October 30, 2025. Viral Teacher Keeps Job After Singing Monkey Song to Kid

Viral Teacher Keeps Job After Singing Monkey Song to Kid-here more about this story on today's podcast. Listen now.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Still broadcasting from the Civic Cipher studios. This is the
QR code where we share perspective, seek understanding, and shape outcomes.
Big shout out to my man q Ward, who is
away on some family business, but he will be back
in the studio soon to make more of this content
that you know and love. But in the meantime, in
between time, I go by the name Rams's Job, and

(00:20):
I am holding it down for you right here as usual.
Be sure to stick around because this part of the show,
we will be talking about the teacher from the viral
video singing to the black student that he looks like
a monkey or she looks like a monkey. I'm not
sure how this teacher is going to keep her job.

(00:41):
And we're also going to be talking about an economic
blackout that is on the way November twenty fifth through
December second, and what you can do to be prepared
for that, and maybe some reasons why you might consider
extending your blackout. So all that and so much more,
but right now I'm going to share a bit from

(01:03):
Black Enterprise. All right. Blackout the System has called for
a nationwide boycott, urging participants to refrain from working or
spending money from November twenty fifth to December second, as
a protest against a damaged government and economic system. In
recent days, Blackout the System, a movement advocating unity across race, culture,

(01:25):
and class, has been actively promoting the upcoming second wave
economic blackout, scheduled around the Thanksgiving holiday and extending through
Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The initiative aims to become
the most significant economic blackout protests in US history, demonstrating
that real power belongs to the people, not corrupt governments, billionaires,

(01:45):
or broken system. Quote day one, no work, no shopping,
We vanish from their system. An Instagram video says, it
goes on to say we are the economy without us,
nothing moves. We pulled our money. They can can't buy
our silence. It goes on to say we don't grind

(02:05):
for them today, We starve the machine. During the blackout,
participants are urged to avoid working, shopping, and spending money
throughout the week long protest. The boycott coincides with the
current federal government shutdown, which will suspend the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting November first, marking the second

(02:25):
longest shutdown in US history after the record set during
Donald Trump's first term. Quote, we are shutting down the
US economy strategically and peacefully by removing our labor, are
spending our financial support, forcing the system to listen unquote.
A statement on the movement's website says goes on to say,
this movement launched to reclaim power, restore justice, and unite
people across all racist cultures and classes. For those who

(02:49):
can't step away from work for the whole week, Blackout
the System has outlined several working strike options. Participants can
choose to work to rule, perform only the essential duties
of their jobs, go slow, easing their pace and avoiding
extra effort, or shirk by showing up but refraining from
active participation. In all cases, participants are encouraged to avoid

(03:11):
shopping or spending money throughout the boycott period. Quote. See
there's something that we all can do when we black
out the system. The video announcement says, goes on to say,
if we've got to be at work, we'll work to rule,
go slow or shirk, but we're definitely not spending money
with any of you all, putting our dollars back in
our pockets. Blackout the System's boycott. Announcement comes alongside the

(03:34):
People's Union USA consumer activist movement that called for an
October boycott of six major brands Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, Disney, Target,
and Ben and Jerry's. This boycott continues a strategy the
group has pursued since February aimed at promoting corporate accountability,
strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and curbing corporate influence

(03:56):
over US economic policy. Okay, buckle up, I like this
one so longtime listeners of the show. No, I love
a good protest. I love to get outside. I love
to I think there's something about it that feels like

(04:24):
like a legacy that I need to uphold, like a tradition. Almost.
The reason that I was not born a slave is
because people got outside and they let their frustrations be known.
The reason that I was not born in a Jim

(04:48):
Crow version of America is because people got out and
they protested. Right. And you know, in terms of the country,
the country overall has been moving in a positive direction
since its inception. When this country was founded, I would

(05:08):
not have been considered a human being. What a hurtful
thing to say out loud, but yeah, that's Trueck. Sorry,
but now I'm a human, I'm a citizen. You know,
I own land. You know I am still mostly free

(05:36):
despite Donald Trump being the president. You know, that's a
result of people pushing this country forward. On the scale
of a lifetime. You know, things can feel like they're
not moving fast enough, but on the scale of the country,
things are moving along, I think in the direction that
they should be, right, So it is incumbent upon me

(05:59):
to get outside with my body and push this country forward.
Like my ancestors before me, and perhaps your ancestors too,
before you were a lot of people outside making sure
that black people didn't have to be slaves anymore, a
lot of people supporting civil rights legislation that weren't black folks, right,

(06:20):
And that's very important, and I intend to continue that
legacy because I think it's important that my children live
in a world better than the one I was born into,
and that their children are afforded that same possibility. But
protesting by itself is a slow burn. I believe it

(06:45):
was Stokely Carmichael that said that in order for nonviolent
protests to work, your oppressor has to have a conscious
and the United States has none believe what he was
speaking to was kind of the powers that be back
you know, in his heyday, which I think. I think

(07:08):
there's a lot of people that could argue that it's
equal or worse now the powers that be, but also
devoid of human beings. The United States is an economic
institution that has a capitalistic framework, and so when he

(07:29):
says the United States has no conscience, I believe that
to be true. So protesting, peaceful protesting can let people know, hey,
you have the numbers, you have a grievance, all that
sort of stuff. But let's take a page out of
the Boston Tea Party. Kind of the inception point for

(07:51):
these United States of America. The day the idea of
the United States of America was born. That wasn't a
peaceful protest appeal to the King of England. They got
on them boats and they said, you're not going to
tax us without giving us a voice, and they threw
the tea in the harbor. Right. There was economic disruption

(08:11):
for people that take issue with protesters walking on the
freeways or whatever. Yeah, when there's some economic considerations in
the equation, people tend to notice more quickly, and they
tend to be moved to the degree that sometimes nonviolent
protests where the oppressor has no conscience, will not be moved.

(08:37):
Right now, I'm not trying to tell anybody to do
anything you're not comfortable with. I'm just trying to explain
the dynamics that work versus the dynamics that take a
little bit longer, okay, or the dynamics, let me say
it this way, the dynamics that work quicker versus the
dynamics that work slower. That's probably the best way to
say that. So when you marry the two, okay, what

(09:01):
is a peaceful protest? Because we learned a lot from
doctor King, we learned a lot from Gandhi that peaceful
protests can result in progress. And we've also learned that
when there are economic considerations that can lead to progress too.
As I mentioned the Boston tea party, when you marry

(09:23):
the two, I think it looks like what we're talking
about right now. Okay, So take your money out of
the system right this economic blackout. I want to say
it again because I do want people to participate in this.
I certainly will participate in it, but full disclosure, I'm
kind of already on an economic blackout. But November twenty

(09:47):
fifth through December second, don't spend any money none. I mean,
don't go hungry. If you have to go to work,
go to work. If you have to put gasing car,
put gasing car. But don't spend any money. You don't
need to spend. Let me tell you how I live
my life. Now. I recognize that most businesses I went

(10:10):
to business school. I went to business school two times,
have a master's degree in business management. Okay, that's not bragging,
just so you know that I know what I'm talking about.
Most businesses. They have a lot of debt. That's how
they get so big, and they have to service that debt.
They have shareholders that expect a return on their investment, right,

(10:31):
and these businesses live and die on the thinnest of
margins profit margins. Right. You have you know, three bad quarters,
you know somebody's getting fired, you have a year or
two of negative growth, and you know you're filing bankruptcy.

(10:54):
And that's because of the amount of debt you need
to always be growing, right, And these thinnest of profit
margins for these companies, you're talking sometimes a matter of
like three percent five percent. Imagine if three percent or
five percent of the population said, you know what, We're

(11:15):
just not going to shop there anymore, those businesses would
then be compelled to put pressure on their lobbyists, and
those lobbyists would be compelled to put pressure on the representatives,
and those representatives would then be compelled to put pressure
on the president. And this president in particular, loves to

(11:38):
talk about the economy. Now, sure he will say the
economy is doing great, even if it isn't. But if
enough people around him stop drinking the kool aid because
indeed they're losing their jobs, or their shareholders are making
a big deal out of not getting a return on
their investment, or or now now you're starting to see

(12:02):
the pressure. Because the United States will exist long after
Donald Trump. Black people will exist long after Donald Trump.
Women will exist long after Donald Trump, and people will
recognize that, and people will still have bills when Donald
Trump dies. That man is almost eighty years old and
not in the best shape, and nobody lives forever. So

(12:28):
Blackout's work. We saw what happened with Target. Enough people said,
you know what, what you did was wrong and we're
not going to stand for it. And Target is fighting
for their life right now. Imagine that solidarity shared across cultures,

(12:49):
across unions and industries, you know, teachers and factory workers
and farm workers, and on and on and on, everyone
saying the same thing. You know what, we are going
to vote with our dollars. We are going to let
this government know that we will be ungovernable until such
a time as our concerns are taken seriously. It's definitely

(13:19):
possible for us to do that. And the truth is
there can be no effective government if the people decide
to be ungovernable. And again, this is the way that
I live my life. I only shop because I do
need to eat. I have a family to feed, so

(13:39):
I only shop at stores where they still have their
DEI policies in place. I will not I will not
give my money to a place that slam the door
on having a diverse workforce, on being proactive and having
a diverse Workforcesolutely will not do it. Okay, I have

(14:03):
to put gas in my car, sure, absolutely, Okay, but
I'll go to a place that you know, Chevron. They
are in Donald Trump's pocket, right, So I don't buy
my gas from Chevron CIRCLEK not so much, right, I've
done my research. I know where I'm going to get
my gas. I get my gas from there. If I

(14:26):
need a new TV because my TV breaks, I'm going
on Facebook Marketplace. Right, I recognize that Facebook. You know
there's there's there's some framework that we can't get outside of.
But I'm not going to give four hundred dollars to Walmart. Okay,
I don't buy anything from Amazon. Once I saw Jeff

(14:47):
Bezos that bought the Washington Post and figure four leg
like that to where they couldn't call out the hypocrisy
of this government anymore, I'm like, all right, well, Jeff
Bezos is not going to any more of my money,
and he doesn't. I think I have a credit on
my account there. I don't even spend that. Probably should

(15:08):
give it away to somebody. But yeah, if I need something,
I go to eBay. I'll buy it off a T move.
I don't care. But I'm not giving my money to
Jeff Bezos right, anything else turns out, I can live
without it. I would rather starve this government of my money,

(15:32):
and whatever shape the economy is in, that's on him only.
That's on Donald Trump only. I am not helping his
economy one penny if I can avoid it. Now, imagine
if all of us took this same energy from this
same economic blackout and just extended it. Do you really
need another TV? Right when the next whatever comes out?

(15:58):
Do you need to get it? How important is it?
Can you make it three years without doing that? Is
your future? Is the future of your daughters? Is the
future of your mother's Is the future of your friends,
your family, your loved ones, your community? Is it worth
getting the newest, latest, whatever, Change the tires on your car? Sure,

(16:21):
don't be unsafe, you know, take care of yourself. But
if you don't need it, you don't need it. And
if it can wait three years for you to get
a new one, then wait three years. Outside of that,
become resourceful, buy from your neighbors. If you have to
spend some money somewhere, Find a business that could use
your patronage. Find a women owned business, find a black
owned business, find a Hispanic owned business. Find a something

(16:46):
that helps somebody more than it contributes to this economy.
If you're going to contribute to the economy, make sure
it helps someone singularly, a community that has been hurt
by this administration. Offset that hurt with your dollars, be
mindful of how you spend, and be consistent in your mindfulness.

(17:09):
And I think that we can extend this blackout ourselves.
I think that we think that we're a slave to
a system. We've been taught to be consumers. We don't
need anything but to be happy. I'll tell you what,
Me and my son and my neighbor, we ride our bikes,
old bikes, and we have fun doing it, and we

(17:34):
teach each other stuff, how to play a video game,
how to cook some spinach, whatever, and we have fun
doing it. We don't need to consume to be whole.
So let's bear that in mind. I want to say
it's one more time before we move on. This is
November twenty fifth through December second, and if you want

(17:55):
to find out more, of course, check our social media
at Civic Cipher because we have it up there. Finally,
let's talk about this teacher who went viral after singing
happy birthday to you. You live in a zoo, you
look like a monkey, and you smell like one two

(18:17):
all right. It was a silly happy birthday song she
sung to a kid. She filmed the kid, and the
film went viral and a lot of people were upset
about that, and I didn't. I don't think I ever
found out if it was little girl or a boy,
but little enough kid to wear. I'm sure we'll find
out here, all right, I'll share This is from ABC

(18:39):
eight or w FAA dot com in Polk County, Florida.
All right. An elementary school teacher will remain in the classroom.
The school district investigated her after she sang a birthday
song to a student. Polk County School said they found
no evidence this teacher meant any harm the version of
the song a child's parents said is offensive and racially insensitive.

(19:00):
The investigation by the district included interviews with several students
as well as the teacher, Kimberly Langston. According to the report,
Langston has sung what she calls a silly version of
the Happy Birthday song to students on various of various races.
While the district acknowledges that intent doesn't erase impact, it
concluded that the song did not target the student. The

(19:22):
investigation does show that Langston received a written reprimand for
lack of judgment in photographing and relaying several student images
without parental consent. The policies she violated are student safety
and welfare, sorry, staff technology, acceptable use and safety, as
well as student records. The investigation outlines that other videos

(19:44):
were shared of the teacher singing the song to students.
Langston's written statement said she has been singing the song
to students for twenty two years. Poe County Public Schools
said that although this is a long standing practice, she
is not allowed to sing the song or film students
moving forward, PCPs and a statement to ten Tampa Bay
News quote, PCPs has conducted a thorough and careful review

(20:05):
of this incident. That review, which included statements from the
students and the staff, found that while the teacher did
sing an alternate version of the Happy Birthday song, there's
no evidence to support or suggest that the teacher acted
with any ill intent or in an effort to offend
or disparage the student or any group unquote. The statement reads.
It goes on to say, our investigation concluded that this
has been a long standing practice in the teacher's classroom,

(20:27):
where videos of the class singing Happy Birthday to their
classmates were shared with parents. That statement goes on to say, however,
we clearly recognize that words and actions can be perceived differently.
An intent does not erase impact. As a public school educators,
we have a responsibility to be mindful that we serve
families from all racist cultures and backgrounds, and to ensure

(20:48):
that every student feels respected, valued, and welcome in our
schools at all times unquote. The statement added, PCPs will
be providing guidance and training to reinforce professionalism, ensuring that
all staff are equipped to create respectful learning environments for
every student, PCPs S said in statement ten. Tampa Bay
News is awaiting confirmation on whether the district plans to

(21:11):
meet with the student's mother to discuss the findings. The
family's attorney, Terrell Hill, said they intend to send a
notice of intent to sue the district. Quote because we
say it's a song, it's gone and over, that doesn't
justify it in today's times unquote. Hill said. It goes
on to say, that's where the issue comes in. If
we say those harmful words to anyone, especially in the workplace,
we'd be sanctioned. Instead, we find a district that tries

(21:31):
to justify it. The attorney added, Okay, all right, so
I'm sure, there's a lot of people that are going
to disagree with what I'm about to say, and sure,
fight me. But I don't think this lady meant any harm.

(22:01):
I don't Q and I we work in the allyship space,
that's what we call it. We work with people who
believe they have good hearts. They believe that they are
working toward a more inclusive future for all people, a

(22:25):
more equitable future for all people. Work for people that
if you were to ask them if they if they
think that they would be welcomed in heaven, they say
they hope. So they're trying their best. Do gooders, hippies, whatever, lefties,
people with red hair, a bunch of tattoos, earrings all

(22:45):
over the place. Those are our family, man, and those
people get it wrong. Sometimes those people have blind spots.
All people have blind spots. And I don't know if
this teacher was an ally per se, but I just

(23:11):
didn't hear her singing that song in a way that
felt like she was trying to make fun of the student.
She called it the silly version of the song. I mean,
if you don't know what you don't know, it's just
a silly version of the song. And should she know better?
You could argue that she should. Did she know better? No,

(23:32):
she learned a lesson. It was a very public lesson,
and perhaps it was at the expense of this child.
This child now lives on the internet forever being referred
to as a monkey. That's real harm. And I think
that the district did their best to acknowledge that in
the statement. Should there be more consequences, I don't know.

(23:53):
That's for the courts to decide, not me, but whether
or not they pay monetary damages to this child and
their face family. I don't know that there is more
that the school can do or say. I don't know
that there is more that the teacher can do or say. Well,
assuming that the teacher has apologized and feels legitimately remorseful

(24:16):
for this, and there's case precedent for me feeling this way.
Part of our origin story ME and Q is that
we covered a story when H and M put a
child in an advertisement in a hoodie black child, little boy,
and the hoodie said coolest monkey in the jungle across

(24:39):
the chest, and people were upset about that. Now H
and M is a company that's based overseas, they don't
know about the history of American slavery. They don't know.
Perhaps they didn't know. I can't speak for them, but
I don't imagine they would know firsthand at least how

(25:00):
black people have been dehumanized in this country in particular,
and perhaps that connection is lost on them. Not everybody
is racist. Not everybody oversees throws banana peels on the
football fields, the soccer fields. And some people don't pay
attention to sports. I don't pay attention to sports. It

(25:22):
is possible for people to have blind spots and not know.
And when H and M apologized and said, hey, this
was our bad. We missed it. You know, we didn't
mean anything by it, I thought to myself. I said
this to Q, all right, everybody gets one. Right. If
I made a mistake, I rams this job. I made

(25:43):
a legitimate mistake and I didn't know and I felt
awful about it, I would apologize and I would commit
to never making that mistake again. If somebody held that
mistake over me for the rest of my life, they
would be missing out on an opportunity for support an
allyship from me. I don't think that's the right way

(26:04):
to be. I'm trying to love you, I'm learning my
lessons in real time. Okay. Now again, I know people
are going to want to fight me about this because
they're like, oh, no, she can't get away with saying that, sure, sure,
bring it on. I don't even think that this is
a defense for her. I think this is a defense

(26:26):
for human beings. I've never met a perfect person. I've
never met a person that got through life without making mistakes.
If she says this is a mistake and everybody gets one,
what else is there to see here? Okay, so we
don't need to crucify her. Whether or not the child
will have to suffer as a result of that, that's
a different conversation. I'd be happy to have that conversation.

(26:48):
But again, I'm not the judge. I'm not the decider
when it comes to that. But I think that for
a lot of black people, we have been so hurt
over and over again by people that we thought would
love us, would come around to loving us. We've been
so hurt by a system that intentionally hurts us that

(27:13):
it's hard to see a mistake from intentionality. And I
even fall into that category. Once upon a time, I
walked into my studio at my old radio station and
I saw banana on my mixer and I flipped. I
had a baby fit, and it turned out that the
morning show guy just left his breakfast in the room.

(27:36):
It was a five alarm fire. I will not slap
my ancestors in the face by letting somebody disrespect me
by putting a banana on my mixing console and not
get busy over that, right, But again, I'm overly sensitive.
Turns out it was an honest mistake, And once I
calmed down, I realized people can make mistakes, and I

(27:57):
can see things where they don't exist, and I think
it's important for us to all keep that in mind,
because I think that most people are decent people. I
think that some people think they're decent people and don't
know that they're not. And then I think a very
small amount of people are actually bad people. And once

(28:21):
you have the equation frame like that, you'd have a
tendency to be a little bit more forgiving when you
see some people make mistakes. So bear it in mind,
all right, Well, that in mind. That's going to do
it for us here on the QR Code. Today's show
is Always was produced by the Great Chris Thompson the Avenue.
Thought you'd like to share it, Please use the red
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(28:41):
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