The Nation: Speech Defect

For the past ten years at West Junior High School in Waterloo, Iowa, Alice Margaret Hayes, 67, has been reading the story Little Brown Koko and the Preacher's Watermelon to her speech and drama class. When black students began busing to the school three years ago, Mrs. Hayes was always careful to ask if any objected, recognizing the stereotype that the title implies.

This year members of Waterloo's black community were riled by the story, and expressed their feelings two weeks ago by marching 30-odd strong into the startled teacher's classroom and announcing they would not leave until she was fired. Mrs....

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