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[quote=Anonymous]From these last few postings I see why native Washingtonians seem to stick together.  I was extremely disheartened by the AA parent who posted that she would not send her kids to a school where more than half the class was AA.  However, while I can't quibble with her feelings (sounds like an ingrained inferiority complex to me) I find them extremely sad.  I am writing my first DCUM posting because she does not speak for me, a very high SES AA parent with a steller academic, athletic, musical...DS. Nor does she speak for any of the other very high SES AA parents in my circle.  We don't live in PG but in Upper NW.  I am a native Washingtonian who hangs out with other native Washingtonian AA parents (as well as my Caucasian native Washingtonian friends - we didn't have a lot of other races in our classes when I grew up).  I am also friends with many Harvard educated and other prominent non-native Washingtonian AA parents who are like minded.  I and numerous of my native Washingtonian friends purposefully sent our children to an all Black nursery - 3rd school.  I was also educated there prior to attending a majority black DCPS elementary school and then an elite private middle and high school in the area.  The education I received at both the all Black and majority Black DCPS school was far superior both intellectually and academically then what was offered at any of the elite private schools I attended or my Caucasion friends came from (I recognize that DCPS was different then).  My Caucasian friends came from Little Flower, Blessed Sacrement and the like.  All of my friends who attended these Black schools and moved on to elite private MS and HS or DCPS EofP schools felt like I and continue to feel the same.

To the parent who adopted an AA child - the benefit of attending schools with other very smart AA students is that when you are high achieving and people tell you that you are "different" than other AA students it doesn't hurt you that they are basically insulting your race when they think that they are complimenting you (sort of like teflon).  You smile and move on because you know many others who are just like you, including smart low SES AA kids, and refuse to the buy the hype.  It is similar to all the books that told me my son was going to be slow verbally because he was a boy.  I refused to accept it, was glad for the advance knowledge, and made sure I created a verbally and book rich environment and my son began speaking in complete sentences around 15 months and was reading simple books at 3.

I can't speak to the parent of the mixed race teen - when I came along it was generally acknowledged among high SES Washingtonian AAs that if you were from the U.S. and you were not from immigrant parents and you were Black then you were mixed race.  Anything else was called the "paper bag test" and that became unpopular here in the 70s.  For example, assuming you are female, if you talk to your husband's family about his ancestors you will probably discover that his family is aware that he was mixed race before he met you.  Thus, unless mixed race means being raised by one white parent and thus being faced more with self-generated white cultural issues such as "who" you are, your DC will be accepted by AAs unless your DC makes it an issue.  Blacks from the US in this area, my family has been here 300-400 years, know who we are even if we are born with blue eyes, and blond or flaming red hair and both of our parents and grandparents are not considered mixed race.

BTW - I intend to apply for Basis next year as it is the only DCPS school where I think I may have chance for an academically challenging environment for him.  The only private school that interests me at this level is the Congressional School in VA - now that's a school - but very limited diversity.  Reminds me of Dunbar High when it was segregated - all AA - my cousins attended there before my time.  My son will be a 5th grader if he is accepted.  I hope many other Black kids are with us.  If not, I may as well be at an elite private with different advantages.  Either way thanks to my DC's all Black early education, he has many extemely high achieving AA friends and although we have all taken different routes, MCPS, elite privates, DCPS - they are ALL competitive so far and have a bond that we hope will continue through their life.  My AA friends who placed their children in overwhelmingly white environments in the early years are not as academically competitive and their children seem to be complacent with mediocrity.

I hope this is helpful[/quote]

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