Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin calls Tuberville’s inner city teachers comment ‘dog whistling’

By William Thornton

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin today said he “could not be more disappointed” in comments by Sen. Tommy Tuberville about inner city teachers.

“The hard working, committed teachers in our community – including my mom and step mom – give all of themselves to our students, and often serve as more than just educators,” Woodfin said in a statement posted on social media.

Woodfin was responding to comments Tuberville made Thursday on Donald Trump Jr.’s “Triggered” streaming program, saying that the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the influence of teacher unions, have resulted in widespread failures in public education.

“The COVID really brought it out how bad our schools are and how bad our teachers are, in the inner city. Most of them in the inner city, I don’t know how they got degrees,” Tuberville said.

“I don’t know whether they can read and write. And they want a raise. They want less time to work, less time in school. It’s just, we’ve ruined work ethic in this country. We don’t work at it anymore. We push an easy life.”

Efforts to contact Tuberville’s office for clarification were not immediately successful.

Woodfin said inner city teachers are “friends, cheerleaders and, frankly, they are family.”

“Next week, I will have the honor of shaking hands with hundreds of Birmingham students as they graduate high school,” Woodfin wrote.

“Sure, we have challenges. What community doesn’t? We are working furiously to solve them. And we have never been more proud of the people working so hard for solutions. Our teachers are at the forefront of these efforts.

“They deserve praise and support – not ridicule – from all of us – including an elected official who previously made millions off the backs of the black students our teachers have produced.”

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