'No Such Thing As a Superman'

I just finished watching the documentary, Waiting for Superman, about the state of education. I thought the film was a worthy contribution to the debate over a subject to which every single American can relate. Education in America has become more dynamic than ever, given the stances taken by lawmakers on either side of the aisle, and the marshalling of corporate luminaries and their prodigious resources in an effort to force change. In fact the debate is playing out before our eyes in the State of Wisconsin.

I am equally critical of forces on both sides of the argument, however. [Although you cannot call me a fence-sitter until you have read my prior installments on the topic of education]. Many of the practices employed by the unions to maintain inept teachers are indefensible, and the soft pedaling of those practices only lend fodder to those who would attempt to undermine them. Now, because people are emotionally and philosophically invested in the issue, I am sure I have lost some readers already. Hold on! The filmmaker's agenda was not totally transparent either. The profiles of those families and the aspirations of those children waiting for a lottery result to confirm their entry into better schools were heartwarming. However, the filmmaker committed a sin of omission by not depicting the scope of the public school delima. Not every student's profile reflects the sweet hopefulness and desire to comply with the possibilities before them as were those five beautiful children.

Poverty, incarceration culture, gangs, the special needs of students, and many circumstances outside the control of urban [and rural] families all present variables that cannot be overlooked when assessing the delima of academic achievement. Public schools remain the opportunity of last resort and with increasingly less options to place noncompliant students, or those with multiple learning disabilities, in settings that provide intensive support. So, that begs the question: How compelling would the movie have been if two or three of those five children profiled carried book bags filled, not only with spiral bound notebooks and number two pencils, but with the pressures of gang intimidation, neglectful parents, special learning accommodations, health complications, teen pregnancy, and an ankle bracelet?

I am not siding against the best intentions of the film, and I'm not defending the turkey trots or lemon dances. I just know that the matter is complicated for many reasons.

Red Sea Uprising!

Damn! Who pressed the button on the Middle East? Why now? Nations of people are showing disobedience from Gibraltar to the Horn of Africa. What gives? Are we to believe that only the wide spread use of the Internet and social media is the wild card here? If that is true than I suppose that Zukerberg is the Man of the Year. What is probably closer to the truth is that high food costs and limited opportunity, persistent repression, dissatisfaction with regional politics combined with mobile technology pried open the flood gates of democracy. Alternative media (yeah)like Al Jezera were pivitol too.

Finally, we cannot give short shrift to the Obama effect. Yes, I do believe that the president's speech to leaders of the "Muslim world" in Egypt in 2009 was heard loud and clear on the streets of Tunis and Cairo. I suspect that a wink and a nod from the global political power structure probably helped too.

I saw some British guy on Morning Joe this morning saying how Obama blew it on Eygpt. Sounds to me like the monarchy did not get their way this time? I tried to listen further, but he was about as convincing to me as Tony Blair. I turned the channel.

Egypt

Congratulations on your nonviolent revolution. That is the way to show the Arab-Muslim world how to engage injustice, corruption and oppression. Alhamdilailah.

The "Dis-intergration" of the Black Community

I must have read hundreds of books covering, to some degree, the experience of Africans in America. Even as I tell me myself that "It is time to move on," I find another compelling title to distract me. This was the case with Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson's latest book on the subject, Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America.

Robinson writes a convincing depiction of contemporary black America. In fact, he makes a very good case for just how out of touch that term is today. He depicts the often exclusive social worlds that black people live in today; complete with their own value systems, politics, economic status and life expectations. Disintegration is an important book for those of us who like to engage topics without regard to who is listening, and not simply leave ourselves over to wondering... Why? The author's discussion of the emergence of African immigrants and mixed race blacks into the mainstream, where the vast majority of black people are, is worthwhile on its own. He discusses the dynamics of competition among these two subgroups for educational resources and jobs that people outside of "Black America" may not know. The emergent class of blacks outscore all cohort of students on standardized test -- including whites and Asians -- and make steady progress within the prevailing US economy.

Robinson further depicts a transcendent class of of super rich and powerful African Americans who are second to none in their ability to influence modern American life in many spheres. Among this (race) transcending class you will find media magnets, captains of industry, entertainment moguls and, most notably, the President of the United States of America.

For me, however, the most compelling story is the abandoned class of stagnant native born blacks. While they exist as the least in number among African Americans, their profile is probably the best known. Often the focus of any discussion about inner city crime, under performing schools, and lagging quality of life indicators like health and housing, this abandoned class of African Americans pose the most galvanizing argument for a new civil rights agenda in the 21st century.

My experience has been that even among those professionals who are on the front lines with the abandoned class -- of Black America -- few seem to comprehend the sociology behind their delima. Otherwise exasperated school teachers, repetitious practices among social workers, and fruitless exhortations from advocates would not be so frequent. I recommended Disintegration, not only for book clubs and black history classes, but for professional development among school faculty and human service workers of all kind.

Bob Ray Sanders / We’re paying a high social cost for our high rate of incarceration - pressofAtlanticCity.com

Bob Ray Sanders / We’re paying a high social cost for our high rate of incarceration - pressofAtlanticCity.com

Pleasantville school board places Superintendent Grantham on leave pending mold investigation - pressofAtlanticCity.com

Pleasantville school board places Superintendent Grantham on leave pending mold investigation - pressofAtlanticCity.com

Ramadan 2010

On this the 29Th day of the Ramadan fast, I write my first entry on the subject. I am not certain why I neglected to write my thoughts on the tradition this year. I suppose the more I come to read and reflect on the teachings in the Qur'an I realize that a preoccupation with rituals and gestures distracts one from the goal of Islam: Knowledge of self and mastery of ones appetites; that you might revere the blessings and miracles of the Almighty; and become ever blessed and rightly guided.

I often say that the Ramadan fast is about the only religious tenant I observe regularly. The personal challenge of it invites me, and I derive satisfaction in the 'giving' and the transformation of it. May God be pleased with me. My zakat (charitable giving) will be to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. They are a reputable organization whose done good work for the downtrodden in our area for many years. Alhamdulailah.