New Jersey Secretary of State in Trouble Over Black History Speech

A state Cabinet official whose fiery Black History Month speech apparently was too in-your-face for some listeners, issued a statement of regret Tuesday. Secretary of State Regena L. Thomas said her March 7 presentation to 600 freshmen and sophomores at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield was not meant to belittle the predominantly white audience, as some have charged. "My purpose was to raise the level of awareness and discourse of these issues, and to leave an impact," Thomas said in a statement issued Tuesday. "It was never meant to be personal or critical of the students or school."  Some parents and students think the remarks were racist and incited racist activity among the students. Paul VI High School is predominantly white. One parent expressed a different view of the situation. Stephane Coney, whose daughter is a sophomore at Paul VI, went to the school yesterday afternoon to speak with McCann after she heard about the flyers. She said her daughter had been the target of racial harassment at the school before and after the speech, and that she had complained to the principal. [more] and [more] and [more]