First Offendant Rights

Could it have exposed him?

The radio rant that's landed Bob Lonsberry in the buzz around Rochester this week is fairly pedestrian for the WHAM midday host.

Lonsberry turned to the cranky persona that most often gets him into hot water and slammed the YWCA's Young Parents Support Services program and the Urban League's Black Scholars programs . He took exception with a newspaper story on the former with language the YWCA criticized as graphic and intolerable. Here's a portion of the commentary:

"You will have a school where there will be 50 girls who graduate with honors and there will be 5 girls who get pregnant. Who do we have the special program for? Who do we give the certificate to? Who do we put stories about in the paper telling how proud we are? Little sister ‘take your pants off and spread your legs,’ that’s who gets the certificate. You have people who do what’s right, who work hard, and achieve and excel and set a good example and they don’t make the paper, they don’t make anything. There’s no special program for you."

Lonsberry then threw gasoline on a fire already raging. He called the Black Scholars program a racist endeavor that lowers the bar for those it honors:

"If you’re white and you have a B, you’re average. If you’re black and have a B, you get your picture in the paper. What’s that message, right there, huh? Any time you endorse and reward failure and mediocrity, you only have more failure and mediocrity."

The YWCA and the United Church Ministries both spoke out about Lonsberry's commentary, several days after it aired. They were joined by Rochester's school superintendent, who called for WHAM to take Lonsberry off the air.

Jean-Claude Brizard is a brilliant guy. In his first six months, he's already done smart things for the city schools, like teaming with the city to link classroom achievement to his students' eligibility to use Rochester's recreation centers. But if you were to ask 100 parents in his district today what they know about him, most would now respond: "He called for Lonsberry's head."

The talk show host gave him an easy target. Lonsberry used offensive language, making reference to students in the Young Parents program like:

"We could just tell them they should have left their frickin' pants on, right? Keep your legs together, Sweet Cheeks, everything will be OK..... Who do we put stories about in the paper telling how proud we are? Little sister `take your pants off and spread your legs,' That's who gets the certificate."


"What he said was unfortunate and shows his understanding of the problem," said Brizard, apparently unaware that during the commentary, Lonsberry, as he has done in the past on his program, shared the fact he was the son of a single, teenage mom.

"I don't think he has the right to spew that negativity on the radio. There's gotta be accountability everywhere, right?"

Yet beyond the lack of class in Lonsberry's rant, did Brizard address the challenge asserted in the host's comments about mediocrity? No, he didn't. He chose to challenge the speech rights of a talk show host. He dismissed, with his lack of response, what some would say are questions about standards and accountability. Brizard did so standing with leaders of the UCM, a group that's often responded to the negativity of speech.

In responding to the comments, Brizard had an opportunity to take more than the leadership role his title provides. And what do leaders do in a volatile moment: they see the heart of the matter, calm the masses and move everyone forward.

The door was open to talk about education's penchant for recognizing achievement in all forms. Not just by teen moms or B students in city schools, but in suburban and rural districts too where PTA's believe every pinch pot, popsicle stick project and book report deserves a ribbon, whether it be blue, red or pink.


Instead, the superintendent sounded like just another voice in the chorus. A chorus that's sang this song before and done little to change things across the community.

WHAM stands by its host and his First Offendant Rights. It's invited the offended to join Lonsberry on the air to continue the conversation.

Perhaps another opportunity for Brizard to move us forward.