Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science (MS)²

[Anonymous]

Yes, all our lives would have been different - better or worse-- with different skin or different grandparents, different health and different talents.

I don't see the value of blaming others, who through no fault of their own, got a better deal in life.

I guess I could hold a grudge against all the people who could afford braces and nose jobs and sailing camps and tutors and stays in europe where I could have picked up a second or third language.

I don't see the point of it.

[Anonymous]

Minorities are expected to be the majority by 2050.

http://articles.cnn.com/2008-08-13/us/census.minorities_1_hispanic-population-census-bureau-white-population?_s=PM:US

So... I was standing at my black DS's Ward 3 elementary school speaking with a Korean mom, when a white mom walked up and starting telling us about the midle schools her white DS might attend next year. We were all happily chatting away and she went on to say that they ruled out a really good middle school only because her DS would be one of the few white kids there. There was silence.. I waited to see if she was aware of her audience, but she didn't blink an eye. Mind you, there are very few Koreans in the entire school, and a handful of black kids in each grade level. The Korean mom was really put off by this comment (she told me later) because her DS had tough time adjusting since they moved here from Korea. Really, some poeple are not only clueless, but truly insensitive. Truth be told, a college buddy of mine who happens to be a white male, went to an all boys black school growing up. When I first met him, I could't figure it out-but I knew there was something special about him. He was so friendly and down to earth. He treated everyone with respect, had a diverse set of friends, and was comfortable in many different social circles. A few years later I learned about his upbringing- and that his father chose this school in the south because it was the best school in their area. He is one of the most well-rounded people I know, and he learned about world history at an early age (it was part of the ciurriculum). Poeple in DC often say oh our school is so diverse.. Actually it's not, unless you call families from England being diverse. Most of these so called ward 3 schools are majority white (from north america mainly but also europe, and south america). Yes it's diverse in that people are from different european countires. But by no means is it diverse in the sense that there are a good mix of blacks (from the US or africa), asians etc. (say more than 2 per grade). I think people fool themselves into thinking that's diverse enough. We have people from Spain so that counts. Not the same at all. So just like the white mom, there is a certain level of comfort knowing that your child goes to school with kids who he can identify with, who kind of "look like him"- or are from the same racial background. But diveristy breaks stereotypes, and at the end of the day, it's the sterotypes that perpetuate racism.

I wonder what the coversation will be in 2050 among moms of different racial backgrounds. Will it be... "oh, I don't know, I don't want Maria to be one of the few hispanics at that amazing school with high academic achievement. It's called X. Have you heard of it?"

[Anonymous]

S

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A great many white families came to America as immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s, dirt poor, with little more than the clothes on their backs. They were sent to work in coal mines, sweat shops,factories in brutal and unsafe environments. Many were maimed and killed in accidents and exposure to horrible conditions.

Many of those white families were condemned to poor ghettoes, forbidden to live in other neighborhoods, forbidden to attend certain churches or do business with certain businesses.

Instead of blaming and sitting idly in victimhood, they pushed ahead and worked to make better lives for themselves. They took advantage of everything available to them.Look at President Obama - he was able to attend excellent universities, able to become an attorney, a professor, a Senator and now President. He availed himself of what was available and found his way all the way to the top of America.
And yet here in DC we still have so many who won't even avail themselves of all that is here, especially here in DC with so much that it has to offer - unlike most other cities in the nation - or the world. When families do not even take advantage of the DC Public Library, when moms don't even read a single book to their toddlers, when kids growing up in DC have not even been to the fantastic Smithsonian museums, when they don't even take advantage of what's already out there, one wonders what more can even be done if what's already there is not being taken advantage of.

Please give percentages of those white families who managed to "push ahead" as opposed to those who for whom poverty became generational. And for those who for whom poverty became generational, please give instances of them being denied rights, vilified in media, made to go to separate restrooms, eat in separate restaurants, etc.

President Obama's father was born and raised in Africa, he does not come from a legacy of slavery. That does not negate his experiences as a Black person in America, but he has not experienced generational poverty and was not the product of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents for whom society taught them at every level that they were unworthy. Every race/culture has shining stars; in 2-3 generations Blacks may have many more as well.

Read again - as said above, many white immigrants were denied rights - and this was still going on in the 1950s for them as well., they are only a few generations in. Many of them CAME FROM multigenerational poverty and a culture of being taught they were unworthy, going back for 1000 years; many came here as indentured servants, et cetera - with not a penny to their name and having nothing but a pledge to serve a huge chunk of their lives as unpaid workers in order to escape the poverty in their homelands. They took adversity and worked to overcome it. There's an old saying, God helps those who help themselves.

[Anonymous]

Diversity is catch as catch can for public schools and charters; they can't turn anyone away. But diversity in and of itself isn't the be all and end all; diversity comes with both good and bad influences - those good and bad influences exist in all races and socioeconomic strata.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:S

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A great many white families came to America as immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s, dirt poor, with little more than the clothes on their backs. They were sent to work in coal mines, sweat shops,factories in brutal and unsafe environments. Many were maimed and killed in accidents and exposure to horrible conditions.

Many of those white families were condemned to poor ghettoes, forbidden to live in other neighborhoods, forbidden to attend certain churches or do business with certain businesses.

Instead of blaming and sitting idly in victimhood, they pushed ahead and worked to make better lives for themselves. They took advantage of everything available to them.Look at President Obama - he was able to attend excellent universities, able to become an attorney, a professor, a Senator and now President. He availed himself of what was available and found his way all the way to the top of America.
And yet here in DC we still have so many who won't even avail themselves of all that is here, especially here in DC with so much that it has to offer - unlike most other cities in the nation - or the world. When families do not even take advantage of the DC Public Library, when moms don't even read a single book to their toddlers, when kids growing up in DC have not even been to the fantastic Smithsonian museums, when they don't even take advantage of what's already out there, one wonders what more can even be done if what's already there is not being taken advantage of.

Please give percentages of those white families who managed to "push ahead" as opposed to those who for whom poverty became generational. And for those who for whom poverty became generational, please give instances of them being denied rights, vilified in media, made to go to separate restrooms, eat in separate restaurants, etc.

President Obama's father was born and raised in Africa, he does not come from a legacy of slavery. That does not negate his experiences as a Black person in America, but he has not experienced generational poverty and was not the product of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents for whom society taught them at every level that they were unworthy. Every race/culture has shining stars; in 2-3 generations Blacks may have many more as well.

Read again - as said above, many white immigrants were denied rights - and this was still going on in the 1950s for them as well., they are only a few generations in. Many of them CAME FROM multigenerational poverty and a culture of being taught they were unworthy, going back for 1000 years; many came here as indentured servants, et cetera - with not a penny to their name and having nothing but a pledge to serve a huge chunk of their lives as unpaid workers in order to escape the poverty in their homelands. They took adversity and worked to overcome it. There's an old saying, God helps those who help themselves.

They got freedom at some point didn't they? Still waiting on percentages. Cite something, add something besides your perception/opinion to the discussion. Or move on.

And, read what I said. Every race/culture has shining stars. Unless you are trying to purport that every one of these immigrants somehow overcame adversity, I still need percentages. And the children of those immigrants, in the 50s, still had rights and privileges that Blacks who built this country didn't have. So those immigrants came from another country, having given nothing to this one, and within a generation were freely given opportunities Blacks still didn't have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, all our lives would have been different - better or worse-- with different skin or different grandparents, different health and different talents.

I don't see the value of blaming others, who through no fault of their own, got a better deal in life.

I guess I could hold a grudge against all the people who could afford braces and nose jobs and sailing camps and tutors and stays in europe where I could have picked up a second or third language.

I don't see the point of it.

Of course you don't see the point if no one questions the opportunities you receive, or your opportunities are not under attack, and you don't have to constantly defend and educate others as to the circumstances of your people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you. I'm not sure I buy all that (it's a very broad brush with which to paint an entire race, many of whon did not go to private achool or come from wealthy families), but taking it at face value, the PP before me suggests that white people "just don't want to share the benefit and lessen it for yourself and your future generations" - what should be done about it? What should I share?

Oh I know. Not everyone has wealthy grandparents - but I will say that on one side of the family, the folks who came over from England were not rich by any means but, being white, they were able to get education and work and my grandfather, who was orphaned at a young age still was able to work his way to the top of his company. And for decades among working class folks, jobs were also open to whites that were not open to blacks, so that they had the potential of providing a better life for future generations. That that may not have happened I think says more about how the economy has changed over the years so that working class jobs less and less often provide access to the middle class.

As far as what that person said, I don't think it's that white people consciously don't want to share the benefits. I think it's because we don't realize the great benefits we've received historically from being white and we think that, everything's fine now, anyone who can't make it is just being lazy. But, yeah, you can't really respond to an accusation like that constructively. That person is mad, I don't blame her/him, but that kind of accusation leaves you not really knowing what to do. I don't know that I know what to do other than try to be aware, realize that it's still a great advantage to be white in the United States (although I will insist that the US is ahead of many other countries when it comes to race relations), and try to examine my own perceptions - and give back to the community through volunteering. But the thing you have to realize is that even as you do this you will piss someone off - they might be right to be pissed off or they might be reacting to some phantom story in their head and you won't always know which it is and whether you're in the right. I used to obsess about whether I was right or not but I eventually realized that this just goes with the territory. Our country is still hurting from the damage of the past and I think it's gonna be this way for a good while longer.

I have to say, I really appreciate the dialogue that is happening in this thread. These are by no means easy subjects to discuss honestly. It's uncomfortable, upsetting, but very rewarding when there is a glimmer of understanding such as this ^^^. I have no problem taking responsibility for my failures and successes, but I am conscious that my experience could have been very different had I been born into different skin. Just knowing that other people understand that, too, is very gratifying.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Who's the person who needs percentages? What do you plan to do with those numbers, get'em tattooed on your forehead? No!!! You will be the one who's constantly quoting them as that is to make your conversation profound and relevant. Sheesh!!! It used to be a time when people would quote percentages and statistics to prove a point but now it is used to validate nonsense.

I wish people stop treating diversity as a eureka-moment.

I was at a DCPS high-school on the Hill last night; DCPS is holding a job-fair. While standing in the hallway, I heard a white teacher talking on her cell-phone. The conversation peaked my interest, when she said that her chances being hired at this high-school on the Hill will be a great career opportunity because the principal is lookng for white teachers.

To add another dimension to this morning blog, HUMS is located on a historical Black college/university campus. They are successfully educating black children, who are going to the high-schools of their choices. Predominantly AA in all aspects.

On the other hand, here we have a heavily invested DCPS high-school with an all Black enrollment located in a diverse neighborhood of Captiol Hill. Which for some apparent reason, this illusion that the Black principal is allegedly seeking White teachers for vacancies at the school.

Is there a right or wrong with both situations?

Feel free to discuss among yourselves and present your read-out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, all our lives would have been different - better or worse-- with different skin or different grandparents, different health and different talents.

I don't see the value of blaming others, who through no fault of their own, got a better deal in life.

I guess I could hold a grudge against all the people who could afford braces and nose jobs and sailing camps and tutors and stays in europe where I could have picked up a second or third language.

I don't see the point of it.

Of course you don't see the point if no one questions the opportunities you receive, or your opportunities are not under attack, and you don't have to constantly defend and educate others as to the circumstances of your people.

Many AAs aren't taking advantage of all of the opportunities that are open to them. Again, many AAs in DC won't avail themselves of the library - friends who are teachers say moms won't even read kids books to their toddlers, I'm amazed to hear from AA parents that they have never been to the world-class Smithsonian museums, the job opportunities here in DC draw people from all around the country. At this point, it's not so much about opportunities under attack or opportunities not open, it's about being stuck in the perceptions of the past and not pursuing anything, based on those perceptions. Obama was able to rise to become an attorney, professor, senator and President because the external barriers did not prevent him from doing so. It's not the external barriers out in society holding AAs back, it's the internal barriers.

[Anonymous]

All of you saying "Obama did XYZ," with the implication that therefore no racial barriers exist, or anyone should be able to overcome them - stop. Just stop. Do you know how ridiculous you sound? The man is insanely smart, politically astute (although lately, I have my doubts, but whatever), and incredibly lucky. You can't become president otherwise (jokes about George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan aside). He in the top 0.0000001% of people - black, white, purple, whatever - in the world. It's just not a valid comparison.

[Anonymous]

Thi

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying "Obama did XYZ," with the implication that therefore no racial barriers exist, or anyone should be able to overcome them - stop. Just stop. Do you know how ridiculous you sound? The man is insanely smart, politically astute (although lately, I have my doubts, but whatever), and incredibly lucky. You can't become president otherwise (jokes about George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan aside). He in the top 0.0000001% of people - black, white, purple, whatever - in the world. It's just not a valid comparison.

Barack Obama wasn't beamed down to earth by aliens, he puts his pants on just like the rest of us. He doesn't have a special gift from God, instead he worked hard and set his sights high. And in fact, he fought his way through a lot of personal adversity while his family life was in flux growing up. It wasn't "luck", he worked his rear off. You don't graduate Magna Cum Laude by coasting through school, by quota or affirmative action, you have to work hard for it. And ultimately, he beat out a white war hero and seasoned career politico to become President and now will likely beat out a ridiculously wealthy white corporatist. in re-election as well

The point is, Obama proves without a doubt that there are no longer any ceilings. He reached the pinnacle, leader of the most powerful nation on the planet. It demonstrates that any AA with vision can, through drive, perseverance, and hard work, overcome all perceived barriers, and achieve anything they set out to do. There's nothing ridiculous about it, whatsoever. The only ridiculous thing here is pretending it's not possible. Think of Colin Powell, Maya Angelou, NeillDeGrasse Tyson, the numerous AA senators, congressmen and women - the America of today is no longer the America of decades ago, you need to update your thinking and stop throwing the ghosts of the past in the way.

[Anonymous]

@8:01, Wha'cha talking about Willis? Many AA's are not taking advantages of ALL of the OPPORTUNITIES. You're wrong and no need to explain any further. Then this ludicrous assertion that AA's have to validate a learning experiences of their children via the library, is beyond belief. I am glad your societal outlook of AA's is bleak and you have internalized the plight. When and if you find the solutions (that are relevant) please share'em.

@8:28, Believe me in Wayne's World this is a valid comparison by all means, when it comes to those who don't believe that racisms doesn't exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying "Obama did XYZ," with the implication that therefore no racial barriers exist, or anyone should be able to overcome them - stop. Just stop. Do you know how ridiculous you sound? The man is insanely smart, politically astute (although lately, I have my doubts, but whatever), and incredibly lucky. You can't become president otherwise (jokes about George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan aside). He in the top 0.0000001% of people - black, white, purple, whatever - in the world. It's just not a valid comparison.

I think one of the reasons Obama was able to follow his dreams to become President is because he wasn't surrounded by people with all the denial and negativity that is being displayed here.

[Anonymous]

Using Obama as an example is ridiculous. The man grew up in an educated middle class white family and went to private school. While he had to face some of the prejudice that other young black men face (despite the fact that he's half white, he looks black and people respond to him as black), he had enormous advantages by comparison, in particular growing up in a family where people expected to be well-served by educational institutions.

Give me an example of someone who grew up in public housing with black parents who had drug habits who didn't finish high school. There are folks like that out there. Tell me how they achieved their success. That would be a good example.

But using Obama to prove your point is rather odd and suggests a lack of knowledge about this community in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Using Obama as an example is ridiculous. The man grew up in an educated middle class white family and went to private school. While he had to face some of the prejudice that other young black men face (despite the fact that he's half white, he looks black and people respond to him as black), he had enormous advantages by comparison, in particular growing up in a family where people expected to be well-served by educational institutions.

Give me an example of someone who grew up in public housing with black parents who had drug habits who didn't finish high school. There are folks like that out there. Tell me how they achieved their success. That would be a good example.
But using Obama to prove your point is rather odd and suggests a lack of knowledge about this community in general.

Yes, that would be an example. But pointing to one example, or 100, doesn't lead to the conclusion that racism doesn't exist, or there aren't societal barriers to achievement by AAs.