Racial issues in DCPS for mixed race kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would not recommend raising a biracial child in the area. Too much baggage. Really, biracials just want to be left alone. This thread illustrates that may not be possible. Sad for 2015.

So, where is this utopia where I should raise my biracial children? I grew up in Los Angeles (the U.S.' unofficial biracial Mecca), and all of the issues discussed on this thread were present in LA. There is no perfect place to raise a biracial child.

Stay away from ungentrified DC and PG County. Too many one-drop perpetuators. You could try NoVa. More tolerant of biracials on the one hand, but you'll deal with more sophisticated racists in whites, Persians, etc... No where is perfect. Also, the comments about the passing bs are dumb. If I'm walking my white-appearing ass down the street and people assume im white that's on them. I'm not passing. I'm minding my own damn bidniss. It's not my job to make sure people know I'm part AA. They have yet to pay a bill of mine.

I would actually recommend PG county schools, yes they might be perceived as black...but can still be recognized as "mixed race' I grew up in PG county schools and we had lots of mixed race kids...we looked at them as black but still didn't deny their heritage. Also the original poster question was about schools and the treatment of kids. I think this is where PG county schools excel more than Moco or Nova. Your child wont have to face "low expectations" from teachers or face being treated any differently mostly because the school system itself is Majority black. The whole "acting white" issue is a NON issue in PG county schools and doesn't exist. I would know I went to PG county schools my whole life. We have bad black kids, nerdy black kids, teachers pets, etc....the term "acting white" for high achieving kids Does not exist...I grew up in LANDOVER! LOL. You have tag centers like Glenarden Woods, and Heather hills in bowie that are no. 2 & 3 in the state when it comes to MSA testing and one is 71 percent black the other 66 percent....A lot of the issues that parents in this thread are complaining about are non issues in PG county

I'm sorry, but you're no authority on PG County schools. This is the last place you want to send a biracial child who identifies as such. You, yourself, just said that they are viewed as black, but you don't deny their heritage. That's contradictory! You can't simultaneously respect someone's background and view them differently than their background. This environment is purely poison for the child being raised biracial. They'll be ostracized by the majority trying to indoctrinate them with the "one drop" nonsense. Not to mention, PG County schools are awful, which is why we call it Ward 9 in DC. Are schools are full of PG Countians residency cheating their way into our schools.

LMAO you can call PG WARD 9 all u want, but if Wards 1-8 had the test scores of an average PG county school DC would be throwing a ticker tape parade. Its not contradictory at all, a child would not be harassed for being mixed raced...I'm speaking from experience not off rumors or myth. Nor would the child experience the issue of "low expectations" because they are "black"....your issues seems to be an aversion of anything that is considered "black"...the type of person that views something as negative if its a black majority, regardless of what the facts show. For all the complaints of the mixed raced people in this forum they all seemed to have been in DCPS...I didn't see one complaint from a mixed race person from a PGCPS...thats not an accident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Oyster is an outlier because of its location, high attendance by people with high SES and its Hispanic population. The schools that are problematic are majority AA with AA administrators and student body.

I would have thought that AA administrators were a positive influence.

In Shangri-La perhaps, but we're talking about PG County- Land of Keep Up With Old School Jones's. You're kid will be looked at like they have two heads if they don't fall in lockstep with Jim Crow rules about race and ethnicity.

total B.S. point me to one actual example. I doubt you have ANY experience in Prince Georges County Public Schools

[Anonymous]

This is the slowest moving train wreck I have ever witnessed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would not recommend raising a biracial child in the area. Too much baggage. Really, biracials just want to be left alone. This thread illustrates that may not be possible. Sad for 2015.

So, where is this utopia where I should raise my biracial children? I grew up in Los Angeles (the U.S.' unofficial biracial Mecca), and all of the issues discussed on this thread were present in LA. There is no perfect place to raise a biracial child.

Stay away from ungentrified DC and PG County. Too many one-drop perpetuators. You could try NoVa. More tolerant of biracials on the one hand, but you'll deal with more sophisticated racists in whites, Persians, etc... No where is perfect. Also, the comments about the passing bs are dumb. If I'm walking my white-appearing ass down the street and people assume im white that's on them. I'm not passing. I'm minding my own damn bidniss. It's not my job to make sure people know I'm part AA. They have yet to pay a bill of mine.

I would actually recommend PG county schools, yes they might be perceived as black...but can still be recognized as "mixed race' I grew up in PG county schools and we had lots of mixed race kids...we looked at them as black but still didn't deny their heritage. Also the original poster question was about schools and the treatment of kids. I think this is where PG county schools excel more than Moco or Nova. Your child wont have to face "low expectations" from teachers or face being treated any differently mostly because the school system itself is Majority black. The whole "acting white" issue is a NON issue in PG county schools and doesn't exist. I would know I went to PG county schools my whole life. We have bad black kids, nerdy black kids, teachers pets, etc....the term "acting white" for high achieving kids Does not exist...I grew up in LANDOVER! LOL. You have tag centers like Glenarden Woods, and Heather hills in bowie that are no. 2 & 3 in the state when it comes to MSA testing and one is 71 percent black the other 66 percent....A lot of the issues that parents in this thread are complaining about are non issues in PG county

I'm sorry, but you're no authority on PG County schools. This is the last place you want to send a biracial child who identifies as such. You, yourself, just said that they are viewed as black, but you don't deny their heritage. That's contradictory! You can't simultaneously respect someone's background and view them differently than their background. This environment is purely poison for the child being raised biracial. They'll be ostracized by the majority trying to indoctrinate them with the "one drop" nonsense. Not to mention, PG County schools are awful, which is why we call it Ward 9 in DC. Are schools are full of PG Countians residency cheating their way into our schools.

LMAO you can call PG WARD 9 all u want, but if Wards 1-8 had the test scores of an average PG county school DC would be throwing a ticker tape parade. Its not contradictory at all, a child would not be harassed for being mixed raced...I'm speaking from experience not off rumors or myth. Nor would the child experience the issue of "low expectations" because they are "black"....your issues seems to be an aversion of anything that is considered "black"...the type of person that views something as negative if its a black majority, regardless of what the facts show. For all the complaints of the mixed raced people in this forum they all seemed to have been in DCPS...I didn't see one complaint from a mixed race person from a PGCPS...thats not an accident

what else does your crystal ball show- Oh Omnicient One?... OP- if you want your child embraced as biracial I would encourage you to start in your home explaining the aversion to that identity. In the ugliness of American values on race and ethnicity he/she will face fall-out from racists of all backgrounds. As a kid myself the one person who taunted me the most was another biracial. So, my point is self-affirmation trumps all and they get that from you. With respect to where is likely to be most healthy, I would look for more progressive areas that are more gentrified, which you can find in DC. You'll have a better chance of encountering reluctance or skepticism in areas where the culture has stagnated. In areas where you don't have much heterogeneity, you'll find people stuck in the status quo box. Good luck OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would not recommend raising a biracial child in the area. Too much baggage. Really, biracials just want to be left alone. This thread illustrates that may not be possible. Sad for 2015.

So, where is this utopia where I should raise my biracial children? I grew up in Los Angeles (the U.S.' unofficial biracial Mecca), and all of the issues discussed on this thread were present in LA. There is no perfect place to raise a biracial child.

Stay away from ungentrified DC and PG County. Too many one-drop perpetuators. You could try NoVa. More tolerant of biracials on the one hand, but you'll deal with more sophisticated racists in whites, Persians, etc... No where is perfect. Also, the comments about the passing bs are dumb. If I'm walking my white-appearing ass down the street and people assume im white that's on them. I'm not passing. I'm minding my own damn bidniss. It's not my job to make sure people know I'm part AA. They have yet to pay a bill of mine.

I would actually recommend PG county schools, yes they might be perceived as black...but can still be recognized as "mixed race' I grew up in PG county schools and we had lots of mixed race kids...we looked at them as black but still didn't deny their heritage. Also the original poster question was about schools and the treatment of kids. I think this is where PG county schools excel more than Moco or Nova. Your child wont have to face "low expectations" from teachers or face being treated any differently mostly because the school system itself is Majority black. The whole "acting white" issue is a NON issue in PG county schools and doesn't exist. I would know I went to PG county schools my whole life. We have bad black kids, nerdy black kids, teachers pets, etc....the term "acting white" for high achieving kids Does not exist...I grew up in LANDOVER! LOL. You have tag centers like Glenarden Woods, and Heather hills in bowie that are no. 2 & 3 in the state when it comes to MSA testing and one is 71 percent black the other 66 percent....A lot of the issues that parents in this thread are complaining about are non issues in PG county

I'm sorry, but you're no authority on PG County schools. This is the last place you want to send a biracial child who identifies as such. You, yourself, just said that they are viewed as black, but you don't deny their heritage. That's contradictory! You can't simultaneously respect someone's background and view them differently than their background. This environment is purely poison for the child being raised biracial. They'll be ostracized by the majority trying to indoctrinate them with the "one drop" nonsense. Not to mention, PG County schools are awful, which is why we call it Ward 9 in DC. Are schools are full of PG Countians residency cheating their way into our schools.

LMAO you can call PG WARD 9 all u want, but if Wards 1-8 had the test scores of an average PG county school DC would be throwing a ticker tape parade. Its not contradictory at all, a child would not be harassed for being mixed raced...I'm speaking from experience not off rumors or myth. Nor would the child experience the issue of "low expectations" because they are "black"....your issues seems to be an aversion of anything that is considered "black"...the type of person that views something as negative if its a black majority, regardless of what the facts show. For all the complaints of the mixed raced people in this forum they all seemed to have been in DCPS...I didn't see one complaint from a mixed race person from a PGCPS...thats not an accident

what else does your crystal ball show- Oh Omnicient One?... OP- if you want your child embraced as biracial I would encourage you to start in your home explaining the aversion to that identity. In the ugliness of American values on race and ethnicity he/she will face fall-out from racists of all backgrounds. As a kid myself the one person who taunted me the most was another biracial. So, my point is self-affirmation trumps all and they get that from you. With respect to where is likely to be most healthy, I would look for more progressive areas that are more gentrified, which you can find in DC. You'll have a better chance of encountering reluctance or skepticism in areas where the culture has stagnated. In areas where you don't have much heterogeneity, you'll find people stuck in the status quo box. Good luck OP

No need for Crystal Ball...as these are my experiences from MY LIFE...no need for guessing or looking into the future. Why is everyone's panties in a bunch? Because I recommended PG county schools and not the other "esteemed" school systems? Well get over it, her issue was a specific issue and I do believe a lot of the problems she is trying to avoid can be avoided in a middle class/ upper class majority black (but diverse) setting which PG county schools can provide. Those are facts...they dont change because they dont fit the status quo on DCurbanmom message board. Anytime Black parents are refusing to send their kids to Wilson ( What you all consider a top DC public Highschool) and decide to shell out thousands to send them to Sidwells then there is a problem. Her child wont have the same issue if they are attending a top PG county school Roosevelt, Bowie, Flowers. Also the mentioning of treating the black male students differently is beyond disturbing...and once again a non issue in PG county schools.

[Anonymous]

One again, loon, your like is not exemplary to the world. You're the exact reason to stay far far away from PG!

[Anonymous]

OP, from experience (my child is biracial) I would pick a diverse school, i.e., not majority white or black. There are schools in DC like Sheppard, Oyster, and many of the HRCS that fit the description. We are at a HRCS with several biracial children of different backgrounds, e.g., black/white, Asian/white, Hispanic/white, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One again, loon, your like is not exemplary to the world. You're the exact reason to stay far far away from PG!

Where in my post did I say I was ever exemplary to the world? You have serious issues and its not with me or PG county schools..how am I a "loon". If anything the OP should stay away from any community where your kind reside. Your truly disturbed in the head. I pointed out facts in my post...what have you dont besides name calling. She should stay away from PG "just because", you haven't pointed out one factual reason why. Your projecting your insecurity and issues onto this thread and its beyond annoying go see a therapist please

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, from experience (my child is biracial) I would pick a diverse school, i.e., not majority white or black. There are schools in DC like Sheppard, Oyster, and many of the HRCS that fit the description. We are at a HRCS with several biracial children of different backgrounds, e.g., black/white, Asian/white, Hispanic/white, etc.

OP chiming in here to say thanks for this rec and also to the PPs for the recs on Eaton, Oyster, etc. All very helpful.

PG county doesn't work for DH and I commute-wise but maybe that debate will be useful to some other DCUMer.

I've certainly gotten a lot of useful tips from this thread ("train wreck" per one PP or not, lol).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, from experience (my child is biracial) I would pick a diverse school, i.e., not majority white or black. There are schools in DC like Sheppard, Oyster, and many of the HRCS that fit the description. We are at a HRCS with several biracial children of different backgrounds, e.g., black/white, Asian/white, Hispanic/white, etc.

Our family feels the same way. Our JKLM school is something like 85% white 10% black and the balance hispanic/latino, mixed races etc. I would take 45% white 15% black 15% hispanic 15%, 10% other any day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Oyster is an outlier because of its location, high attendance by people with high SES and its Hispanic population. The schools that are problematic are majority AA with AA administrators and student body.

I would have thought that AA administrators were a positive influence.

In many cases they're not especially if they embrace the "I'm not fond of white people" sentiment that is very prevalent with some AAs in this area. AAs like that do more harm than good in educational settings. It will be extremely difficult to prove that they're racists because they would just flipped the script.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Oyster is an outlier because of its location, high attendance by people with high SES and its Hispanic population. The schools that are problematic are majority AA with AA administrators and student body.

You state that Oyster is an outlier ,but I don't think that's atruestatement. Please identify the school where you or your child encountered these negative reactions. I am not sure if people are just posting nonsense based on their own perceived biases or, if they have actual knowledge or experience I'd DCPS. Also, if you have these experiences, it would help if you are talking about something that happened five years versus thirty years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Oyster is an outlier because of its location, high attendance by people with high SES and its Hispanic population. The schools that are problematic are majority AA with AA administrators and student body.

I would have thought that AA administrators were a positive influence.

In Shangri-La perhaps, but we're talking about PG County- Land of Keep Up With Old School Jones's. You're kid will be looked at like they have two heads if they don't fall in lockstep with Jim Crow rules about race and ethnicity.

My friends daughter is biracial and actually looks like a young Jennifer Beal. She has said nothing but good things about her kids school in Bowie. I get that you don't like PG county for your own bias reasons, but you spew a lot of misinformation because of your prejudices.

[Anonymous]

WOW! I just checked the demographics on Shepherd Elementary School on its profile page at DCPS website. It's 79% Black, 9% Hispanic, 8% multiple race, 4% White, and 0% Asian. This doesn't seem diverse to me. Also, only 32% of the students live in bounds. So, it makes me wonder why the majority of the residents who live in the Shepherd Park area don't send their children to Shepherd. Where do the other residents in that area send their children?

Oyster is truly a diverse school. I just checked out their profile and their school's page as well. I love the diversity that is represented there. Are there any other elementary schools in DCPS that have an international environment like Oyster?

[Anonymous]

It always amaze me on how the parents are so worried but the children will self-identify themselves immediately to go-along to get-along. Really, the low expectation is either confirmed or disregarded in every race so to think that it is only because your bi-racial is such a cop-out. Hell for every bi-racial child of black and white origin there's probably other bi-racial families that are in the top percentile. What does the bi-racial mix of black and asian is supposed to do or being black with hispanic origin.

This was just experience and witnessed by me, a high-school white teacher just brought her grammar aged children to a school activity. Many of her AA students immediately gravitatied to her and was saying compliments your children as so beautiful. You could over hear many of the students say that the teacher ws so cool.