New Philadelphia schools agree to remove 'Huckleberry Finn' book with racial slur

Nancy Molnar, The Times-Reporter
·3 min read
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Rasheed As-Samad, his wife, Jessica, and their sons, Andre, Isaiah and Rasheed Jr. (left to right) speak about their feelings over the reading of the "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in a New Philadelphia High School English class on Jan. 25 at First Baptist Church in Dover. In response to the family's complaint, the district has removed from the curriculum a version of the book that uses a racial slur more than 200 times.

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ The version of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" that contains a racial slur has been removed from the New Philadelphia City Schools' curriculum in response to a complaint.

The complaint:New Philadelphia student, parents challenge use of 'Huckleberry Finn' due to racial slur

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Members of the family of 16-year-old New Philadelphia High School sophomore Andre As-Samad expressed gratitude for the decision to remove the Mark Twain original that contains the slur more than 200 times. It has been replaced with a version that substitutes the word "slave" for the offending term.

The Rev. Rasheed As-Samad, Andre's father, said it was sad that the administration waited until 2023 to decide to stop using racial slurs in school.

"I feel like it's a small step in the right direction," he said. "I'll take it."

"We're really thankful that the right decision was made," said Andre's mother, Jessica As-Samad. "That word just doesn't have any place anywhere, but especially in our schools."

She said students of all colors have been thanking Andre for his family's opposition to the offensive text because they also felt very uncomfortable with that kind of language.

"People have been congratulating me at school," Andre said.

What prompted the book change?

The decision was made by a five-member review committee that convened at the end of January, according to Superintendent Amy Wentworth. The committee included Assistant Superintendent Jeffery Williams, staff and community members.

In an email message, she wrote that the committee considered the following when making their recommendation:● How the racial slur in the book affects the social-emotional well-being of students.● The place this piece of literature has in the curriculum and how it meets state standards.● How withdrawal of the novel would affect other related works/curriculum. ● The need for ongoing diversity and implicit bias training for all staff members.

"This decision was not made lightly and included frank discussions on the topics of race, social-emotional awareness, young people today, and academics and curriculum," Wentworth wrote.

"As part of our mission, we are committed to providing every student a diverse, quality education within a safe and secure environment," she wrote. "We believe this book aligns with our mission by demonstrating how far our nation has evolved while also allowing students to discuss openly and honestly within a safe space how the book makes them feel and the progress yet to be made to ensure every person is treated equally."

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As-Samad family reaction

Andre As-Samad said school has been better for him since he switched to a different English class. He took advantage of the administration's offer to change after he objected to a teacher reading "Huckleberry Finn" aloud in a college preparatory class, complete with frequent uses of the racial slur.

Rasheed As-Samad said it was belittling for his son to have to listen to the teacher read a racial slur in class. Both parents gave Andre permission to leave class when that happened.

"I would have said the same thing if it had been another so-called minority," said the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dover. "It's just not right. I made an oath to myself to stand up for what is right."

Jessica As-Samad expressed appreciation the school administration removed the offending text once it was brought to their attention.

She said parents send children to school with the expectation they will be safe physically and mentally. She said she didn't feel comfortable sending her son into a situation where he had to hear the offensive word repeatedly.

Rasheed As-Samad said he is not completely satisfied with the decision to substitute a revised version of "Huck Finn." He disagrees with describing Black people as slaves. The people were not slaves, he said, but people who were kept in slavery.

Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Family objection results in switch to 'Huck Finn' version without slur