This is an outrage! Are they supposed to go out and make students without abilities or desire to join the group just to make it "diverse"? Good grief!!!

It IS outrageous! I would love to find out what they consider "diverse enough," and hold Grady and the ASO to the same standards.

This is definitely outrages! I am speechless.....

Is Grady diverse? or just colorful?

Reverse racism is still racism. I hope the parents and teachers of Walton and Lassiter make an issue of this.

ASO will NOT see any of my money. This is disgusting news and a total outrage! Has diversity always been an issue?

So sad to hear this news. It is simply ridiculous! Lassiter and Walton parents, go to bat for these kids!

This is crazy. Have the people at the ASO lost their minds? This racism at it's very core. I certainly hope that the people at Lassiter and Walton file some kind of discrimination suit against the ASO.

It isn't crazy. It is a reality. East Cobb votes no for EEO housing, and Marta for a reason. How many homes are "affordable" in those school districts? People MOVE into those districts every day BECAUSE they lack diversity. I hear it ALL the time from moms. The lack of diversity there is WHY I chose a different school district. I'm from here born and raised. The world isn't white. It is diverse. So, do what East Cobb does best; build your own, buy your own. Live within the walls that were built around it. -Yes, I'm white.

@ Dee ^ That is the most ignorant thing I've ever heard. So because East Cobb residents vote against taxes funding Marta (which is totally warranted because I went to Lassiter and maybe used Marta once in my 4 years in high school), they shouldn't get to perform with the ASO in their Christmas concert. Why would anyone choose a school district based on diversity, it's not like either of the schools discriminated in any way, and an argument could be made that these two schools are two of the best in the entire state. Especially Walton, that school is more diverse than you think. The Chorus program cannot be representative of the entire school, especially one with almost 3000 kids. This is ridiculous.

You all are biased because you went there, you raised kids there and you still live there. No one said they didn't perform academically. If this is the only place you have lived and educated your children, you have only ONE perspective. You made my point.

@Dee - this is bold and blatant reverse discrimination. Plain and simple. Why does any school have to be "diverse" to perform in a choral holiday concert? And so it is OK to dismiss "all white" Walton/Lassiter and replace them with "all black" Grady HS? Such hypocrites!

I'm sure there are some quality "diverse" schools out there, such as Grady, but the issue surrounding the Lassiter/Walton choral programs and the ASO isn't about diversity...it's about discrimination. Selection based on "merit" is as real world as it gets, no matter where you live or how diverse your community. Should those choral programs lower their standards to make the policital correctness police happy? @Dee, no one I know moves into a school district because it lacks diversity, as you claim, but because of the quality of education offered...and Walton is top notch. And no, I don't live in East Cobb. But again, this argument isn't about diversity...it's about discrimination. Awfully convenient to argue about "diversity" and overlook the fact that that these kids were discriminated against based on the color of their skin.

1. This is a second hand quote - I would like to hear or read and offical statement from ASO. I would "HOPE" their replacement wouldn't be with Grady HS simply because of their diversity...and have you all been to Grady HS? I don't know the demographics...but it is directly across from piedmont park...and it looks large, well taken care of and "supported"
2. Dee...hilarious...and TRUE!!! Stop getting on her. I went to Lassister...and can agree about the "stigma" that East Cobb has...AND...why I want to raise my kids their too!!! Come one people..."East Cobb Snobs" - since the 80's and still true. Let's be honest.
3. Marta - since you've never known the benefits of mass transportation, or had the ablility to use it....you wouldn't support it. AND yes, it would bring more "colorful" people to East Cobb (let's not confuse all of Cobb county with East Cobb) - and people have voted, they want to stay in the bubble...I can't say I blame them...is it fair...of course not.
4. The schools...not just the parents should raise concern over this report...if what is stated is actually the truth. If there are no rules laying out exactly what ratio of students should be in the group, then they can't enforce such a ruling...

That is all...!

This isn't about Lassiter or Walton its about sending an Obama style wake up call. It's no longer ok to just be white and proud of it. We should be ashamed of our white skin and embrace everyone else's....? My wife and I both went to Lassiter and had friends of many different back grounds. Our daughter goes to a Lassiter feeder school and there are very many different cultures that go there as well. When we went there most of the black students stuck together, hallways, clubs, and after school.
This of course was not true of every black student, however if there was any separation it was a choice made by each individual group. Jocks-skaters-preps-goths- etc.... The fact that E.Cobb doesn't want Marta here is because we do not want to deal with the same issues that Dekalb, S.Fulton, and Decatur all deal with. Lower income housing in East Cobb??!!! Fact- when you have lower income or Government housing you have more crime. Fact when you have lower income housing there are more teen pregnancies, and the standard of education drops. Yes I pay more to live here it is my way of insuring that my daughter has the best opportunity to be educated and not because there are less or more of any culture. No matter how you slice it, when you exclude any group of people based on there color or lack of it..... IT IS CALLED RACISM

The story here is NOT that Lassiter and East Cobb are being "banned" or uninvited. They have simply been asked to send fewer students so a third school (one that will bring some diversity to the program and more fully represent metro Atlanta) can be included. But the alarmist "Not Diverse Enough" headline and cries of reverse discrimination make it much more exciting for people to read. I would be very interested in seeing the original communication from the ASO to understand their approach/reasoning. All we have here is a quote from Cobb Schools.

I don't know if anybody remembers this or not, but several years ago the AJC did a study of test scores of various high schools in Cobb County, along with the racial makeup of those schools. The scores in the southern part of the county were lower and there was a higher ratio of blacks in the system. The scores at Lassister were high and the ratio of blacks in the system was very, very low, maybe 5% or 6%. I knew that, as soon as they printing those numbers that the black population would say "wait a minute, that's not right". I know that one of my black coworkers at the time said that. They started looking for houses in that area and a couple of years later, the test scores at Lassiter dropped and the ratio of blacks in the system had jumped up into the teens. I am not saying there is a correlation and maybe some less intelligent white kids started going to Lassister, but it looked awfully suspicious to me.

My children are in the Walton chorus and have put their hearts and souls into their craft. One of my kids has had voice lessons since the third grade. The Walton chorus consistently ranks as one of the best in the state in their choral evaluations and has performed at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In a BLIND competition I would put them up against any other chorus in the state. They have a committment to excellence and a passion that at most schools is reserved for athletic teams. Unless Grady's chorus can perform at the same level, (and I hope they can), then the decision was unfair. But I'm sure the Grady parents will make up for the lost season ticket sales that the ASO can expect this year.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra chooses an Atlanta HS over two Cobb high schools because they feel like it more represents Atlanta- and you folks are 'outraged'? Look past the inflammatory slant of the article and think about it.

Why is there no comment fro the ASO, or anything stating that the ASO was contacted, but declined to or could not be reached for comment? The only source in this story is a Cobb County spokesperson, which doesn't exactly make it a credible story.

10:32 am on Thursday, August 16, 2012

Someone please say it. This is reverse discrimination. The sad reality is that schools with diversity ie. Grady High school and other predominately black schools have students who do not perform academically as well as predominately white schools. Is it parents ( lack of a father), lack of good role models, bad teachers ( Atlanta teachers who cheat on ECOT) ascribing to be gangster, lack of initiative or the entitlement philosophy. The ACLU will not support the children in their quest to be heard. If I was this chorus, I would have my own fundraiser and refuse to be part of a system that doesn't call out the real reasons for social inequality. There is a time when one must take personal responsibilty for under achievement.

Chances are the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra sells more tickets to North East Cobb residents than to the "diverse" population of Grady High and predominately black communities. There is nothing diverse about predominately black schools. Who is calling the kettle black? ( pun intended).

Hello everyone!

I have reached out to the ASO for their side of the story. When I hear back from them, I will update the article!

Thanks,
Justin

Dear Cobb Mom,
Have you seen some of the schools in Fulton and Dekalb county? I wouldn't want my kids to go to some of these places. That is why charter schools have taken off. Black leaders don't talk about the level of illegitament births that leads to poverty nor do thay speak of the violence that is predominately black on black. What about the disproportionate amount of blacks in jail? It is easy to single out a predominately white suburb. What ever happened to merit?
I apologize to Grady high if they are a school of excellence but I have children that attend Lassiter and I am not impressed but their curriculum.

Walton is far more "predominantly white" than Grady is "predominantly black."
27% of Grady's student body is white. 4% of Walton's student body is black.

So yes, Grady is far more diverse.

Pam, I am simply pointing out facts.

I have had daughters in Walton Chorus for the past 10 years. There are actually quite diverse--just Asian not African. Last year's chorus was probably 20 percent Asian, and Walton itself may be the most diverse high school in Georgia. Unfortunately for the ASO's purposes it is not the kind of diversity it wants which is African-American.

Discrimination and racism rear their ugly heads once again. This time it's the ASO.

Quick update: I've sent an e-mail and left a voice message with the ASO publicist. I hope she gets back to me shortly!

There are a few points that I think everybody is missing...

1) ASO is not a "Diverse" organization. This does not mean they are racist, it just means it's not truly diverse. (Look at their website and members of the orchestra. Anybody who has any background in music will tell you that they are probably par for the course when it comes to the make up of certain sections) It's just the way it is.

2) If Justin's first line of the article is accurate ("Lassiter and Walton High Schools will not be allowed to perform in full with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra because of their racial makeup.") Then yes it is a problem. I have no problem with Grady being invited to perform with them over these schools (and yes I'm a Lassiter Alum) if they said "We want to highlight schools from all around the Metro Atlanta Area" but I do have a problem if they actually said it has to do with their racial make up.

3) Does anybody know which schools are even invited to perform with them?

And as far as the role models comment in the African American community... Role Models in ALL communities start at home with parents. For every negative example in any school, there are plenty of these parents/teachers/students that are doing the right thing.

Lynn - If ASO does sell more tickets to North East Cobb residents, wouldn't it only make sense to have their schools in over Grady? Just saying....

"What ever happened to fairness, inclusion and merit?" Good Point - so is it fair to say Grady can't take part? Should we be excluding Grady? Does Grady not deserve this opportunity?

As for who can afford a home in East Cobb? Depending on your neighborhood I'd bet my Mortgage Payment that it's not only African Americans who lived beyond their means and had to move out of your neighborhood and lower your property value. I'm sure that the job market had nothing to do with people losing their homes as well.

Lynn I hope things do change as well. More importantly I hope that you open your eyes and are open to change as well. Everybody is entitled to their opinion but some of yours that you have shared seem like you are repeating things that somebody else has said. I may be wrong on that point, however based on comments I've seen from you (as well as some others) I would encourage all of you to get to know your neighbor and judge them on their character, and not what you see in the movies or on the news and think they are all the same. As I said in my first comment, role models begin at home and some of the comments that have been made on here, it's clear that not everybody is working fix the problem, but choosing to be a part of it.

For those of you that are commenting that they live in a predominantly white area, these students that are being affected did not necessarily choose to live in those districts, their parents did. The parents are not the ones that are being told no, the kids are. To punish these kids for a once in a lifetime opportunity because "diversity" is a pure and utter outrage. Racism and discrimination has reared its ugly head again. Is this reverse discrimination, no IT IS Discrimination. The idea that Caucasians should be punished or given a disadvantage because of rules simply because of the color of their skin and advantages given to those who are not white is absurd. How is giving an advantage to someone because of the color of their skin equal? If there are physical and mental disabilities that create an inherit disadvantage, then accommodations should be made. I am all for equal treatment, Color, Religion, Gender, Sexual Preference and all, but it outrages and disappoints me when decisions are made on "diversity" and not merit. For those that think that the parents are evil because they moved to that area because of the demographics and are upset because there are no affordable homes, I would encourage you to look at yourself. Did you move to an area because it was better than another? I'm sure you did. I bet it wasn't because of the demographics, it was because of the statistics. If you work hard and stop waiting for handouts, you could afford better housing.

I found the following interesting.

Lassiter High School
80% White
11% Black
4% Asian
4% Hispanic

Walton High School
75% White
15% Asian
6% Black
4% Hispanic

Grady High School
66% Black
26% White
3% Hispanic
3% Dual
2% Other

This is all based on data from the same sources at publicschoolsk12.com.
Yes Grady has a more diverse ratio, but It is considerably predominantly one race.

I invite anyone who thinks Walton is not an ethnically diverse school to come to our neighborhood bus stop in the mornings. My daughter is white/hispanic and she is definitely in the minority. We moved to this school district to get the best academic experience we could for our children. I believe Martin Luther King said it best "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream, 1963.

Whew!

After some frantic calls and e-mails, I've added the official statement from the ASO. I am also trying to confirm Mr. Dillon's assertion that racial makeup played a part in the decision. Once I get that, I will add it to the article as well.

(PS: This is the fifth-most read Patch article in the country right now!)

-Justin

Justin, it's the fifth-most-read Patch article in the country right now because of an inflammatory (and probably misleading) headline, and because it's full of comments wrongly charging the ASO with discrimination. Not something to be all that proud of, if you ask me.

Love how the kids get punished for something completely out of their control. Well done, ASO.

I think Cobb Mom and Lin and Steve Doctor need a hand pointing out that the ASO statement needed to be clarified. And I hope that everyone here that takes a stand against quotas/ratio's remembers what they wrote here today and when their daughters are offered a Title IV scholarship (to promote diversity in college) they decline it and pass it to a boy who performed better academically. Or will it be okay then? Just sayin'. When the tide is IN our favor do we stand up just as passionately?

I guess my question here is, Did ASO say the choruses were not racially diverse? People immediately think of race when the word diversity is used, but it sounds like ASO said they just want some diversity of choirs, as in some other schools to get a chance (even if those choirs are predominantly white as well). It's like that kid who raises his hand EVERY time the teacher has a question. Sometimes the teacher wants to see if someone knows the answer.

oops.. I meant we need to give them a hand, not that they need a hand....Thanks!

Title IX right? I'm hoping my daughter gets one!

Looks like the ASO marketing needs to talk with his bosses before making a statement that contradicts the bosses words. The word Diversity I think was misused by the President and was mistaken by the community, however the VP should have clearly clarified what was meant in his response. It sounded like a political response and ignored the fact that everything was taken out of context.

Well, I think the ASO did tell the schools that they were not racially diverse enough, regardless of what their respresentative is saying now. The first paragraph, where they say that they want to show the diversity of Atlanta says it all. I agree that all schools should have the opportunity to perform, but it should not have been handled this way. Just tell each school that they have two years and then other schools will get a chance. This is a really big debacle.

Wow, so much outrage. I am certain the article did not mean to offend the children. I am African American an we live just fine in our home (Lynn). I think they just want to see more diverse group of choristers. It's beautiful when we see children sing, it's even more beautiful when you see faces of diversity sing. Grady is a good school and Lynn's comments were inappropriate.

According to the statement released by the ASO, this entire situation revolves around the misunderstanding of the word "diversity". Being a Lassiter high school choral alumni i was quite gifted with many opportunities to sing in several magnificent locals and situations of which i am more than proud, and today i am again proud of the Lassiter choral department for their contribution to Atlanta's musical heritage and their gracious passing of the torch to another well deserving school. Thank you Lassiter and Walton for making Cobb county and our fantastic Atlanta Symphony Orchestra sing with pride. I'm truly sorry that the Northeast Cobb Patch would rather tell half truths to sell papers rather than report the whole truth to make the maturity and graciousness of our students shine.

The ASO will not see any more of our money or support. I think it's best to just stay away from anything connected to Atlanta.

This racism against white people has got to stop!!!! Being told they are not ethnic or black enough to partipate is criminal. ACLU . .where are you? And Al Sharpton where are you to push for civil rights on behalf of white people? this is all about talent so get it together and be smart!

I think you have to applaud this decision. Being more inclusive is a great thing. Giving another school an opportunity that was earned is a great thing. The ASO even offered space for a smaller contingency of students from Walton and Lassiter. Seems like the students from Walton and Lassiter need to speak up and be heard so that they can continue participating, albeit on a smaller scale.

Now Stanley Romanstein is just making stuff up. The cover up is always worse than the crime. ASO clearly wanted its holiday choral elements to look more diverse -- there is no other way to explain the plan to mix and match HS choruses together. None.

For me the path forward is clear. The ASO must apologize to both Walton and Lassiter, identify the genesis of the complaints about the racial composition of their choral groups, and discipline any and all staff and/or board members who may have implied that race was a factor in how the schools select their chorus members.

Absent that, the ASO has ceased to exist as far as I am concerned.

http://thefreelance.tumblr.com/post/29548598478

Why should the ASO match the "diversity" of Atlanta? Shouldn't they be more concerned about matching the audience that buys the tickets? The Rainbow Coalition a couple years ago tried to stage a boycott of the Atlanta Braves because they did not have enough "black" players and their point was that the pro teams should match the makeup of the local city. Raffiel Furcal did not coulnt as "black" and dark hispanics did not count according to the Coalition. What about the hockey teams? If you want to match the fans with the team then it should be the butts in the seats that sped the money. Go to a Hawks game and take a look in the crowd...mostly white guys...now look on the court...mostly black...so what the heck does diversity of the people outside the venue have to do with it?

Shame on the City of Atlanta, Delta, and Coca-Cola for supporting such hypocrisy. Where’s the diversity in the ASO Mr. Romanstein? Let’s see, based on the ASO website there are 2 non-white members; a trombonist and assistant librarian. Shame on the ASO. http://www.asochorus.org/images/ORCHESTR.JPG

I wonder if the Morehouse and Spelman College Glee Clubs received similar dismissals from ASO for their lack of diversity...

Here's an example of a diverse choir performing with ASO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK3QJZX7OyE

Greetings to all the posters on this blog. Interesting reading from a reader in NW Ohio. I tripped across this story a few hours ago and have spent every minute since then reading not only this thread, but the thread on wsbtv's site.

Originally I, like many others here, was outraged at this blatantly racist action by the ASO. Upon reading and re-reading the comment along with input from others, I've mellowed. There is a very good chance that the word "diverse" has us all spitting nails. Is there a chance that the President simply used the wrong word in his explanation? I will watch how this story plays out over the next few days. Thank you Justin for the info and the forum to voice our concerns.

The ASO has managed to discriminate against Lassiter and Walton. Is there a lawyer willing to take this case as a class (pun intended again) action suit. It is clearly a case of discrimination.

See the comments in the editorial section of the MDJ!

Decisions to achieve someone's idea of "diversity" are a symptom of liberal insanity.