Any Black families at Walter Johnson?

[Anonymous]

Black parents sending their black children to Walter Johnson: I know it’s considered a coveted school, but do you feel that way? Is your child happy there?

[Anonymous]

We were going to move to the catchment area for high school but decided against it after reading the "black at WJ" IG page. It's pretty old at this point and nothing too terrible, but who needs added microaggressions on top of the usual high school BS.

https://www.instagram.com/blackatwj

[Anonymous]

My non-Black kid graduated from WJ in 2023. There were/are very few Black families there, but after many long years in various MCPS schools, we didn't feel as if this school was particularly bad in terms of racism, or any of the isms. I have another kid at BCC high school now, and I feel as if there are slightly more issues in that cluster than the WJ one. Not anti-Black, usually, but anti-Semitic stuff. And the incidents we heard about at WJ were also usually about swastikas on desks.

I was the only person of my ethnicity in school during much of my childhood, OP. The term microaggression hadn't been invented, and people had a lot of comments and questions, but hardly any were ill-intentioned. I'm sure today they'd be classified as microaggressions, though. So given my experience, I tend to think minorities should grow a thick skin and not limit themselves in their search for the best educational experience, or any experience. It's only by having minorities reach the top of their professions and being highly visible to the world that attitudes can change. And it's harder to reach the top if minority populations limit themselves because of the fear of perceived racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My non-Black kid graduated from WJ in 2023. There were/are very few Black families there, but after many long years in various MCPS schools, we didn't feel as if this school was particularly bad in terms of racism, or any of the isms. I have another kid at BCC high school now, and I feel as if there are slightly more issues in that cluster than the WJ one. Not anti-Black, usually, but anti-Semitic stuff. And the incidents we heard about at WJ were also usually about swastikas on desks.

I was the only person of my ethnicity in school during much of my childhood, OP. The term microaggression hadn't been invented, and people had a lot of comments and questions, but hardly any were ill-intentioned. I'm sure today they'd be classified as microaggressions, though. So given my experience, I tend to think minorities should grow a thick skin and not limit themselves in their search for the best educational experience, or any experience. It's only by having minorities reach the top of their professions and being highly visible to the world that attitudes can change. And it's harder to reach the top if minority populations limit themselves because of the fear of perceived racism.

Oh wow, this post is quite a feat of internalized racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My non-Black kid graduated from WJ in 2023. There were/are very few Black families there, but after many long years in various MCPS schools, we didn't feel as if this school was particularly bad in terms of racism, or any of the isms. I have another kid at BCC high school now, and I feel as if there are slightly more issues in that cluster than the WJ one. Not anti-Black, usually, but anti-Semitic stuff. And the incidents we heard about at WJ were also usually about swastikas on desks.

I was the only person of my ethnicity in school during much of my childhood, OP. The term microaggression hadn't been invented, and people had a lot of comments and questions, but hardly any were ill-intentioned. I'm sure today they'd be classified as microaggressions, though. So given my experience, I tend to think minorities should grow a thick skin and not limit themselves in their search for the best educational experience, or any experience. It's only by having minorities reach the top of their professions and being highly visible to the world that attitudes can change. And it's harder to reach the top if minority populations limit themselves because of the fear of perceived racism.

Oh wow, this post is quite a feat of internalized racism.

You're blaming me for my childhood circumstances? I think that's the feat right there, PP

I'm 44, I was born and educated in parts of Europe that were entirely white at the time I lived there.
I've lived in the US for 20 years, and I've seen that whining about microaggressions doesn't lead to immediate beneficial change for individuals. The path to success for individuals is to grow a thick skin, be mentally strong and work the existing system to their benefit. Maybe as a population, discussing microaggressions leads to incremental change: I do not dispute that. But waiting for that change to benefit you or your children, personally, will mean waiting your entire life on the sidelines. The change won't come quickly enough, and as we've seen with the recent Supreme Court decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions, it can lead to backlash.

So if you have specific goals for your children, don't let fear of racism hold you back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were going to move to the catchment area for high school but decided against it after reading the "black at WJ" IG page. It's pretty old at this point and nothing too terrible, but who needs added microaggressions on top of the usual high school BS.

https://www.instagram.com/blackatwj

Of you avoid those drama seeking energy vampires you'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Black parents sending their black children to Walter Johnson: I know it’s considered a coveted school, but do you feel that way? Is your child happy there?

Black students are warned out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My non-Black kid graduated from WJ in 2023. There were/are very few Black families there, but after many long years in various MCPS schools, we didn't feel as if this school was particularly bad in terms of racism, or any of the isms. I have another kid at BCC high school now, and I feel as if there are slightly more issues in that cluster than the WJ one. Not anti-Black, usually, but anti-Semitic stuff. And the incidents we heard about at WJ were also usually about swastikas on desks.

I was the only person of my ethnicity in school during much of my childhood, OP. The term microaggression hadn't been invented, and people had a lot of comments and questions, but hardly any were ill-intentioned. I'm sure today they'd be classified as microaggressions, though. So given my experience, I tend to think minorities should grow a thick skin and not limit themselves in their search for the best educational experience, or any experience. It's only by having minorities reach the top of their professions and being highly visible to the world that attitudes can change. And it's harder to reach the top if minority populations limit themselves because of the fear of perceived racism.

Why did you jump into this thread when OP asked black families to comment

[Anonymous]

Black students are 12.8% of the student population at WJ -- larger than Asians (12.2%)

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04424.pdf

[Anonymous]

Not a one. Not one black family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a one. Not one black family.

There are 477 Black students at WJ.

[Anonymous]

Next year we'll be one of the few Hispanic families at WJ, so I'm interested to see how this thread goes (or, how it dies due to lack of responses.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My non-Black kid graduated from WJ in 2023. There were/are very few Black families there, but after many long years in various MCPS schools, we didn't feel as if this school was particularly bad in terms of racism, or any of the isms. I have another kid at BCC high school now, and I feel as if there are slightly more issues in that cluster than the WJ one. Not anti-Black, usually, but anti-Semitic stuff. And the incidents we heard about at WJ were also usually about swastikas on desks.

I was the only person of my ethnicity in school during much of my childhood, OP. The term microaggression hadn't been invented, and people had a lot of comments and questions, but hardly any were ill-intentioned. I'm sure today they'd be classified as microaggressions, though. So given my experience, I tend to think minorities should grow a thick skin and not limit themselves in their search for the best educational experience, or any experience. It's only by having minorities reach the top of their professions and being highly visible to the world that attitudes can change. And it's harder to reach the top if minority populations limit themselves because of the fear of perceived racism.

Oh wow, this post is quite a feat of internalized racism.

You're blaming me for my childhood circumstances? I think that's the feat right there, PP

I'm 44, I was born and educated in parts of Europe that were entirely white at the time I lived there.
I've lived in the US for 20 years, and I've seen that whining about microaggressions doesn't lead to immediate beneficial change for individuals. The path to success for individuals is to grow a thick skin, be mentally strong and work the existing system to their benefit. Maybe as a population, discussing microaggressions leads to incremental change: I do not dispute that. But waiting for that change to benefit you or your children, personally, will mean waiting your entire life on the sidelines. The change won't come quickly enough, and as we've seen with the recent Supreme Court decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions, it can lead to backlash.

So if you have specific goals for your children, don't let fear of racism hold you back.

❤️ +1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Next year we'll be one of the few Hispanic families at WJ, so I'm interested to see how this thread goes (or, how it dies due to lack of responses.)

18.3% of the students at WJ are Hispanic.

I hope you and your kids love it.


https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04424.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a one. Not one black family.

There are 477 Black students at WJ.

DCUM is not reality!