SWS - You are only invited if you’re Black

[Anonymous]

It seems the whole approach has backfired. While pandering to specific racial groups may have been well-intentioned at first, this school seems endlessly stuck in racial balkanization if you look at all the SWS threads out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems the whole approach has backfired. While pandering to specific racial groups may have been well-intentioned at first, this school seems endlessly stuck in racial balkanization if you look at all the SWS threads out there.

I find nothing wrong with the latest email which isn't exclusionary nor any different than any other targeted meeting/group for people with a common interest. Well, other than that a board of predominantly affluent white people - who live in a white opinion bubble - are way too easily riled up.

In essence, this entire thread only proves WHY such a gathering would be warranted.

And genuine question - If we live in such a diverse city where, undoubtedly, you all have Black friends and colleagues, none of you can actually approach any, or even the senders of the email, to understand a different perspective? I mean, I have had these conversations! It's not that freaking hard! But keep on keeping on in only sourcing opinions from within your rich, white, bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems the whole approach has backfired. While pandering to specific racial groups may have been well-intentioned at first, this school seems endlessly stuck in racial balkanization if you look at all the SWS threads out there.

I find nothing wrong with the latest email which isn't exclusionary nor any different than any other targeted meeting/group for people with a common interest. Well, other than that a board of predominantly affluent white people - who live in a white opinion bubble - are way too easily riled up.

In essence, this entire thread only proves WHY such a gathering would be warranted.

And genuine question - If we live in such a diverse city where, undoubtedly, you all have Black friends and colleagues, none of you can actually approach any, or even the senders of the email, to understand a different perspective? I mean, I have had these conversations! It's not that freaking hard! But keep on keeping on in only sourcing opinions from within your rich, white, bubble.

Well, this isn't actually true. Only Black students' families were invited. The email explicitly says "we invite all families of children who identify as Black and/or of African descent." And then goes further by bolding the line that the meeting is specifically for "families with children who identify as Black and/or of African descent."

This is different than the way these groups are typically advertised, because most people are smart enough to take steps to make them legal. The Black Student Union does not explicitly advertise itself as only for Black people. The Jewish Association will welcome all faiths. The line between illegal and legal is pretty clear. It's unclear why SWS is incapable of staying on the constitutional side of the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems the whole approach has backfired. While pandering to specific racial groups may have been well-intentioned at first, this school seems endlessly stuck in racial balkanization if you look at all the SWS threads out there.

I find nothing wrong with the latest email which isn't exclusionary nor any different than any other targeted meeting/group for people with a common interest. Well, other than that a board of predominantly affluent white people - who live in a white opinion bubble - are way too easily riled up.

In essence, this entire thread only proves WHY such a gathering would be warranted.

And genuine question - If we live in such a diverse city where, undoubtedly, you all have Black friends and colleagues, none of you can actually approach any, or even the senders of the email, to understand a different perspective? I mean, I have had these conversations! It's not that freaking hard! But keep on keeping on in only sourcing opinions from within your rich, white, bubble.

the black people I know give me the side-eye for sending my kid to DCPS, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems the whole approach has backfired. While pandering to specific racial groups may have been well-intentioned at first, this school seems endlessly stuck in racial balkanization if you look at all the SWS threads out there.

I find nothing wrong with the latest email which isn't exclusionary nor any different than any other targeted meeting/group for people with a common interest. Well, other than that a board of predominantly affluent white people - who live in a white opinion bubble - are way too easily riled up.

In essence, this entire thread only proves WHY such a gathering would be warranted.

And genuine question - If we live in such a diverse city where, undoubtedly, you all have Black friends and colleagues, none of you can actually approach any, or even the senders of the email, to understand a different perspective? I mean, I have had these conversations! It's not that freaking hard! But keep on keeping on in only sourcing opinions from within your rich, white, bubble.

Well, this isn't actually true. Only Black students' families were invited. The email explicitly says "we invite all families of children who identify as Black and/or of African descent." And then goes further by bolding the line that the meeting is specifically for "families with children who identify as Black and/or of African descent."

This is different than the way these groups are typically advertised, because most people are smart enough to take steps to make them legal. The Black Student Union does not explicitly advertise itself as only for Black people. The Jewish Association will welcome all faiths. The line between illegal and legal is pretty clear. It's unclear why SWS is incapable of staying on the constitutional side of the line.

The word "only " is not used so stop saying it was. Focused on a specific group? Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please quibble away. The point is, unpacking is a helpful exercise and may be of particular interest for those who have Black people in their lives that they are especially close to to ensure that they aren’t unintentionally, unconsciously mistreating the group as a whole. If one wants to be an ally or even neutral, you have to invest in learning, so you can first just be safe to be around.

I'm not opposed to affinity groups, but I think everyone at the school should be encouraged to form them according to any of the ways they want to slice themselves. There are a lot of communities that need to be able to advocate for their interests in our schools. DC has been used to thinking only in terms of black/white, but as the city became a little more cosmopolitan in the last couple of decades, that's no longer the extent of who is here and who has concerns about, among other things, the tunnel vision fixation on black/white.

I am opposed to top-down re-education movements that proceed according to rigid ideologies intended to oversimplify and elide complicated issues to deliver the "correct" conclusion, however.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal isn’t wrong About offering the opportunity to unpack white privilege in a majority, historically black city. White privilege is basically the benefit of the doubt or hall pass afforded to you because you’re white so you can bypass the barriers of systemic racism. It is the byproduct of white supremacy. Racism is the manifestation of your belief in black inferiority. Systemic racism exists because of conscious or unconscious individual racist beliefs. I imagine that people who have joined this WAG might have really close, authentic relationships with Black people, children or adults. I’m an SWS parent, not black or white, and don’t know how any of the affinity groups are going for folks, how many attend, and how many drop out.

Black people are experiencing systemic racism in a city where they are the largest demographic group and where Black people hold many of the controlling positions?

The world is larger than just this city. Maybe talk to people about the histories behind how DC became Chocolate City -- an some of the very systimatic issues behind why it's now Latteland, or whatever. If themes like gentrification, congressional overreach, home rule, and lack of full political representation and power dont come up, keep reading and listening until they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The world is larger than just this city. Maybe talk to people about the histories behind how DC became Chocolate City -- an some of the very systimatic issues behind why it's now Latteland, or whatever. If themes like gentrification, congressional overreach, home rule, and lack of full political representation and power dont come up, keep reading and listening until they do.

True. DC's failing Black schools are a direct consequence of generations of crimes against Black communities. The governments and laws and others have failed these children. There are people in DC who understand this and are trying to right some wrongs. People who have just showed up probably think they put themselves in this position. Well, no!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The world is larger than just this city. Maybe talk to people about the histories behind how DC became Chocolate City -- an some of the very systimatic issues behind why it's now Latteland, or whatever. If themes like gentrification, congressional overreach, home rule, and lack of full political representation and power dont come up, keep reading and listening until they do.

True. DC's failing Black schools are a direct consequence of generations of crimes against Black communities. The governments and laws and others have failed these children. There are people in DC who understand this and are trying to right some wrongs. People who have just showed up probably think they put themselves in this position. Well, no!

It is more than just “Black” schools that are failing in DCPS. There is a wide diversity of children in DCPS - failure is colorblind in this regard. DC spends the most money per student and still - failure. A big part of the issue here is the failure of communities making education a priority for their children. Oh, and school is not a day care or social service or morality and ethics tutors. Instead of having yet another group that is segregated by race - maybe have a group that speaks to everyone and has a common goal that helps the school community?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems the whole approach has backfired. While pandering to specific racial groups may have been well-intentioned at first, this school seems endlessly stuck in racial balkanization if you look at all the SWS threads out there.

I find nothing wrong with the latest email which isn't exclusionary nor any different than any other targeted meeting/group for people with a common interest. Well, other than that a board of predominantly affluent white people - who live in a white opinion bubble - are way too easily riled up.

In essence, this entire thread only proves WHY such a gathering would be warranted.

And genuine question - If we live in such a diverse city where, undoubtedly, you all have Black friends and colleagues, none of you can actually approach any, or even the senders of the email, to understand a different perspective? I mean, I have had these conversations! It's not that freaking hard! But keep on keeping on in only sourcing opinions from within your rich, white, bubble.

My POC friends want to be treated and judged on their merits - good parent/spouse/employer/employee/community member etc. This artificial construct that is DEI programming does not achieve that goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The world is larger than just this city. Maybe talk to people about the histories behind how DC became Chocolate City -- an some of the very systimatic issues behind why it's now Latteland, or whatever. If themes like gentrification, congressional overreach, home rule, and lack of full political representation and power dont come up, keep reading and listening until they do.

True. DC's failing Black schools are a direct consequence of generations of crimes against Black communities. The governments and laws and others have failed these children. There are people in DC who understand this and are trying to right some wrongs. People who have just showed up probably think they put themselves in this position. Well, no!

Most of the solutions proposed will not right the wrongs. They just rebrand the failures as something else and perpetuate them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so angry that black families are coming together to support each other? Is this hurting your child? Do you feel like you are lacking support? I know it sounds snarky, but I'm asking seriously.

+1! This is an affinity space for Black families to get to know each other. It’s not about exclusion of other races. Honestly, if you are not from a minority group (race, religion or ethnicity), I guess you just don’t get it.

—POC (not Black).

I'm a member of a minority group, and I would never have phrased an email this way, nor would I have sent it school-wide like this. Why not just announce that there are affinity groups, distribute the contact person for each group school wide, and let interested people contact the person on their own? That way you are connecting, but not making others feel excluded.

This is like making a school-wide birthday party announcement, but making it clear that only people who identify as friends of Larla can attend.

You are comparing children with adults. This is not the same.

DP, but it is the same. You would not send a mass corporate email out to everyone at the company and say, We are having a party for Larla, but only friends of Larla can come. I think it's a great idea for people in any group to meet with others who have like-minded experiences in life. I would even send a general email out with contact info for the organizers for each group so people can reach out. It show that all groups are being taken seriously, but not directly excluding anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems the whole approach has backfired. While pandering to specific racial groups may have been well-intentioned at first, this school seems endlessly stuck in racial balkanization if you look at all the SWS threads out there.

I find nothing wrong with the latest email which isn't exclusionary nor any different than any other targeted meeting/group for people with a common interest. Well, other than that a board of predominantly affluent white people - who live in a white opinion bubble - are way too easily riled up.

In essence, this entire thread only proves WHY such a gathering would be warranted.

And genuine question - If we live in such a diverse city where, undoubtedly, you all have Black friends and colleagues, none of you can actually approach any, or even the senders of the email, to understand a different perspective? I mean, I have had these conversations! It's not that freaking hard! But keep on keeping on in only sourcing opinions from within your rich, white, bubble.

My POC friends want to be treated and judged on their merits - good parent/spouse/employer/employee/community member etc. This artificial construct that is DEI programming does not achieve that goal.

Sure and I want my SN kid to be treated and judged fairly as well. But that also doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy an opportunity to socialize and network with other parents of SN kids with a focus on the issues we face raising SN kids. I can see why black families would appreciate this invitation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please quibble away. The point is, unpacking is a helpful exercise and may be of particular interest for those who have Black people in their lives that they are especially close to to ensure that they aren’t unintentionally, unconsciously mistreating the group as a whole. If one wants to be an ally or even neutral, you have to invest in learning, so you can first just be safe to be around.

NP. While I don't disagree with the efforts you support, you do yourself and your cause a huge disservice by making unfounded claims about historical facts and current demographics and then pretending like you didn't make those up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The invite is for people raising Black kids. You can be any color caregiver and attend. The invite centers children and helps create a positive cohort for the child. ultimately all of this is based on research in order to create better learning outcomes and narrow the educational achievement gap in elementary school. Is it so far fetched to understand that a good school for your kid might not be as good for a POC because of prejudice and biases coming from fellow students and their families as well as from staff? I can understand that black and POC families need some reprieve and support here.

People who labeled the invite as hostile, aggressive, or amped up, wouldn’t use those same words for another group. Whoever said that these groups are only needed if the numbers are very small just sounds afraid. What if Black kids ‘catch up’ and (gasp) surpass your kid’s achievement because they had a play date without you?

Not afraid. Just want parity. Let everyone have their groups to meet, connect, and talk about their issues. If it's clearly beneficial, why are some groups afraid to let other groups meet, connect, and find support? What's the problem?

The problem is that white clubs aren’t allowed. How do white people make friends and communicate? Clubs are only allowed for example- Latinx club, Asian club, African American club, etc etc. but European (white) club isn’t allowed. That is racist and not inclusive.