Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody explain to me what’s racist about asking about tribal clothes on the international day? Aren’t/weren’t there a lot of different tribes in Sudan? Isn’t her father on the Washington Post picture wearing some tribal clothes?

It’s also a true statement that being a black girl as a college applicant is a big benefit for her. Of course, she’ll be accepted not only because she is black, but if she has a 1500 SAT and 4.1 GPA, she’ll most likely trump an Asian boy with a 1600 SAT and 4.5 GPA. Colleges do discriminate based on race, and her race is not a victim in this case.

It's clear from the article that the question wasn't genuine, and it was phrased in a way that completely elided Didi's heritage.

A question coming from a place of genuine curiosity would have sounded different, like, "Hey, I like your outfit. Can you tell me about it?"

One thing that articles like this reinforce is how sheltered some of the TJ kids (white and Asian) are when it comes to how to speak to people who are different from them. They are not being appropriately equipped to exist in a multicultural environment, and it is going to hurt them down the road.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read this - another article she wrote https://www.tjtoday.org/29057/new-on-tjtoday/my-not-so-black-and-white-look-at-diversity-at-jefferson/

The problem starts at AAP - she was the only black child selected to AAP in her entire grade. If children don't have access to resources and tools in elementary and middle school, how are they expected to overcome all that and succeed in high school? Changing things at TJ without first reforming AAP will be like trying to balance a skyscraper on a wooden pole.

It’s so distressing to see this wave of opposition to change at TJ from cut-throat TJ parents and students repackaged as false empathy. You can embrace the long overdue revisions to TJ admissions or watch your private little academy for prepped Asian and white kids get swept away entirely.

More distressing to see idiots like you try to take away opportunities from a DIVERSE and intelligent student body at FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody explain to me what’s racist about asking about tribal clothes on the international day? Aren’t/weren’t there a lot of different tribes in Sudan? Isn’t her father on the Washington Post picture wearing some tribal clothes?

It’s also a true statement that being a black girl as a college applicant is a big benefit for her. Of course, she’ll be accepted not only because she is black, but if she has a 1500 SAT and 4.1 GPA, she’ll most likely trump an Asian boy with a 1600 SAT and 4.5 GPA. Colleges do discriminate based on race, and her race is not a victim in this case.

It's clear from the article that the question wasn't genuine, and it was phrased in a way that completely elided Didi's heritage.

A question coming from a place of genuine curiosity would have sounded different, like, "Hey, I like your outfit. Can you tell me about it?"

One thing that articles like this reinforce is how sheltered some of the TJ kids (white and Asian) are when it comes to how to speak to people who are different from them. They are not being appropriately equipped to exist in a multicultural environment, and it is going to hurt them down the road.

Anonymous wrote:The lottery makes sense at TJ. Fair across the board.

AAP needs to be reformed in a similar manner. Too many parents prepping and appealing and WISC-ing in kids who don’t deserve it.

Systemic racism has thrived for far too long under promises of meaningless reform. Transformative change is needed.

Immediately.

Anonymous wrote:Didi is in TJ because she has an intact family, and her family are recent immigrants from Africa. She is Black but not the same as African-Americans who were enslaved.

She is the "model Black" who does not have slavery in her family history. Except for being black in skin tone, neither her family, her parents education and her family's SES is like the African-Americans whose ancestors were enslaved, families torn apart, and who have faced generational poverty.

She will reap the full benefit of affirmative action put in place to help African-Americans who are truly downtrodden and different from her. She is actually as priviledged as the Whites and Asians who have come from MC intact families, with educated parents and who prioritize education. I bet she also is not a natural genius but rather a bright kid who studies hard - just like all the White and Asian-Americans.

Her fight for other URMs who are nothing like her is interesting and I am sure college admissions will think so too.

So, no. Her story of struggle and her life situation is not the same as the struggle of African-Americans who have not immigrated recently or 1 or 2 generations ago from Africa.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read this - another article she wrote https://www.tjtoday.org/29057/new-on-tjtoday/my-not-so-black-and-white-look-at-diversity-at-jefferson/

The problem starts at AAP - she was the only black child selected to AAP in her entire grade. If children don't have access to resources and tools in elementary and middle school, how are they expected to overcome all that and succeed in high school? Changing things at TJ without first reforming AAP will be like trying to balance a skyscraper on a wooden pole.

It’s so distressing to see this wave of opposition to change at TJ from cut-throat TJ parents and students repackaged as false empathy. You can embrace the long overdue revisions to TJ admissions or watch your private little academy for prepped Asian and white kids get swept away entirely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The first impression after reading this article is why there are so many racists in TJ.

And that should be your last impression about TJ as well after reading these threads.

+100

I’m sure the TJ parents on these threads represent a minority viewpoint, but holy cow there are some very vocal racist parents at TJ towards whites, blacks and Hispanics.

Anonymous wrote:I think the best part of this was discovering the Quilette article in which a white dude who went to Harvard Law is very worried that he won't be able to pass his privilege along.

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody explain to me what’s racist about asking about tribal clothes on the international day? Aren’t/weren’t there a lot of different tribes in Sudan? Isn’t her father on the Washington Post picture wearing some tribal clothes?

It’s also a true statement that being a black girl as a college applicant is a big benefit for her. Of course, she’ll be accepted not only because she is black, but if she has a 1500 SAT and 4.1 GPA, she’ll most likely trump an Asian boy with a 1600 SAT and 4.5 GPA. Colleges do discriminate based on race, and her race is not a victim in this case.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The first impression after reading this article is why there are so many racists in TJ.

And that should be your last impression about TJ as well after reading these threads.

Anonymous wrote:The first impression after reading this article is why there are so many racists in TJ.

Anonymous wrote:The first impression after reading this article is why there are so many racists in TJ.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole point is that TJ ISN'T DIVERSE. It’s an Asian school in northern Virginia. Needs a whole make over in admissions.

x10000

Just because you guys are ignorant enough to think that "Asian" is not diverse in and of itself, doesn't change the fact that TJ is very diverse.

Yup. These posters are so ignorant to lump all Asian Americans together. I hope they educate themselves. They want to sympathize with Didi for feeling like she has to represent all black students when she is from an African immigrant family but then lump Americans from many different origins together as monolithic “Asian.”