I just came across a post that really struck a chord with me. Here’s a snippet:
“You have to look under the surface,” my young friend cautioned. “Many students are black, it’s true. But where did they really come from? Are these the descendents of slavery? Are these students, like me, who couldn’t afford to go anywhere but the “historically black college”? And are these the people who, like me, are going to go back to their communties and teach, or be doctors, serve as models for other youths who see drug-dealing or ball or rap as better ways out of their situation? You have to ask, what is the real goal of the educational system?
I had similar observations while I was a student at Stanford. A good proportion of the Black students there were either upper class, offspring of at least one immigrant (like myself), or of mixed race (and usually grew up with their white parent). It just makes me wonder what the representation of truly ‘urban’ (I hate that word) kids was.
That teacher’s story is a sad one. But it goes to show how a few bad kids can ruin everyone’s education. Please note how he said most of his kids truly wanted to learn.
As for the successful blacks you cite, I think you’re getting politics confused with economic/educational achievement. The people you mention may be labeled by SOME blacks as sell-outs b/c of their politics, not b/c of their achievements. There are plenty of examples of successful blacks throughout the history of blacks in America. Please don’t think that the handful of people you continuously cite are the paragons of black achievement. We don’t need to use a couple of very recent successful blacks as proof that blacks are as capable as anyone else. That should be evident by the centuries of achievement against all odds. Here are just a few examples:
Great African American Inventors and Engineers – note the dates on some of these, like Benjamin Banneker.
some great African Americans you should know
Even more great African Americans
Interesting. Thanks.
Why is that interesting?