Racial issues in DCPS for mixed race kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^this isn't just a problem for black and biracial kids. Growing up I had large lips and was called n word by a friend's alcoholic mother. We were big into rap and "acted black" so when my friend failed in school, his mom went off. I was shocked, but got over it. It certainly didn't make me black and nor does it make biracial kids. Stop with the myths about being black because someone in a white sheet may come out of the dark and call you a "n".

If someone in a white sheet comes out, they are doing much worse than using the N word. And that's no myth. But you can keep being obtuse if you like.

Whatever people in white sheets do still does not affect another person's racial classification. Stop being so obnoxious.

Obnoxious? You know I'm not a PP that you've dubbed the race police, right? Relax.

You're the obtuse one get all up in arms about the mention of white sheets. Calm down already

I don't think you know what obtuse or up in arms means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused by this conversation. It's interesting. Many of my biracial friends and their kids identify as black, which is very different from my kid doesn't look black and he's treated as Latino. If you raise your kid as black, they will believe they are black. It's almost as if you don't want them to identify. All of this 1/4 this and 3/4 that is just dumb. Eventually, someone is going to call you kid a nigger and you better be prepared.

You are out of your mind and I hope you are not at my child's charter. My child is technically 1/8th black and looks completely white. I couldn't raise him black if I wanted to. He would look at me like I'm crazy. Why would you try to force a race on a child? That's what's stupid. I couldn't imagine why anyone would ever call him a racial slur, unless they would randomly call a white child the "N" word. It's attitudes like yours that keep the racial status quo going. I'm just glad that my child's school is diverse with people from everywhere and they're all accepting. This is how the world is in my neck of the woods.

prior posters original comments are crazy except for this 1/8 black stuff, kids don't identify as such. You say why force races on kid and comment on caller saying child will be call N word, but you yourself label the child as white!!! I'm biracial and could be labeled many different ways but choose black, America is a strange beast for a biracial child, if you're a white parent you might be surprised by what your child chooses to determine their race to be and it might not be what you yourself choose for them.

Alert. Reading comprehension skills needed. Poster does not say child is white. Nonetheless, you're a typical AA who's mad at biracials who don't fall in lockstep with Jim Crow. Many more biracials identify as white and fear-mongering by AAs anxious to maintain the status quo can't stop them. I identify as white and only have AAs upset. Funny how things go 360. They are the racists.

You seem like a nasty individual regardless of your hue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools can change a lot in a few years. I'd suggest considering Cleveland and Shepherd elementaries as places with a fair amount of racial diversity and middle/upper class black families. Shepherd feeds to Deal and Wilson; Cleveland has Spanish immersion. Beers ES in SE also seems to be pretty stable and middle class, but less diverse.

OP here. Thanks for the suggestions. I think Shepherd feeds to Deal but for HS feeds to Coolidge, which had us worried long-term. I'll check those neighborhoods again.

Rest of the thread seems to have gone bonkers -- appreciate more concrete advice! Thanks to everyone who was helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused by this conversation. It's interesting. Many of my biracial friends and their kids identify as black, which is very different from my kid doesn't look black and he's treated as Latino. If you raise your kid as black, they will believe they are black. It's almost as if you don't want them to identify. All of this 1/4 this and 3/4 that is just dumb. Eventually, someone is going to call you kid a nigger and you better be prepared.

As a biracial person, my experience has been that it is usually AA persons that take this attitude. Its almost like a personal affront if you dare identify with half of your racial heritage. I even had an AA classmate once attempt to change my racial identification on an organ donor form bc she didn't like I had self-identified as bi-racial.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd also disagree with this perception of the black boys getting in trouble disproportionately. I guess my son's schools have been outliers, but in each of his three classes the only boy who really had difficulty following rules etc was one of the other white kids.

I've witnessed this first hand. It does happen - more often than you'd think. My daughter told me about the "bad black boys" in her class as well. All four of them are always "in trouble" - together.

Also, I have a relative who had to battle her son's school on multiple occasions for this. The Principal finally sat in on her son's class (surprise visits) and confirmed that their was a bias. He's the most respectful, nice and mild kid you could meet but you would have thought he was a terror based on the number of suspensions he got (all were overturned by the Principal).

Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean that other people's experiences aren't valid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There was a recent WaPo article by Lawrence Otis Graham, I believe his son is not mixed but fairer skinned, and he was called the N word for the first time at 15 and pretty much came undone. When parents tell you to prepare your child it's not because they wish for it to happen, but because it's pretty rough for that to happen period, and doubly so when the child is completely unprepared.

This happen to my nephew last year when he was walking home from school. A group of teenagers yelled it out of a pickup truck riding past. He was confused and devastated. My sister hadn't prepared him. She overloaded him with all that she could during the recent media coverage of the police shootings of black boys and men. He became very depressed.

It's very difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, my son is half AA/half white. He is at a public charter school in DC. From my experience, along with a child in his grade that has a similar background to what you describe, my child is not perceived as AA, which I find surprising. I have two friends that are also married to white men and have biracial children who are not perceived as AA in public (e.g., mothers are asked if they are the nanny). My son's skin is very light and he has straight/curly hair, which I think has a lot to do with how he is perceived. He is second grade so he has had 4 years of experience being in school and interacting with teachers and other students. His teachers and other kids treat him as Hispanic or "other", almost exotic. Teachers and staff comment on his looks almost everyday day, which I am trying to downplay. I repeatedly tell my son that he is half black/half white; however, he doesn't identify as AA because students do not see him that way (there are several AA kids in his class). He tells me that he is Hispanic! What I have a problem with is that he has told me that some of the AA boys in his class get into a lot of trouble, and don't read as well, etc. and I honestly believe that is because of skin color as there are white boys in his class that behave the same way (I have known most of the kids in his class for years). Although I am relieved that my son is not treated this way by teachers, I think it is a serious problem that AA boys are disciplined more harshly and are not expected to achieve as much as other kids in the classroom.

PP have you ever raised your observation of the difference in treatment (especially with regard to discipline) with any of your child's teachers or the school admins? I can't imagine seeing that happening, especially for years, and not mentioning it or inquiring about whether the teachers themselves notice it. Especially where you can point to a white kid who acted a certain way and was not disciplined or was treated one way, and a black kid who did the same thing and was disciplined or treated more harshly.

I go by the golden rule on just about everything, and if another parent noticed my child being treated differently - to my child's detriment - I'd seriously hope they'd speak up and say something or ask questions. I would and I actually have, many times over the years my kids have been in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine seeing that happening, especially for years, and not mentioning it or inquiring about whether the teachers themselves notice it. Especially where you can point to a white kid who acted a certain way and was not disciplined or was treated one way, and a black kid who did the same thing and was disciplined or treated more harshly.

Not PP, but this is a widespread, widely known problem in education. It's not an occasional problem here or there. Most (if not all) black families I know are concerned about their black boys getting labeled "a problem" in school and/or low expectations holding them back. You seem very unaware.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, my son is half AA/half white. He is at a public charter school in DC. From my experience, along with a child in his grade that has a similar background to what you describe, my child is not perceived as AA, which I find surprising. I have two friends that are also married to white men and have biracial children who are not perceived as AA in public (e.g., mothers are asked if they are the nanny). My son's skin is very light and he has straight/curly hair, which I think has a lot to do with how he is perceived. He is second grade so he has had 4 years of experience being in school and interacting with teachers and other students. His teachers and other kids treat him as Hispanic or "other", almost exotic. Teachers and staff comment on his looks almost everyday day, which I am trying to downplay. I repeatedly tell my son that he is half black/half white; however, he doesn't identify as AA because students do not see him that way (there are several AA kids in his class). He tells me that he is Hispanic! What I have a problem with is that he has told me that some of the AA boys in his class get into a lot of trouble, and don't read as well, etc. and I honestly believe that is because of skin color as there are white boys in his class that behave the same way (I have known most of the kids in his class for years). Although I am relieved that my son is not treated this way by teachers, I think it is a serious problem that AA boys are disciplined more harshly and are not expected to achieve as much as other kids in the classroom.

PP have you ever raised your observation of the difference in treatment (especially with regard to discipline) with any of your child's teachers or the school admins? I can't imagine seeing that happening, especially for years, and not mentioning it or inquiring about whether the teachers themselves notice it. Especially where you can point to a white kid who acted a certain way and was not disciplined or was treated one way, and a black kid who did the same thing and was disciplined or treated more harshly.

I go by the golden rule on just about everything, and if another parent noticed my child being treated differently - to my child's detriment - I'd seriously hope they'd speak up and say something or ask questions. I would and I actually have, many times over the years my kids have been in school.

I have discussed this with the vice principal, but not directly with the teachers. I didn't notice the issue until 1st grade. The vice principal told me that she was aware of the issue, not specific to the classroom, but how black boys are perceived in general in school. I expressed my concern and she said this is something that they discuss with the teachers in professional development/teacher training. I have also told the parents of the AA boys about my observations. I don't know if administration has formally followed up with the teachers or provided any training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools can change a lot in a few years. I'd suggest considering Cleveland and Shepherd elementaries as places with a fair amount of racial diversity and middle/upper class black families. Shepherd feeds to Deal and Wilson; Cleveland has Spanish immersion. Beers ES in SE also seems to be pretty stable and middle class, but less diverse.

OP here. Thanks for the suggestions. I think Shepherd feeds to Deal but for HS feeds to Coolidge, which had us worried long-term. I'll check those neighborhoods again.

Rest of the thread seems to have gone bonkers -- appreciate more concrete advice! Thanks to everyone who was helpful.

EOTP biracial PP again. Actually, Shepherd Elementary's destination schools are Deal and Wilson. The neighborhood (Shepherd Park/Colonial Village) is zoned for Deal, but neighborhood kids can attend Wilson only if they attend Deal beforehand. Kind of a weird setup. But whenever the DME revisions kick in, the neighborhood will actually be zoned for Wilson--so kids will be able to attend Wilson irrespective of whether they attended Deal.

As for the neighborhood, I know several biracial families here. Also several multiracial families at Shepherd Elementary, including ours. We love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine seeing that happening, especially for years, and not mentioning it or inquiring about whether the teachers themselves notice it. Especially where you can point to a white kid who acted a certain way and was not disciplined or was treated one way, and a black kid who did the same thing and was disciplined or treated more harshly.

Not PP, but this is a widespread, widely known problem in education. It's not an occasional problem here or there. Most (if not all) black families I know are concerned about their black boys getting labeled "a problem" in school and/or low expectations holding them back. You seem very unaware.

Agree w/PP, it happens. I have a 3yo girl, and glad I won't have to worry about her being labeled as aggressive, etc. to the same extent that I'd worry if I had a black boy.

This film was screened at several local privates last year and we were able to see it--may be enlightening for some who are unfamiliar with the problem.

www.pbs.org/pov/americanpromise/

[Anonymous]

Wow, 4 pages in 1 day already, pretty impressive..."race" as a topic always gets 'em going at DCUM!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools can change a lot in a few years. I'd suggest considering Cleveland and Shepherd elementaries as places with a fair amount of racial diversity and middle/upper class black families. Shepherd feeds to Deal and Wilson; Cleveland has Spanish immersion. Beers ES in SE also seems to be pretty stable and middle class, but less diverse.

OP here. Thanks for the suggestions. I think Shepherd feeds to Deal but for HS feeds to Coolidge, which had us worried long-term. I'll check those neighborhoods again.

Rest of the thread seems to have gone bonkers -- appreciate more concrete advice! Thanks to everyone who was helpful.

EOTP biracial PP again. Actually, Shepherd Elementary's destination schools are Deal and Wilson. The neighborhood (Shepherd Park/Colonial Village) is zoned for Deal, but neighborhood kids can attend Wilson only if they attend Deal beforehand. Kind of a weird setup. But whenever the DME revisions kick in, the neighborhood will actually be zoned for Wilson--so kids will be able to attend Wilson irrespective of whether they attended Deal.

As for the neighborhood, I know several biracial families here. Also several multiracial families at Shepherd Elementary, including ours. We love it.

Shepherd parent here, there are tons of multi racial families at Shepherd. We are in that group too.

[Anonymous]

This thread is so sad and troubling on so many levels.

[Anonymous]

Go to Montgomery County OP