Question for parents of black children in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

This country is great because we can have different cultures coexisting and respecting each other. Why do they have to mix? As long as they respect each other, I don't see a problem there.

They may coexist but on any given day there isn't always a lot of respect between the groups.

As one community grows, the others gets displaced. The hispanic community is growing at a very fast rate. Statistically hispanic families are likely to have more children. The hispanic population in Montgomery County is younger than the AA population. People follow each other. As more AA choose places other than Montgomery County, it simply influences the next set of AA to choose someplace else. As the hispanic population grows, more new hispanic residents will move in. MCPS focuses on white flight but it really should focus on black flight.

If you look at the trends changes, MCPS will end up being 60% hispanic, 10% AA, 10% Asian and 20% white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont see why anyone in their right mind would think schools are segregated in MoCo. They are so diverse it is almost annoying. It is like the United Colors of Benneton advertising campaign.

BTW Bethesda/Chevy Chase and WJ drive by at lunch time or when schools let out. It is like a We are the World.

Because they are.

WJ, a "W" school, is 55% white and 45% non-white. Compared to the overall population of MCPS students, it is disproportionately white. But it's not segregated. It's not a school that non-white students are not allowed to attend, and it's not a school that non-white students do not in fact attend. It is rather a school that over 1,000 non-white students attend.

It is important to talk about the fact that there are schools in our county that are disproportionately white and that have disproportionately few low income students. There are also schools that have disproportionately few white students and disproportionately high numbers of low income students (and I would not call those schools "diverse"). This is an important discussion. But the people who react against saying these schools are "segregated" are not crazy.

Yes, it's basically 55% white and 45% Asian.

It's just under 55% white and just over 12% Asian. That's according to the 2017-2018 stats which are posted on the first page of this thread. I really think if people want to have a reasonable discussion about the demographic makeup of schools they should be factually accurate and structure their arguments around that.

Also, I looked up the definition of "segregated" and the first up was "set apart from each other; isolated or divided." Based on that, I can see reasonable arguments on both sides for saying the school is/is not "segregated."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This country is great because we can have different cultures coexisting and respecting each other. Why do they have to mix? As long as they respect each other, I don't see a problem there.

They may coexist but on any given day there isn't always a lot of respect between the groups.

As one community grows, the others gets displaced. The hispanic community is growing at a very fast rate. Statistically hispanic families are likely to have more children. The hispanic population in Montgomery County is younger than the AA population. People follow each other. As more AA choose places other than Montgomery County, it simply influences the next set of AA to choose someplace else. As the hispanic population grows, more new hispanic residents will move in. MCPS focuses on white flight but it really should focus on black flight.

If you look at the trends changes, MCPS will end up being 60% hispanic, 10% AA, 10% Asian and 20% white.

I don't think MCPS cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
African Americans in Montgomery County are being displaced by hispanics in areas that used to have more AA residents. They are moving into PG and Howard.


True. Also true that many who stay, especially the parents of boys, are choosing privates or homeschooling.


Define *many*. There are thousands of African American students. You know of a handful who might do this, and that means "many"?

Actually there was a Montgomery County planning study or report done that had interesting maps and data about different races and SES groups moving around in Montgomery County over the past 20 years. It was done by the county not MCPS so it covered all ages not just students. The AA population is getting pushed out of areas where more hispanic residents are moving in.

Within the schools the AA and hispanic kids do not mix. White people may lump them all together but they are very different communities. This is a growing problem for AAs within Montgomery County.

Maybe, but that doesn't mean they are homeschooling or going private as ^PP asserts. In any case, what is MCPS supposed to do about AA families moving out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This country is great because we can have different cultures coexisting and respecting each other. Why do they have to mix? As long as they respect each other, I don't see a problem there.

They may coexist but on any given day there isn't always a lot of respect between the groups.

As one community grows, the others gets displaced. The hispanic community is growing at a very fast rate. Statistically hispanic families are likely to have more children. The hispanic population in Montgomery County is younger than the AA population. People follow each other. As more AA choose places other than Montgomery County, it simply influences the next set of AA to choose someplace else. As the hispanic population grows, more new hispanic residents will move in. MCPS focuses on white flight but it really should focus on black flight.

If you look at the trends changes, MCPS will end up being 60% hispanic, 10% AA, 10% Asian and 20% white.

That is an issue for the county (it it wants) to address, not for MCPS to address. If the county is going to have a population like that, of course MCPS should have that as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This country is great because we can have different cultures coexisting and respecting each other. Why do they have to mix? As long as they respect each other, I don't see a problem there.


They may coexist but on any given day there isn't always a lot of respect between the groups.

As one community grows, the others gets displaced. The hispanic community is growing at a very fast rate. Statistically hispanic families are likely to have more children. The hispanic population in Montgomery County is younger than the AA population. People follow each other. As more AA choose places other than Montgomery County, it simply influences the next set of AA to choose someplace else. As the hispanic population grows, more new hispanic residents will move in. MCPS focuses on white flight but it really should focus on black flight.

If you look at the trends changes, MCPS will end up being 60% hispanic, 10% AA, 10% Asian and 20% white.

I don't think MCPS cares.

They may not but that isn't the point. If you are a UMC or MC AA family and you are looking for an inclusive school system where you will find others like you then MCPS isn't the place to be. The other problem in MCPS is that the "black" community has its own divisions. White people just see black and don't realize that sub consciously they are choosing the less black people for friends. In TPMS/Blair the bi-racial and lighter skinned families will hang out with the white families excluding the AA families with darker skin and less wealth. The African immigrant families are not friendly to the AA families either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Duplexes work by building two attached units on the lot, instead of one detached unit.

Would they be "affordable housing"? No. But each unit would be cheaper than if there were only the one enormous house, and it would give two households the opportunity to live in the neighborhood instead of only one.

And you can have a duplex where one entrance is upstairs and one is downstairs. So you could design a duplex where one home is on the first two floors and the second is on the second two floors. Or you can put them side by side, or you can carve it up differently. My brother's condo building in DC has condos carved up all different ways. His is multi-level but not a townhouse where the whole up and down structure of a certain width is one dwelling. They look like row houses from the outside but the inside configurations are different.

I for one have always dreamed of living in a duplex with my BFF and her family. Two kitchens and enough bathrooms and a baby monitor that will work just as well in your best friend's living room as in your own? Yes, please. If we could find that in Montgomery County I would lobby her so hard to move down from Baltimore...

[Anonymous]

MCPS is under investigation right now by the Office of Civil Rights for discriminating against Asian students. A few years ago a study was published showing that black students received harsher discipline than white students for the exact same violations.

Yeah -I'd say that MCPS is racially biased against both Asian American students and black students. It just plays out in different ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The AA population is getting pushed out of areas where more hispanic residents are moving in.

Why is this happening? Is Hispanic buying power greater and they can out-bid AA buyers? It seems like the usual solution is "affordable housing" but wont' people of any race go for those?

It isn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The AA population is getting pushed out of areas where more hispanic residents are moving in.

Why is this happening? Is Hispanic buying power greater and they can out-bid AA buyers? It seems like the usual solution is "affordable housing" but wont' people of any race go for those?

It isn't.

DP.. this has happened in many large metro areas. I'm from CA, and I think it's been happening there as well. I know that part of it is the "territorial" encroachment, and the ensuing tensions. As a PP noted, Hispanics tend to have larger families. The whole of the US is seeing a decline in the AA population.

https://www.prb.org/us-population-growth-decline/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The AA population is getting pushed out of areas where more hispanic residents are moving in.


Why is this happening? Is Hispanic buying power greater and they can out-bid AA buyers? It seems like the usual solution is "affordable housing" but wont' people of any race go for those?

Sigh, it isn't buying power. The hispanic population is growing because they are on average younger and have more kids. They have been displaced from DC as DC has gentrified. MOCO is a natural place to live with a growing hispanic population. They'll start moving from VA now that Fairfax and Arlington are pushing them out. Many people want to live in a community where they don't stand out or they believe that others are like them.

MOCO residents may talk trash about PG but PG is known as the wealthiest black community in the country. It is desirable to many AAs who want to live in a nice neighborhood and not be treated as a unicorn or looked upon with suspicion that they are really from the low income apartments down the road. For lower income AA, living in an AA community rather than a hispanic community has appeal too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The AA population is getting pushed out of areas where more hispanic residents are moving in.


Why is this happening? Is Hispanic buying power greater and they can out-bid AA buyers? It seems like the usual solution is "affordable housing" but wont' people of any race go for those?

Sigh, it isn't buying power. The hispanic population is growing because they are on average younger and have more kids. They have been displaced from DC as DC has gentrified. MOCO is a natural place to live with a growing hispanic population. They'll start moving from VA now that Fairfax and Arlington are pushing them out. Many people want to live in a community where they don't stand out or they believe that others are like them.

MOCO residents may talk trash about PG but PG is known as the wealthiest black community in the country. It is desirable to many AAs who want to live in a nice neighborhood and not be treated as a unicorn or looked upon with suspicion that they are really from the low income apartments down the road. For lower income AA, living in an AA community rather than a hispanic community has appeal too.

So.. is this a bad thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The AA population is getting pushed out of areas where more hispanic residents are moving in.


Why is this happening? Is Hispanic buying power greater and they can out-bid AA buyers? It seems like the usual solution is "affordable housing" but wont' people of any race go for those?

Sigh, it isn't buying power. The hispanic population is growing because they are on average younger and have more kids. They have been displaced from DC as DC has gentrified. MOCO is a natural place to live with a growing hispanic population. They'll start moving from VA now that Fairfax and Arlington are pushing them out. Many people want to live in a community where they don't stand out or they believe that others are like them.

MOCO residents may talk trash about PG but PG is known as the wealthiest black community in the country. It is desirable to many AAs who want to live in a nice neighborhood and not be treated as a unicorn or looked upon with suspicion that they are really from the low income apartments down the road. For lower income AA, living in an AA community rather than a hispanic community has appeal too.

So.. is this a bad thing?

Well, it would be nice for all races to be equally financially successful, and therefore mingle in all neighborhoods, don't you think?
Then children would really grow up color-blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

I’m considering a move to MCPS with my black family. I know it to be a wonderful area but I’ve recently been discouraged after reading some of the anti blackness and Dog-whistling that occurs on these forums. I know this forum isn’t representative of all parents/teachers/students in Montgomery County but I’m curious of how your child of color has experienced the district and how often you and they experiences instances of racism & bias in real life in the schools.

Thanks

Hi. My husband and I are Black and we have two children. One is a rising 5th grader, the other will enter Kindergarten this year. Thus far, our experience with MCPS in general and our children's school in particular have been positive. Our school is diverse, with a good mix of white, asian, black and hispanic students. So far, we have not had any instances of racism or bias.

MCPS has a great relationship with the NAACP Parent Council and I suggest that you attend one (or more!) of the meetings they have throughout the school year.

Website is here: https://naacppc-md.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The AA population is getting pushed out of areas where more hispanic residents are moving in.


Why is this happening? Is Hispanic buying power greater and they can out-bid AA buyers? It seems like the usual solution is "affordable housing" but wont' people of any race go for those?

Sigh, it isn't buying power. The hispanic population is growing because they are on average younger and have more kids. They have been displaced from DC as DC has gentrified. MOCO is a natural place to live with a growing hispanic population. They'll start moving from VA now that Fairfax and Arlington are pushing them out. Many people want to live in a community where they don't stand out or they believe that others are like them.

MOCO residents may talk trash about PG but PG is known as the wealthiest black community in the country. It is desirable to many AAs who want to live in a nice neighborhood and not be treated as a unicorn or looked upon with suspicion that they are really from the low income apartments down the road. For lower income AA, living in an AA community rather than a hispanic community has appeal too.

So.. is this a bad thing?

The PP wrote it's not buying power that is the cause.
Well, it would be nice for all races to be equally financially successful, and therefore mingle in all neighborhoods, don't you think?
Then children would really grow up color-blind.