The Huffington Post picked up Sarah Kate’s race story and even did a little research about Sarah Kate for the article. Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls shared the HuffPo article, which I have been assured is an awesome thing. I’d never heard of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls until this week, but I know who Amy Poehler is and the slogan “Change the world by being yourself” seems fitting for Sarah Kate.
ABC’s World News Now also picked up the story as part of “The Mix” and aired it sometime in the early morning hours. Their reporting was … not as accurate as HuffPo’s. They got her name and her diagnosis right, but I promise I have never sent my child out to run an actual marathon (26.2 miles). If you want to see just Sarah Kate’s part, skip ahead to around 1:40, but the second story (she’s third of three) is pretty funny.
More ABC US news | ABC Health News
Someone please tell me about spinning classes. I tried it – one time – years ago before Sarah Kate was born, was intimidated and never went back. Although I was able to run the Wine and Dine Half Marathon last weekend, the neuroma in my foot has never quite gone away so I’d like to back off running a little bit and try something complementary that won’t pound my foot so much (which is another way of saying that the doctor has put me on notice). Thoughts?
Can we talk about Nashville? The show, not the city, which I’m sure is perfectly lovely. Who are we supposed to like? In the beginning, Rayna = bad and Juliette = good, but now I kinda hate Rayna and like Juliette – warts and all – because she just keeps screwing things up but she gets up, dusts herself off, and keeps going. Rayna just annoys me. Truth be known, the only major character on the entire show who has not annoyed me at some point in the multi-year run is Scarlett.
Do you want to talk about the Bath and Body Works story? Me, neither, but I feel like I must. Half a century ago, whites-only lunch counters were banned, but Bath and Body Works denies entrance into their stores to a group of kids who are trying to learn life skills … and the only thing that happens is a couple of news outlets report it and the company issues an apology. AGAIN. I didn’t realize until this incident in St. Louis hit the news that there was a similar incident earlier this year in Montgomery, Alabama (which is not all that far away from me).
Have a great weekend!
This post was inspired by and is linked to Conversion Diary‘s 7 Quick Takes.
Andi. First. It’s awesome that Sarah Kate’s story is being picked up by so many places! With respect to bath and body works I don’t think they were necessarily discriminated against because they were disabled. I think managers simply don’t like non buying foot traffic of any kind. My daughters AP social studies class was told they couldn’t come into a store to make notes about selling items. The teachers had to contact corporate to get permission for a large group accompanied by a teacher. That is to say kids not there as shoppers. The exact same situation here but no issues with disability.
Andi, spinning classes are awesome! I try to do them at least once a week if not more. You can totally pace yourself at whatever speed or fitness level you want. You burn so many calories during that hour. Much better on your body than running for sure. I had to start doing it when I messed up my knee after my last 1/2 marathon. Try it again. It’s a totally different workout but well worth it.
I really don’t think Bath and Body Works employees were discriminating against special needs children….I doubt it would have mattered who it was if they knew they were not potential customers. Those poor employees are given sales quotas to achieve based on the number of bodies that pass through the sensors at the door. They were just trying to avoid getting in trouble with management. These types of situations at the store must be very rare, but I feel for the employees…it’s a lousy way for Management to track sales.
Annie and Linda –
I understand what you’re saying, and I did read about the sensors and the quotas. But…the thing is (and I put this on B&BW, not the employees) – the company has set up a perverse incentive system, and they were already made aware of that fact when the first incident happened. If a group of black male teenagers were denied entry into the store because they “looked like they weren’t going to buy anything” would that be okay, too? I wonder how often incidents such as this one have happened and not actually been reported.
I don’t think it’s OK no matter who it was….their system is stupid. But I don’t think their stupid system has anything to do with the race, intelligence, sex etc. of who passes through the sensors….and the employees were not thinking that way when they asked them not to come in….Money, is all it involves, and a way to pressure employees to sell.