Analysis Of ' Our Leaders Are Just We Ourself '

In his book, Race, Racism, and American Law, Derrick Bell maintains that the American government is only willing to lessen the injustices imposed on African-Americans if it will positively impact the white community--either economically or politically. The chapter, “Neither Separate Schools Nor Mixed Schools: The Chronicle of the Sacrificed Black Schoolchildren,” in Derrick Bell’s book, And We Are Not Saved, demonstrates this point through the fictional disappearance of black schoolchildren while on their way to their school. At first, there was public outrage over such an unexplainable incident occurring, especially in the midst of all the political and cultural progress made by the recent decision to integrate public schools. Then, it is revealed that the main incentives for the school board’s sympathy and distress were because, “state funding of the schools was based on average daily attendance figures, [therefore] the school system faced a serious deficit during the current year,” (And We Are Not Saved, 105).

Ultimately the lack of reliable resources and preparation from underfunded schools leads African American students into being unprepared for college and jobs, once again reinforcing a vicious cycle of poverty within the community. Gillian B. White, a senior associate editor at The Atlantic, wrote a chilling article regarding the systematic racism that is deeply embedded in the American school system. In the article The Data: Race Influences School Funding, White states “At a given poverty level, districts that have a higher proportion of white students get substantially higher funding than districts that have more minority students” (White). In this quote White explains the clear correlation of race and inadequate funding in the American school

For some students, race is a central part of their identity. The struggles they face with it determines the achievements that they can present to the admissions officers. Despite the current ban on the usage of race in college admissions in Michigan, admissions officers should not ignore any part of a student’s unique circumstances, which may be related to one’s socioeconomic status, race, or both. In the article, “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Educational Apartheid,” Kozol argues that the ongoing racial segregation and the lack of funding in schools consisting primarily of blacks and Hispanics are putting the poor and minority children at an disadvantage by not providing them a chance to have good teachers, classrooms, and other resources. While universities use scores to assess the academic ability of a student, minorities who attend schools segregated based on race or socioeconomic status may excel at what they are given, have the

In the United States alone, minorities have struggled for centuries to earn the basic rights and opportunities as others. African Americans have always worked harder and been treated maliciously just because of the color of their skin. There have been numerous movements, peaceful protests, and brutal battles by black leaders against whites for equality, justice, and a fair chance at a better life. It is safe to say that in the past, blacks were not allowed to progress or have a mind of their own. In comparison to the past, the educational sector for minorities still remains as an extreme societal challenge. For many years, African Americans have been denied educational advancement opportunities. The higher education area suffers greatly for the black population but very few people will address why this matter occurs. Do black families’ socioeconomic status affect the children’s education? The socioeconomic status is easily defined as an individuals or families’ economic and social rank based on income, education level, and occupation. The socioeconomic status of black families does affect their children’s academic success, however; it does not determine their children’s success. This educational disadvantage for black students needs to be addressed because of the lack of financial and emotional support that minority students receive due to their parents lack of experience and knowledge with higher education. Many black students become a product of their environment because

Hope, E., Skoog, A., & Jagers, R. (n.d.). It 'll Never Be the White Kids, It 'll Always Be Us: Black High School Students ' Evolving Critical Analysis of Racial Discrimination and Inequity in Schools. Journal of Adolescent Research, 30, 83-112. doi:10.1177/07435584I4550688

A substantial amount of educational and psychological research has consistently demonstrated that African American students underperform academically relative to White students. For example, they tend to receive lower grades in school (e.g., Demo & Parker, 1987; Simmons, Brown, Bush, & Blyth, 1978), score lower on standardized tests of intellectual ability (e.g., Bachman, 1970; Herring, 1989; Reyes & Stanic, 1988; Simmons et al., 1978), drop out at higher rates (e.g., American Council on Education, 1990; Steele, 1992), and graduate from college with substantially lower grades than White students (e.g., Nettles, 1988). Such performance gaps can be attributed to

We had to go through training just to be able to handle the mental and emotional torment we would endure, going into this school. It was finally time to enter. We were removed among heavy riots the second. We were going to enter successfully the third time. We were determined. We walked into the school, surrounded by the U.S. federal troops, white people rioting all around us, yelling, cursing, even throwing things. “You don’t belong here!” I heard someone shout from the crowd. “Go back to picking cotton,” I heard from another. All we wanted was an equal education and this is how we are treated. We are ridiculed and tormented for trying to be productive members of society. Everyone stares at me, laughing because they don’t believe in me, frowning because they’re angry. None of them know us or what we’re capable of. We knew we weren’t welcome here but that didn’t stop us. Nothing was going to stop us from achieving equal rights for African Americans. We will open the door for all young African Americans who want equal education just like us. This moment of walking into chaos will change the world for us. This is one victory we can’t do without. I see the gates to hell opened, and walk into the belly of the

“Black students were expelled at three times the rate of white students.” (Steven Hsieh, 2014) Until now, we are still finding unequal treatment from school in American Society from different aspects, such as school discipline, early learning, college readiness and teacher equity. However, education is more than learning from books. Education enables individuals potential to utilize human mind and open doors of opportunities to obtain knowledge. But the US educational system doesn’t serve the majority of children properly and gaps remain between white and black students. What’s more, nowadays, a lot of schools only treat education as a curriculum and test scores; ignoring the stimulus of curiosity. Therefore, “Between the World and Me” is a book written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, who weaves his own personal, historical, and intellectual development into his ruminations on how to live in a black body in America. In this book, Coates writes about education and pleasures of his own educational experience in Howard University. Although bad education hides the truth and restricts students’ ideas, education also contains pleasures, which broaden people’s mind, help people build their own thoughts, and prevent people from prison. As a result, there are more pleasures in American education that positively impact on black body than dangers.

In St. Louis, one in two black children, opposed to one in 25 white children, attend a school that is non-accredited. This means that the school performs so poorly that they don’t meet basic standards to provide students the opportunity for academic success. After her school was stripped of its accreditation, Mah’Ria was bused to a different school district, one that valued students more than the Normandy school district did. Mah’Ria is a high-performing student who desperately wanted a better education, but was denied that right based on where she lived. Not only were classes too easy and the teacher’s incompetent, but also the school as a whole was disorganized. For students like Mah’Ria, low-quality schools have a negative impact on them and begin to discourage them from even trying to create a different life path, because

Students of color often confront overt and covert “Racial Microaggressions” in higher education settings and these racial experiences develop negative notions about the institution and academic aspirations.

The first reading “Unaccounted Foundations: Black Girls, Anti- Black Racism, and Punishment in Schools” by Connie Wun explores the use of punishment in the educational institutions in order to highlight the racial formations theory that states that race is a permanent fixture but its criteria and implications are fluid over time. Although African American students are seen as a minority, they still make up a large percentage of the victims of formal discipline within schools for violent acts like fighting and nonviolent acts like chewing gum in class. This range of punishment creates a justification for punishing both boys and girls of color. This reading reminds me of the educational institution as another peculiar institution that produces

Brill (1999) explored what it means to be black in America. He reviewed the parts of history that effect blacks today. He, also, examined the effects of slavery and affirmative action on the black community. As cited by Brill, in 1832, De Toqueville predicted that whites and blacks could never live equally in the society. He predicted that, once freed, former slaves would revolt due to the lack of civil rights that they would receive in America. Shockingly, these words hold true even in 2014. The evident tensions that exist today in cities like Ferguson, Missouri are racially charged and are due to the lack of equality that exists between blacks and whites in our country.

Both class, race, and gender are socially constructed. They are things that define us, and they are all related to the issue of inequality. In fact, they both interest with one another, and one cannot be talked about without the other. (Carbone and Cahn, 2014) stated in the article that academic achievements between children were based on race, where whites normally performed better than African-Americans. However, as time moves forward, they realized the inconsistences. Academic performances were increasingly affected by income and no longer by race. Wealth produces better performances. In addition, as seen in the film “two American families,” each family are from different racial back grounds, and both parents experienced financial setbacks. Their race and their gender were the only thing that sets them apart. Their income however which placed them at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder was the main thing that brings them in a similar situation. Many people unfortunately believe that whites are normally at an advantage for simply being white, but white privilege is not an issue in these family’s situation. Their family is unstable because of the lack of financial capabilities. So you see, again, class is playing out to be the main source of stability.

Students of color have their experiences at school belittled. “When students look to counseling, they are often told their racialized experiences are in their head -- that the college or university is color blind.” Dr. Ebony McGee, assistant professor of diversity and urban schooling at Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education and Human Development

In Alvin Chang’s’ article, “The subtle ways colleges discriminate against poor students, explained with a cartoon” Chang uses multiple research projects to explain why students that have lower income or are first generation students are less likely to succeed in college. In the article Chang references a survey that was taken in order to see what different college administrators expect their students to acquire during their education. Overwhelmingly the college administrator's wanted their students to acquire individual skills over interdependence skills. Chang correlates a students success with their ability to think individually knowing that lower income and first generation students show an interdependent