Quote:
Originally posted by VirtuousErudite
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.
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A few weeks ago, the
New York Times published a piece on school integration that said that Brown v. Board of Education's real intent was to teach Black children how to operate in the wider society, not to raise test scores.
Learning how to operate in the wider society is a must, IMO. To add on that, if the child is in a school where she's in the minority, it's the BLACK PARENT'S job to give their child a strong sense of racial identity, history, et al. Period.
If I were to marry and have children in the community where I live now, it would be imperative for me and my husband to be the ones providing role modeling. That's because the county where I live now is 1.8% African American.
My home county is only around 6% African American.
That's all I will say for now because I have to formulate my thoughts on CT4's overall question.