The Devil Wears Lipstick?

By Kleinheider Posted on July 10, 2008 at 10:06 am

Janell Ross reports on the still hot controversy over the school board member Karen Y. Johnson, the only black member of the board to vote for a proposal many say will result in the re segregation of Metro schools:

“It seems we’ve got a few Aunt Jemimas and Stepin Fetchits in this city,” said Roger Ligon, a prominent black contractor who attended Tuesday’s meeting. “I guess Karen was supported by the chamber and those sorts of groups. And I guess she feels that she needs to support them and their interests, but you have to wonder … with her being so young, she probably does not have the same passion for non-segregation that I have.

“I didn’t know what a new book looked like until I got to college.”

Proponents of the plan say it will put children in schools closer to home, make it easier for their parents to get involved and boost student performance.

Its opponents say the push for “neighborhood schools” is little more than a subterfuge for de facto segregation.

Johnson, a fan of red lipstick and pearls, is the married mother of two sons and one stepson. All three boys graduated from Metro public schools, according to Johnson’s blog profile.

She has a bachelor’s degree in business and human resource management and a master’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in business management. She spent just over a decade in human resources at Nashville-based hospital giant HCA Inc. Today, Johnson and her husband are the co-owners of a printing shop.

A fan of red lipstick and pearls? What the heck was that little aside about? Isn’t red lipstick like the default color for lipstick? Don’t a majority of women wear lipstick, especially for formal occassions (like, say, a school board meeting)?

Johnson was not available for comment in the story so how does the reporter know Johnson is a “fan” of pearls? How many times has she seen her wear them other than at a board meeting? I mean excuse her for dressing up.

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Tags: janell ross' pearl problem, Karen Johnson, Karen Y. Johnson, lipstick, Metro Schools, pearls, re-segregation, rezoning, school board