Reply to Why don't white students go to Banneker?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

Exactly.

Remember in the film about the big upcoming fight, Muhammad Ali commented with astonishment that the airline pilots were black?

It's quite dated, but you get the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jclLiDjwuE0

It's important that my children see leaders, high achievers, involved parents (especially fathers!), who look like them so that they grow up with an understanding that this is possible. They are constantly fed a narrow stereotype of what AA youth represent, and it's so undermining. I like that they see teachers and families in a positive light and that they are exposed to a broad spectrum of people throughout the black community. African, Caribbean, homegrown DC, affluent, public housing----so much is represented within Cleveland. It's wonderful.

I don't think my stance is comparable to white supremacy. I believe it's more akin to single-sex education. I went to an all-girls school and a majority female college. I had a very different experience than those who went co-ed. Girls speak up in class and excel in math. Girls are strong and capable. Female head of school, female teachers. Great experience.

I also went to Banneker and relished being surrounded by a bunch of fellow black nerds. It felt great to belong and never be afraid of "acting white" or "talking white" when I just wanted to embrace algebra. I'm glad they had us all take Latin our first year there. I only pray my children get in and have the opportunity to be smart and engaged in a safe environment like Banneker. Other predominantly-black high schools punish their nerds. I don't want that for my children.

Understand it or not, it's real.
[/quote]

Well said, fellow Achiever.

I'll never forget my first day at Banneker. I was so used to being picked on for being smart that I didn't bother to raise my hand when the Biology teacher asked a question about cells. Every single hand in the class went up. I'd never experienced that before. It took a week for it to finally sink in that no one was going to tease, threaten, or attack me. We had two fights over the four years that I was there. The first group was suspended. The second group was expelled. Someone stole a jacket one year. The principal called an assembly, talked about us being a family, and the coat was returned right away. If you arrived early enough in the morning, there was always a student playing classical music on the piano in the auditorium. We had college recruiters visit several times a week from different schools, and (like Ali) I was always amazed that these people from Harvard, Dartmouth, and Stanford were black. At 14 or 15, it did something to me.

It was the first time that I'd seen large swaths of people who looked like me defy stereotypes every single day. All the same, there were a handful of white and Asian students there. The Latino population was second to ours. We constantly celebrated and recognized diversity (Celebrate Success Assemblies), and we had open discussions about race and stereotypes everyday. If not for Banneker I'd still have a very narrow view of the rest of the world. I don't know why more white families don't send their kids there, but the school is more than meets the eye. 
[/quote]

Great to learn about your experience, it sounds amazing. Can i ask you, did you also apply to SWW? How are both schools seen by academic-oriented black teens?[/quote]

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