Empowerment Club for black girls?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If there have been racist incidents that's a big problem and in addition to an empowerment group the school should be organizing discussions to address that.

Every elementary school I know of in DC with >30% white kids (I'm less familiar with schools with different demographic makeups) has had "racist incidents." It's part and parcel of navigating life in a diverse elementary school. If you haven't heard about them, it's because you aren't talking with the parents of Black kids at your school or they don't feel comfortable sharing that information with you. Once you accept that racist incidents happen, the question is what tools schools use to address them and how well-equipped they are to do so.

[Anonymous]

Some of the comments in this thread are reinforcing why there is such a need for these groups, although I can tell there is one repeat commenter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there have been racist incidents that's a big problem and in addition to an empowerment group the school should be organizing discussions to address that.

Every elementary school I know of in DC with >30% white kids (I'm less familiar with schools with different demographic makeups) has had "racist incidents." It's part and parcel of navigating life in a diverse elementary school. If you haven't heard about them, it's because you aren't talking with the parents of Black kids at your school or they don't feel comfortable sharing that information with you. Once you accept that racist incidents happen, the question is what tools schools use to address them and how well-equipped they are to do so.

Every school in DC has a ton of parents who treat robust feedback or discipline as racism too, and are used to getting what they want when they claim it. People have learned to discount the claims to zero for better or for worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there have been racist incidents that's a big problem and in addition to an empowerment group the school should be organizing discussions to address that.

Every elementary school I know of in DC with >30% white kids (I'm less familiar with schools with different demographic makeups) has had "racist incidents." It's part and parcel of navigating life in a diverse elementary school. If you haven't heard about them, it's because you aren't talking with the parents of Black kids at your school or they don't feel comfortable sharing that information with you. Once you accept that racist incidents happen, the question is what tools schools use to address them and how well-equipped they are to do so.

I'm the PP you are quoting and if you read the rest of my comment, you'd know that my kids attend a school that is 90% black so no, I don't think there are racist incidents at our school that I am unaware of. There have been incidents, but everyone is made aware of them.

But I also stand by my assertion that if the empowerment group was formed *in response* to racist incidents, then what is needed is not only the empowerment group. An empowerment group for the kids who are being negatively impacted is good, but it won't stop the incidents from happening when what is obviously needed is more discussion with the families of the kids who are engaging in racist behavior.

But thanks for talking down to me so hard. That's how I know you are definitely a DCPS parent. You were probably very excited to tell me all about how stupid I am. Glad I could help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We had this issue several years ago when one of our kids was in a classroom with a teacher who heavily favored the black kids. Like overtly and by a lot. I cannot tell you how awkward those conversations were.

This is common enough in all directions everywhere. Principals are in my experience pretty flexible and move your kid (especially if you’re a UMC parent who they’re desperate to keep, regardless of race). You will not fix the teacher, every teacher has some issues with some kids- even good kids and good teachers can be oil and water. The problem is when the admin tries to gaslight you about the issues.

Yes but 90% of the time the admin and the teacher WILL gaslight you about the issues. I'm sure it happens in both directions -- I'm sure plenty of black kids have been ignored or mistreated by white teachers and then if the parent complained they were told up and down that it had nothing to do with race and actually it was the child's fault for misbehaving or the parent's fault for some parenting oversight.

But also I've been the white parent whose kid is clearly being ostracized in class because the black teacher prefers the black kids, and the exact same thing happened to me. I was told to get my kid evaluated (I did, no diagnosis) and that my kid was "immature for the grade" (my kid is close to the age cut-off, and DCPS is rigid and does not allow redshirting, so my child is definitionally immature for the grade but there's nothing I can do about that). The truth was that the teacher didn't want to teach a white kid and made that very clear in the classroom. But there's no recourse.

Also we are not UMC (were firmly MC) but simply by being a white family at a majority black school, we are privileged and as a result getting a classroom change is viewed as "look at the privileged white family getting their kid moved because they think they are so special." It would be looked at differently if we were a black family at a majority white school. I'm not saying it would be easier or better for the black family -- I know we do have white privilege. I'm saying the issues for a white family at a majority black school are unique because no matter what the dynamics are, we are the presumed oppressor. It makes it a mine field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that instead of just having a club for girls or a club celebrating a particular cultural group -- which probably could have gotten them close to what they wanted -- they worded this in a way that's at least potentially illegal, and someone who doesn't like them decided to draw attention to it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

If you read the article they are inclusive of all genders and races. So no it's not worded poorly nor possibly illegal, it's a frivolous lawsuit brought by a bunch of white supremacists to undermine educational resources for anyone who isn't a white male. And if they win it'll be because the courts are stacked with white supremacists and we live in an era of fascism.

If you can't see that than either you agree with the white supremacists or you're so far up your own privilege you think anything not worded specifically with you in mind is bad.

I think the lawsuit is silly but you calling everyone who doesn't 100% agree with the way you see things a "white supremacist" is perhaps even sillier.

I mean it's a group of white supremacists who are suing a school in another state for promoting the well being of Black girls despite the club being open to all genders and races. It's no different than suing someone for the existence of a Jewish Student Union or an Italian heritage society.

This is the key point. No other identity-based clubs are being targeted, despite the fact that they all exist to celebrate/empower certain identity groups. All of these groups are open to all attendees, but only the groups focused on Black identity get sued. Why is that?

In DCPS, there are no empowerment groups for Jewish kids or like culture clubs for kids with French heritage. Maybe at some of the majority white schools in upper NW? But even then I doubt it.

The lawsuit is stupid but DCPS has a diversity problem in that they don't know how to do diversity. Most schools in DC have been majority black (like 80%+ or 90%+) as long as anyone can remember. No one knows how to handle a situation where white kids are in the minority (and sometimes actually harassed or teased for being white). There's no obvious solution. No white family in DCPS views itself as an oppressed minority, but it's hard to know how to handle a situation where your kid might be treated poorly specifically because of their race yet complaining about it makes YOU look like the racist.

We had this issue several years ago when one of our kids was in a classroom with a teacher who heavily favored the black kids. Like overtly and by a lot. I cannot tell you how awkward those conversations were.

There absolutely are identity-related groups of all sorts at JR, for example—Jewish, Arab, Black, Asian, etc. They are open to all, and while they may or may not cite “empowerment” directly, they are focused on strengthening identity, celebrating culture, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that instead of just having a club for girls or a club celebrating a particular cultural group -- which probably could have gotten them close to what they wanted -- they worded this in a way that's at least potentially illegal, and someone who doesn't like them decided to draw attention to it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

If you read the article they are inclusive of all genders and races. So no it's not worded poorly nor possibly illegal, it's a frivolous lawsuit brought by a bunch of white supremacists to undermine educational resources for anyone who isn't a white male. And if they win it'll be because the courts are stacked with white supremacists and we live in an era of fascism.

If you can't see that than either you agree with the white supremacists or you're so far up your own privilege you think anything not worded specifically with you in mind is bad.

I think the lawsuit is silly but you calling everyone who doesn't 100% agree with the way you see things a "white supremacist" is perhaps even sillier.

I mean it's a group of white supremacists who are suing a school in another state for promoting the well being of Black girls despite the club being open to all genders and races. It's no different than suing someone for the existence of a Jewish Student Union or an Italian heritage society.

This is the key point. No other identity-based clubs are being targeted, despite the fact that they all exist to celebrate/empower certain identity groups. All of these groups are open to all attendees, but only the groups focused on Black identity get sued. Why is that?

In DCPS, there are no empowerment groups for Jewish kids or like culture clubs for kids with French heritage. Maybe at some of the majority white schools in upper NW? But even then I doubt it.

The lawsuit is stupid but DCPS has a diversity problem in that they don't know how to do diversity. Most schools in DC have been majority black (like 80%+ or 90%+) as long as anyone can remember. No one knows how to handle a situation where white kids are in the minority (and sometimes actually harassed or teased for being white). There's no obvious solution. No white family in DCPS views itself as an oppressed minority, but it's hard to know how to handle a situation where your kid might be treated poorly specifically because of their race yet complaining about it makes YOU look like the racist.

We had this issue several years ago when one of our kids was in a classroom with a teacher who heavily favored the black kids. Like overtly and by a lot. I cannot tell you how awkward those conversations were.

There absolutely are identity-related groups of all sorts at JR, for example—Jewish, Arab, Black, Asian, etc. They are open to all, and while they may or may not cite “empowerment” directly, they are focused on strengthening identity, celebrating culture, etc.

Your pesky facts are not going to persuade the all lives matter crew who wish for our country to be a melting pot where everyone does their best to become a white christian.

[Anonymous]

As the mother of white sons I cannot imagine opposing an after school club to empower black boys at our predominantly white NW school if the academic and student satisfaction data showed a need. Opposing groups as such doesn’t inherently make you “a white supremacist”, but it does make you a pretty crappy member of the school community. Looks like Hearst has similar demographics to our school, so kudos to those teachers for seeing the needs and creating a solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that instead of just having a club for girls or a club celebrating a particular cultural group -- which probably could have gotten them close to what they wanted -- they worded this in a way that's at least potentially illegal, and someone who doesn't like them decided to draw attention to it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

If you read the article they are inclusive of all genders and races. So no it's not worded poorly nor possibly illegal, it's a frivolous lawsuit brought by a bunch of white supremacists to undermine educational resources for anyone who isn't a white male. And if they win it'll be because the courts are stacked with white supremacists and we live in an era of fascism.

If you can't see that than either you agree with the white supremacists or you're so far up your own privilege you think anything not worded specifically with you in mind is bad.

I think the lawsuit is silly but you calling everyone who doesn't 100% agree with the way you see things a "white supremacist" is perhaps even sillier.

I mean it's a group of white supremacists who are suing a school in another state for promoting the well being of Black girls despite the club being open to all genders and races. It's no different than suing someone for the existence of a Jewish Student Union or an Italian heritage society.

This is the key point. No other identity-based clubs are being targeted, despite the fact that they all exist to celebrate/empower certain identity groups. All of these groups are open to all attendees, but only the groups focused on Black identity get sued. Why is that?

In DCPS, there are no empowerment groups for Jewish kids or like culture clubs for kids with French heritage. Maybe at some of the majority white schools in upper NW? But even then I doubt it.

The lawsuit is stupid but DCPS has a diversity problem in that they don't know how to do diversity. Most schools in DC have been majority black (like 80%+ or 90%+) as long as anyone can remember. No one knows how to handle a situation where white kids are in the minority (and sometimes actually harassed or teased for being white). There's no obvious solution. No white family in DCPS views itself as an oppressed minority, but it's hard to know how to handle a situation where your kid might be treated poorly specifically because of their race yet complaining about it makes YOU look like the racist.

We had this issue several years ago when one of our kids was in a classroom with a teacher who heavily favored the black kids. Like overtly and by a lot. I cannot tell you how awkward those conversations were.

There absolutely are identity-related groups of all sorts at JR, for example—Jewish, Arab, Black, Asian, etc. They are open to all, and while they may or may not cite “empowerment” directly, they are focused on strengthening identity, celebrating culture, etc.

Your pesky facts are not going to persuade the all lives matter crew who wish for our country to be a melting pot where everyone does their best to become a white christian.

You think a parent with a kid in a 80%+ black school is part of the "all lives matter crew" who wants everyone to "become a white christian"? Lol.

(It's much more likely that the experience of diversity looks a lot different in Ward 3 schools than it does elsewhere in the city.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the mother of white sons I cannot imagine opposing an after school club to empower black boys at our predominantly white NW school if the academic and student satisfaction data showed a need. Opposing groups as such doesn’t inherently make you “a white supremacist”, but it does make you a pretty crappy member of the school community. Looks like Hearst has similar demographics to our school, so kudos to those teachers for seeing the needs and creating a solution.

Nope. Racist fight against groups like this and try and convince others that that opposition is ok. Not racists sit quietly on the sidelines. Anti-racists actively support these groups and call out racist behavior when those with white privilege cannot see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As the mother of white sons I cannot imagine opposing an after school club to empower black boys at our predominantly white NW school if the academic and student satisfaction data showed a need. Opposing groups as such doesn’t inherently make you “a white supremacist”, but it does make you a pretty crappy member of the school community. Looks like Hearst has similar demographics to our school, so kudos to those teachers for seeing the needs and creating a solution.

Nope. Racist fight against groups like this and try and convince others that that opposition is ok. Not racists sit quietly on the sidelines. Anti-racists actively support these groups and call out racist behavior when those with white privilege cannot see it.

And everyone else rolls their eyes when people overcompensate like this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the lawsuit is BS. It's going to get thrown out. Do they even have standing? It's a VA parents group suing a program in DCPS. It's dumb.

BUT as an actual parent of a DCPS student, I think this was done kind of clumsily. Sure they are saying all students are welcome, but it's billed as an empowerment group for black girls. So as a practical matter, white kids and boys are not going to participate. I would also be curious about what school this was at -- that would make a big difference. If it's at one of the very few DCPS schools where black kids are in the minority, I can see the argument that you need an affinity group for this historically discriminated agains minority group.

If it's at one of the vast majority of DCPS schools with majority black populations... I don't get it. My kid's school is like 80% black. You could just start a group focused on empowerment of girls and it would essentially be an empowerment group for black girls. A few white girls might come but it wouldn't change the tone or content and actually would probably be good for the kids to discuss issues effecting girls in a mixed race environment -- they might understand each other better and it could help with some of the racial division that absolutely happens at these schools.

I am not so worried about the lawsuit -- whatever, that's just some racist parents sticking their noses where it doesn't belong. But DCPS does have challenges with integration, with helping girls in sometimes tough environments (there are also issues for boys and we could use groups focused on boys' issues actually), and the way this was done I think probably doesn't help unless you're talking about a school with a small population of black girls who need a place to talk about their experience which is different than that of most other kids at school.

I kinda agree, but I extend a lot more grace to elementary school kids who thought this was a good idea and hadn’t gamed out the ways this could go versus college kids (where I have had a few discussions with undergrads who hadn’t thought things through). I mean, the teachers probably shouldn’t expect to face law fare either.

Oh I'm certain the group was started with good intentions. But yeah there should be a bit better guidance from the school on how to do this in a way that is less likely upset people. I also would be curious to know what prompted the group. If there have been racist incidents that's a big problem and in addition to an empowerment group the school should be organizing discussions to address that. If it's just "hey it would be great if the black girls could get together and talk about their experiences sometimes," then I am certain no one at the school is bothered by it (or if they are I'd like to know why).

black history month originated in DC. It’s the capital of black empowerment talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As the mother of white sons I cannot imagine opposing an after school club to empower black boys at our predominantly white NW school if the academic and student satisfaction data showed a need. Opposing groups as such doesn’t inherently make you “a white supremacist”, but it does make you a pretty crappy member of the school community. Looks like Hearst has similar demographics to our school, so kudos to those teachers for seeing the needs and creating a solution.

Nope. Racist fight against groups like this and try and convince others that that opposition is ok. Not racists sit quietly on the sidelines. Anti-racists actively support these groups and call out racist behavior when those with white privilege cannot see it.

LOL, it's not 2020 any more. You can stop with this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that instead of just having a club for girls or a club celebrating a particular cultural group -- which probably could have gotten them close to what they wanted -- they worded this in a way that's at least potentially illegal, and someone who doesn't like them decided to draw attention to it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I agree it’s pretty stupid how DCPS schools consistently do blatant race-based things like this without understanding that all they have to do is make minor changes to the wording for the same impact. The fact is, these are not actually racially exclusionary clubs, because these schools are likely almost all black anyway. DC has a long history of “black pride” events that are supposed to celebrate blackness, not be exclusionary. I believe Black History Month originated here. It’s a very specific DC phenomenon routed in DC’s historical wealthy Black population - the whole “black excellence” thing merged with “black is beautiful” 60s empowerment stuff.

All they have to do is call this a club for the empowerment of black girls, “open to everyone.”

That's because OU aren't understanding what is happening. They are TRYING to racially discriminate, but they know that's illegal, so they try to use the non-discriminatory language, but they can't, for two reasons: one, because it's hard to keep up the charade consistently; and two, because if they actually act and speak in a legal way, they'll end up not achieving the racially unbalanced results they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that instead of just having a club for girls or a club celebrating a particular cultural group -- which probably could have gotten them close to what they wanted -- they worded this in a way that's at least potentially illegal, and someone who doesn't like them decided to draw attention to it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

If you read the article they are inclusive of all genders and races. So no it's not worded poorly nor possibly illegal, it's a frivolous lawsuit brought by a bunch of white supremacists to undermine educational resources for anyone who isn't a white male. And if they win it'll be because the courts are stacked with white supremacists and we live in an era of fascism.

If you can't see that than either you agree with the white supremacists or you're so far up your own privilege you think anything not worded specifically with you in mind is bad.

I think the lawsuit is silly but you calling everyone who doesn't 100% agree with the way you see things a "white supremacist" is perhaps even sillier.

I mean it's a group of white supremacists who are suing a school in another state for promoting the well being of Black girls despite the club being open to all genders and races. It's no different than suing someone for the existence of a Jewish Student Union or an Italian heritage society.

This is the key point. No other identity-based clubs are being targeted, despite the fact that they all exist to celebrate/empower certain identity groups. All of these groups are open to all attendees, but only the groups focused on Black identity get sued. Why is that?

Cite your sources that these other groups exist at DCPS.