Quote:
Originally posted by Three_Love
Dayum, so am I the only person in favor of black schools with black teachers?
Some folks say that integration messed us black folks up big time...some folks believe that when we were educating our own, thangs were better...
Me, myself, personally, I attended black public schools in a black city from K - 12 - black mayor, black city council & school board, black neighborhood...the only white folks I knew before the age of 18 were teachers (and I had some EXCEPTIONAL teachers growing up). We didn't have a lot of resources. But I know a WHOOOLLLLEEEE lot more black history than most folks my age. Shoot, growing up, we used to sing this song about Martin Luther King that I thought ALL kids learned and grew up singing - I thought EVERYONE learned Black History and had Black History Month programs...until I went to college and my white roommate said, "I know that King was assassinated, but why is he famous -I don't really understand why he got a holiday". Me, from my ol' busted ghetto girl, gangsta, 90% black, 9% mexican, 1% samoan/tongan/islander public high school...I blew up the SATs in the 10th grade, had ivy league schools hunting me down in the hood and begging me to come be their token black girl (had to pass tho - as a Cali native, the idea of snow turned a sista off). The predominantly white school that I initially attended (before transferring to an HBCU) was the first time I had ever interacted with white people my own age. And guess what? I WAS SMARTER THAN ALL OF THOSE FOOLS. Because MY PARENTS had prepared me. When they didn't have a high enough level math at my junior high school, I went to the high school across the street for math. When I finished the highest level math at my high school by the 10th grade, I went to the local jr. college and took math...BECAUSE MY PARENTS WERE INVOLVED IN MY EDUCATION. And even tho I had grown up in a black city and been around black folks all my life, I KNEW about white america - it wasn't like I was disillusioned or anything. If anything, I felt even MORE prepared to deal with white devils AND THEIR PREJUDICES.
I'd prefer my kids, when I have them, to be in a black environment with black teachers and black students. I WANT MY KIDS TO KNOW THEIR PEOPLE AND KNOW ABOUT THEIR PEOPLE AND NOT BE AFRAID OF THEIR PEOPLE!!! Yeah, I know the world is not all black - of course I'd teach my kids that. But there is NOTHING I hate MORE than seeing a black kid who has been raised all around whites, is SCARED of black folks/black neighborhoods, and thinks that "there is no such thing as prejudice or bad white folks". "We're all created equal" (said in that "brotha white boy voice)...YECH!! THOSE are the ones who go off to college and out into the world and get teary eyed when they get called "n*gga" for the first time...they are the ones who have to figure out how to deal with the fact that LIFE and MANY WHITE FOLKS AIN'T FAIR...the RUDE AWAKENING that white folks will INVARIABLY look out for their own (if you disagree with this...phew...all I gots ta say is that if you plan to remain in the world of Disney b.k.a. "FantasyLand", STAY AWAY from corporate america!!!).
YEAH, WHITE FOLKS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR OWN - don't get it twisted. So why shouldn't we? I say we need black schools with as many black teachers as we can find for the black students. It's the same theory as HBCU'S - and since I've been to BOTH predominantly white institutions and the nation's top black college (Tuskegee), I am qualified speak on it.
(using my ghetto girl voice) CAN'T NOBODY TELL ME THAT MY BLACK PUBLIC SCHOOL AND HBCU EDUCATED AZZ AIN'T THE BRIGHTEST, BESTEST THANG ON THE BLOCK!!! And I'll beat E'REY ONE OF Y'ALL NEGROES IN JEOPARDY TOO...BALEEVE DAT!!! LOL!!
(getting serious again) I am also an advocate of public schools. My siblings and I graduated from a public high school with one of the worst reputations in LA, and ALL of us have post graduate degrees. IT'S NOT THE SCHOOL...IT'S THE PARENTS. And since I gots ta pay taxes anyways, my kids (when I have them), will be in PUBLIC SCHOOL. And I will be WRECKIN' on that public school too, er'y day if I have to.
Reading the responses to this post have been very enlightening...I honestly would have thought that more folks would be for same race/same sex schools. Interesting.
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Three Love,
Your post is very interesting, I definately agree that young black children definately need positive Black role models, however I think the idea of sending children to all Black schools with all Black teachers is still not the best idea.
The reason I can attest to this is because I am currently attending a very very predominantly white state university and many of the white students here have never come into contact with African Americans or other minorities. These students often times have the most warped ideas about Blacks and other minorities without even realizing it, however once they take the time to get to know others they tend to break out of that ignorance, whether that be through classes, clubs, or other activities. I don't think these people are purposely trying to be hateful, they just PLAIN OLD DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER.
I would hate for our young black children to grow up in situations that would force them to harbor the same uneducated beliefs about others, not saying that you do, but it does happen. The fact is that if all you know about another group of people you have learned from the media then you don't know much. I would hate for any person to gather all of their information about African Americans from American media.
Public schools provide the perfect opportunity for children to work together, collaborate, and communicate with one another and it is up to teachers to make sure those social interactions are occuring. The only way our children, not just Black children but all children, can begin to learn from each other is through positive interactions. I am not saying send Black children to all white schools, but I am so happy and blessed that my parents sent me to a very racially diverse school, about 40% Black, 40% White, and the rest made up a variety of Asian, Hispanic, African, German, Italian, and other students from all over the world. America is becoming increasingly more diverse. It is wonderful that you know more Black history than many people, but I think it would be even better if all of those White, Hispanic, Asian, and other students could boast the same thing.
V.E.