York Times.