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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a question.

Why is it that it is assumed that Latinos and Blacks can’t test high in the SATs or APs because they don’t have privilege and that Asian somehow have that privilege?  Or is it that we assume that Black people and Hispanic people aren’t smart enough because of their “culture?”

As an Asian person, I babysat my baby sister and practiced the SAT test from books I got from the library. The more I practiced, the better I got. I eventually got a 1500.

My parents didn’t take me to the library. This was the high school library. I did this because I knew the test was important and if I didn’t do well, it would be a metric against me. I stayed up until midnight, when my parents got home to make sure they got home ok. They hated my lack of sleep but I was always worried.

Please explain, how if I could do this, without assistance from my parents, while babysitting my baby sister while my parents worked their second job, (fyi- my HHI at the time was under 50k) living in a one bedroom apartment in Catonsville MD, how I am more privileged.

Not all Asians have private tutors. But the books are available to every kid that wanted them (and there were always several copies around).

And fyi- I worked through college and had a bunch of debt. But it was still worth it.

I am going to argue that isn’t privilege. It’s  because we don’t tell them that it’s not just a dream- that it can be reality if they work for it. 
I am going to argue that they are not motivated to even to apply because of financial limits that prevent them from dreaming of it. And I think that is the biggest issue at hand.

We have to encourage people to let them know they can do it.  We have Pell grants and so many other options in the military and the DOD based on financial need.

I get that systemic racism is part of the privilege I have benefited from. But is the application rates of Hispanics and blacks even representative of the population?  Isn’t part of it the fact that we have such a cultural divide that we cannot see that we need to tell them it’s not just possible- but an expectation?

And for the record: I do want Blacks and Hispanics in our colleges. Representation matters but so does acceptance and love and compassion. But I absolutely hate the idea that tests and grades are reflective of privilege.  I don’t think that’s the whole story and I think that’s why so many people (60% of Dems) are against affirmative action [/quote]

Asians have the privilege of having parents who care about their education.[/quote]

I was just about to respond with the same statement. I am black. My I grew up in a one parent household. My mother DID care about my education and pushed me. But she also had to work two jobs that totaled 16 hours hours a day. She could never look at my homework or really have in-depth conversation with me about education. Also, her education only went to a certain point. She likely would not have been able to help anyway. She didn't have money to send me to prep schools. But I did make my way to the library and checked out ACT prep books. But I didn't understand any of the math because my inner-city education failed me. We had a HORRIBLE math curriculum and HORRIBLE teachers. My report cards in high school were 4 A's; 1 B+ and 1 D. The D was always in math. I went to after school programs and took advantage of free tutoring. None of it worked because nobody could explain math in a non-abstract way. It wasn't until GRADUATE SCHOOL that I learned how to do Algebra. That is mega embarrassing! I graduated both undergrad and grad school with 3.3 and 3.6 GPA respectively. Because I knew testing put me at a huge disadvantage, I made sure my non-math grades were As and I took on leadership roles in school activities and community service projects. I knew that would be the only way to convince someone to take a chance on me and know that I'm not a dummy. How did I know to put in that extra work? because I had a caring mother and a few school teachers. There were times when I wanted to drop out of school to get a job to help my mother. But all she would say is "no. stay focused in those books."

But I'm here to tell you that sooooooo many black households (when I was growing up in the 80s/90s) did not have parents and close relatives that care. Sure, everyone wants their children to do better than them. but if you don't know how to make that happen, what guidance are you going to give? Also, many black households are trying to get by economically. Most of the kids in my high school had to work 20 hours a week to supplement their parents income. It's all a distraction and a mental stressor. I personally think high school kids should have a small part time job, but it shouldn't be out of pressure to help your parents feed you. [/quote]

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