“The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance”
October 18, 2023
Crayola has been making colored pencils for 100+ years. The company was started by 2 cousins and is located in Easton, Pa. Originally, the company sold a box of 8 crayons for 5 cents! Crayola is a wonderful company with a huge selection of educational products. In 2007 the company was sold to Hallmark.
This Fall, my sister -in-law lead her company’s effort to collect school supplies for the local schools. She lives in a rural area of Virginia and the schools needed help with supplies, especially the schools in low-income areas. Many companies have such efforts. For years, her company and employees have donated supplies.
My sister-in-law sent several emails to employees with details regarding the collection drive, timing, and what the schools needed. In one of her emails, she highlighted the need for “colored pencils.” See image above.
About 2 days after her email, an employee (Black woman) complained about the use of “colored pencils.” She claimed the wording was racist. The loons in HR got involved and instructed my sister in law’s manager to conduct a formal, written disciplinary review, and to document the review in her employee file. My sister-in-law refused to sign the document. She will no longer lead the effort to collect school supplies.
The company and the manager acted cowardly. Her email was specific and correct and certainly not racist. This is a good example of what’s wrong in the US today.
High Truths and Low Lies 