Schooling Black Children, Part I

Addressing this topic is like running a gauntlet. The title alone is enough to peak interest, or cause one to dismiss it immediately. People seem only to want to discuss issues generically anymore. Despite the most earnest intentions, if you tinge the discussion with race, you immediately polarize readers. And not just along racial lines. Blacks as well as whites would rather not discuss these matters in mixed company -- no matter how strong their points of view. And other ethnic groups expect that the discussion simply does not pertain to them at all. So why bother?

I am going to muse openly about educating black children -- not only because it is a topic dear to me, but it is an area where I can claim some expertise. I am a public school teacher and administrator, and father of two school-aged children. And, yes, I am African-American. This little fact is not only important for full disclosure, but I have had occasion to find myself in a pivotal role as the single black figure in a predominately suburban (white) school, where minority children look to me with optimism. Or, like presently, I routinely lay down the discipline in a predominately black middle school.

Next, I want to make some statements of truth that I have come to learn in my experience. Black and white children have equal learning ability across the board. Despite the much vaunted "learning gap" their is no innate advantage I can discern. [Variables such as quality teachers, competent administrators, and supportive environments outside of school cannot be discounted in the equasion.] White teachers do not routinely and openly discriminate against black children in the way of the Little Rock Nine, or in the manner described by figures like Malcolm X in his autobiography (i.e, "You should do something more reasonable for a person of your race...") -- at least it is not commonplace anymore. Public schools still posses huge possibilities for economically disadvantaged students and their families to gain a leg up -- even in poor inner city communities. Finally, there is an educational deficit facing urban (black) youth that cannot be denied.

Rather than report the numerous deficits experienced by black children in various quality of life indicators, I'll refer you to the published work by the Smiley Group (The Covenant), or the National Urban League's annual report. Or you can refer to the May 16 issue of The Economist magazine (Black America). My objections is not with the facts, or with the perspectives commonly espoused; it is with the assumptions, platitudes and covert discrimination that predominate education for black children, especially those from families who are poor and unable to navigate their way through the system.

One peeve of have is with the inevitable comparisons of black students to whites. Whatever indicator you choose to measure achievement among students -- state assessments, SAT scores, drop-out rates, etc. -- there is an objective level of attainment that spells success, despite how well white children do comparably. All of the research mentioned routinely uses racial comparisons to dramatize the failure of black children. If black students under perform against white students, then, is it true that once the "achievement gap" is somehow closed, we can again sing Cum-by-ya?" Or will black students next have to surpass Asian students who are increasingly outperforming white students now-- in math and science? In fact, if there is to be any comparison at all, should not black students be measured against those in first place...not in second? You see...That story is not sexy enough for the race-based superiority complex in America.

Children of all races need to be made ready to compete in the best college enviroments they can afford and, ultimately, at the highest rungs of the national economy they can ascend. There is an objective standard of achievement they need to meet --irrespective of how another ethnic group is performing. That is the best way to know you are getting an education.

African Triumph

We must always explain that Black history is not only the story of a sad era in human history, but in fact a story of perseverance... Triumph, in fact.

A Giant of a Man

Paul Robeson was a towering figure. Before we knew of the valiant contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X or even Muhammad Ali, Robeson was the standard barer for black male dignity and success. In a time when blacks were discouraged from education, caricatured in the media, and marginalized politically, there stood Robeson. An college educated lawyer, football player, accomplished concert performer, a cinematic and stage actor, Paul Robeson was the very definition of a "renaissance man." However, it was Robeson's activism that made him a notable figure among 20th Century personalities. Paul Robeson refused to be marginalize by Jim Crow America. He became a strident citizen of the world at a time when black people were supposed to accept their place as secondary -- or even invisible -- members of American society.

I want my children, and the students I teach, to know about Paul Robeson. Unfortunaley they live in a time when the most dubious personalities and destructive images predominate the media. Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, Flava Flav, and countless other pop personalities and junk food activities are used to distract young people from meaning information. Information that could inspire them to successfully leap the vaunted learning gap and avoid mental slavery.

Bill Cosby: The Most Relavant Personality Today?

Bill Cosby does not have to speak out on the issues facing the largely urban (black) underclass. He is wealthy and influential. Mr. Cosby has built up enough goodwill in the entertainment business to be lauded for years -- even if he doesn't make another sitcom, or host another children's program. Self-appointed "leaders" in the black community deride his activism. However, he, unlike many of his detractors, cannot be ignored so easily. His critics call him cynical, elitist and out of touch. I believe that he is disapointed in the lack of pride exhibited by some of our people. An absence of pride that too often manifests in degenerate behavior with generational implications. And "there can be no great disapointment where the no great love." Soldier on, Mr. Cosby -- and thanks.