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

[Anonymous]

It's not the only standard, not by a stretch, and nobody said it was.

That completely misses the point.

The point is that it quite clearly show what is possible.

By bringing it up, it's saying "can we get off this 'AAs are being held back by the white man and society at large' thing already" because it's clear that in this day and age THERE ARE NO BARRIERS AND ANYTHING TRULY IS POSSIBLE - and THAT is what should be getting taught.

Yes, there are still occasional pigs in society but collectively that is no longer the case and it's time to move beyond that kind of self-defeating mentality.

That discussion is in NO WAY in conflict or at odds with the fact that YES, there are thousands of high-achieving AA students in the city and that YES, HUMS, Banneker and others help toward realizing students' potential. There is NO DISAGREEMENT on that point and never was, so how about we stop treating it as though it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not the only standard, not by a stretch, and nobody said it was.

That completely misses the point.

The point is that it quite clearly show what is possible.

By bringing it up, it's saying "can we get off this 'AAs are being held back by the white man and society at large' thing already" because it's clear that in this day and age THERE ARE NO BARRIERS AND ANYTHING TRULY IS POSSIBLE - and THAT is what should be getting taught.

Yes, there are still occasional pigs in society but collectively that is no longer the case and it's time to move beyond that kind of self-defeating mentality.

That discussion is in NO WAY in conflict or at odds with the fact that YES, there are thousands of high-achieving AA students in the city and that YES, HUMS, Banneker and others help toward realizing students' potential. There is NO DISAGREEMENT on that point and never was, so how about we stop treating it as though it is.

I am amazed at the things so many PPs extrapolate from postings here -- because a PP mentioned that she would ignore SOME of the postings, which to me are obviously the negative, ones, other PPs, just for the sake of arguing, want to assume that the positive will be ignored.

Do you deny that there are still barriers for women, who on average only get paid 77 cents on the dollar for what men get paid for the same job? We've come a long way in the fight for women's rights too, but that doesn't mean there still isn't work to do.

Whites want to act like, because one person of obvious African heritage, with no legacy of slavery in his background, got elected to President, that

1. automatically solve all the issues Blacks face living in American society
2. absolves them of ever hearing again or acknowledging the far-reaching effects of 400+ years of oppression

No, White Americans, sorry. THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO regarding race relations, and particularly White/Black relations, in America. A lot of the folks posting here are like the people who insist that the Holocaust is a figment of the Jewish people's imagination - RIDICULOUS.

Maybe your grandchildren or great-grandchildren will be able to say there are no barriers, but for the current generation and the kids growing up now, there will still be issues to face, and as other PPs have noted, I will prepare my DCs so they can face attitudes like those on this board and understand that some people will insist on maintaining willful ignorance, and so they can avoid internalizing negativity and subsequent damage to their self-esteem.

No idea what you are referncing re: HUMS, Banneker, etc. Haven't seen any postings attacking their credibility.

My last comment on this thread as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG. Can we get off the Barack Obama thing already? No AA person on this thread, myself included said that his story would be ignored. It's a point of pride.

However, what is insulting and annoying is that when it comes to conversations about race Obama becomes the only standard we are judged against and his story is not the only story. There are thousands of examples of high achieving AAs, especially in this city - those are the stories that kids need to hear about - realistic stories. But that group is totally invisible to white eyes - we don't even exist. It's Barack Obama or Shenaynay in the hood.

ANNOYING. I'm done too.

White person here. You know what is annoying? People posting here asking that AA not be looked at as a monolithic group, but as individuals with diverse experiences, opinions, values.etc. But then I read these same people refering to " the white race just doesn't understand" and 'totally invisible to white eyes" . As if WE are all the same. That is annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a big difference between teaching the history and living your life as though it's still going on. It'd be as though Irish-Americans were going around griping about being oppressed by Norwegian-Americans hundreds of years after the Vikings stopped raiding.

Maybe Barack Obama wasn't taught about those harsh realities but I'm betting he was - but from a different perspective - that of a lesson of history and morality, not as "this is how it is". As such, he didn't go through life constantly looking at every adversity in life as some supposed evidence of racism and oppression, whether real or imagined, and as such did not feel it or let it hold him back. He certainly wasn't taught negativity through his experiences with White Americans, and he had about as varied and diverse of an upbringing as anyone can imagine.

But they're still not crazy about the British!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG. Can we get off the Barack Obama thing already? No AA person on this thread, myself included said that his story would be ignored. It's a point of pride.

However, what is insulting and annoying is that when it comes to conversations about race Obama becomes the only standard we are judged against and his story is not the only story. There are thousands of examples of high achieving AAs, especially in this city - those are the stories that kids need to hear about - realistic stories. But that group is totally invisible to white eyes - we don't even exist. It's Barack Obama or Shenaynay in the hood.

ANNOYING. I'm done too.

Love this. Yes, I think using Obama as an example shows a lack of understanding of what the diverse AA community faces.

[Anonymous]

It's a fact we annoy each other. Whoop dee doo!!!

[Anonymous]

I think there are some here who will never appreciate the complexity of the human experience, let alone the experience of a marginalized group.

I am glad the someone brought up the plight of women. Most posting - not all - are a part of a group that has only enjoyed legal equality for a very short time. But you see what happens. A relative few are able to become educated, break into professions that were traditionally male, and then those folks will turn around and declare victory for all women. I guess a complacency develops, and she forgets both about the recent past of marginalization and oppression and about the plight of those women who are still trying to break barriers. It's a sad, sad state of affairs and a case of selective memory. Luckily the wake up call is coming as you witness the people who REALLY run things try and dismantle all the hard won gains for women.

As an AA, we feel the same vulnerability. That's why to hold up the first black person to become president in 200+ years as an example of how we are all okay and need to shut up is ignorant, rude and insensitive.

[Anonymous]

Nobody is saying all is OK and that anyone needs to shut up. What they are saying is that there is still work to do but that the continual blame game and excuse making is not productive.

They are saying that unwillingness to take things head on and be honest is unproductive.

Did Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sit around making excuses, dodging the issues andrefusing to be honest about the m Hell no.

Did he wallow in the past and allow himself to be paralyzed by it as several of the posters here keep doing? Hell no. He set his sights on the future, HIS DREAM.

Did he say that "biracial', "half-white" and others somehow didn't count, as several posters here keep doing? Hell no. He talked about the future of ALL.