No one disrespects Tupac. A high school teacher from Alabama has been placed on leave after a racist remark was used against the legendary rapper.
Racist Remark
According to reports, a student was playing the song "Dear Mama" by Tupac while working on a school project for her food and nutrition class under Teddie Butcher. While they normally are allowed to play music during class, Butcher, who is white, asked the student to turn the music off using a racial slur.
"Turn the n***** tunes off," said the teacher.
The scene was recorded on Snapchat and plenty of students backed up the claim. The teacher also admitted that she used the offensive word, but she claims that she asked the student to turn the music off because the song has profanity.
However, fans of Tupac know that "Dear Mama" did not use profanity or any other offensive words. The song is a tribute to the rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur, and is filled with uplifting words that celebrate her sacrifices to raise him.
Following multiple complaints from parents, the teacher was asked to be on an administrative leave for the time being. She also apologized to the class for her conduct.
As we are addressing this matter, we will be looking at our board's policy and obviously taking a look at the state Teacher Code about expectations and we'll be putting her conduct and behavior up against what we know is professional conduct of one's self," said school superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy.
The high school where the incident happened is the largest in Alabama that houses a diverse set of students. This school year, 55 percent of the enrollees are white while 28 percent are African-American.
"It is my expectation as a superintendent that we'll treat all students with significant respect, that we'll conduct ourselves as professionals, and the things that come out of our mouths are to be respectful and professional," Murphy added.
Tupac is one of the greatest artists of all time. Last year, the rapper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died in September 1996 at the age of 25.
Next month, a true-crime anthology on the USA will explore the murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., another popular rapper, and hip-hop artist. Titled Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. is based on the extensive investigation done by numerous detectives and homicide teams to see if there is a link between the cases.
The anthology will star Josh Duhamel, Michael Harney, Jamie McShane, Marc Rose as Tupac, and Wavyy Jonez as The Notorious B.I.G.
