A cry in the black education wilderness

"As long as the culture says that Education is "Whitey", nothing will change. We can all thank the communists of the 60s for ruining our society."

Speaking of the Kennedys, that famous line "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" totally backfired on King Jack of Marilyn.

Our education system has turned into a nationwide, and very expensive, day care and indoctrination center. The Government will issue no vouchers, and thanks to the excessive cost of living and taxes, most people can't afford private schools.

Liberals have essentially told blacks, since the 60's, "We don't want you to be smart, we just want your vote.".

Shades of the "food-for-oil" scandal looms right here in our education system...except it's more like "diplomas-for-votes". The school systems only concern about students is that they "attend" so the Federal funding won't be cut.

There are tales about black kids not wanting to study and make good grades because that is "acting white". But then, if that "white guy" they need a job from doesn't hire them, they want to sue.

NONE OF THIS WILL CHANGE...until we get some leaders who have the cajones to say "NO". If that doesn't happen, the whirlpool into oblivion will get worse, and the former Russian leader [Krushev sp?]who said, [paraphrasing] "We will conquer America without firing a single shot", will be proven correct.

Cosby's criticism still reverberates ***"Mr. Cosby was speaking to an audience that could do something about it," he said. "It will lead, hopefully, to a greater sense of responsibility. It could be a call to arms."

The comedian said black children today do not recognize the plight of those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

"These people marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around," he said. "The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids -- $500 sneakers for what? And won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.'

"I can't even talk the way these people talk: 'Why you ain't,' 'Where you is' ... You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth."

The crowd applauded gently. Mr. Cosby was being honored for his generous financial contributions to historically black colleges. The comments surprised many there, but have become more widely reported in recent days.***

School equality: a black responsibility?***White panelists talking to a mostly white audience about the need for the black community to fix its problems risk coming across as offensively patronizing. But the message of responsibility was most powerfully articulated by a black speaker, Vanderbilt University law professor Carol Swain.

Swain identified a number of cultural factors that may hold black students back, including "dysfunctional abusive homes," "lack of parental involvement in the schools," and "negative peer pressure about learning and about high achievement as evidence of one's `acting white.' " Better schools may provide some solutions, Swain said, but there must also be cultural change, and "middle-class minorities must take a leadership role in this area." On an even more controversial note, Swain identified affirmative action as currently practiced by universities -- lower admissions standards for blacks and Hispanics -- as part of the problem. These policies, she said, have "created a negative incentive structure for African-Americans who have either internalized societal messages about inferiority or have chosen an easier path of not exerting themselves too vigorously" since they don't have to meet higher standards.

Swain's message was made all the more powerful by her personal story as one of 12 children in a poor rural home in Virginia. None of her siblings finished high school. "I was by no means the smartest," said Swain. "By the grace of God, I was the one who managed to escape."

In a later e-mail exchange, I asked Swain if she was concerned about being used by conservatives who have their own agenda. "Do liberal blacks worry about being tokens for the status quo?" she replied. "I doubt it. I call things the way I see them."***

His (Bill Cosby) words sting because truth hurts ***After the speech, Theodore Shaw, head of the NAACP legal defense fund, rushed to the podium to serve up a rejoinder, noting that larger (read "white") American society still bears some responsibility for the failure of so many black Americans to join the economic and cultural mainstream. That is clearly so.

But isn't it about time that black Americans acknowledge that, at the dawn of the 21st century, personal responsibility has at least as much to do with success in America as race? Isn't it only fair to note that the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 50 years ago did roll back much of systemic racism? After all, if you believe that racism continues to largely limit black success, that will certainly prove itself true.

"There is no reason that black students have to do poorly in math and science, in speech, in cognitive abilities," Mfume said. "When you're quiet about those [shortcomings], young people notice, and it sounds like you're giving your approval."***

I care about school. Does that make me an Oreo? ***At my middle school, I stuck out immediately. On my first day, I quivered with my *NSync notebook in hand, as I felt my way around school. I was ready to learn and very surprised to find the majority of my fellow black students were not.

"I've never met black kids like this," I told my mom over my afternoon snack. In my reading class their eyes slit my throat as I raised my hand to answer questions. During social studies, I was the only black student who didn't get into trouble with Ms. Burch. She actually liked me; we shared a love of *NSync. Even though I found a connection with Ms. Burch, one that we still share, I couldn't seem to find that basic connection with people who looked like me.

The difficulty of coping with the ridicule became a lot to bear at a time when having and making friends was the issue of the day. Being called an "Oreo" or "Miss Smarty-Pants" and "brainy" became normal, but I was never completely numb to the implications of these words. When the people who should be complimenting and congratulating you on your accomplishments are treating you as if you sell drugs, it doesn't feel as if you are doing the right thing. ***

Thank you!

Living in past may kill SCLC*** The SCLC is beset by contentiousness, conflicting agendas and competing egos, bickering so divisive that its last president, Martin Luther King III, threw up his hands and quit last November. Last week's annual gathering ended with a vote to keep its 82-year-old caretaker president, Fred Shuttlesworth. But neither Shuttlesworth nor any younger successor can hope to restore the organization to its former glory.

The problem is too fundamental, too basic, to overcome: The SCLC, like the other leading civil rights organizations, is a victim of its own success. The civil rights movement was largely victorious, launching a stunning social transformation that forced the country to come much closer to the promise of full equality for all its citizens. The movement for black equality inspired the women's movement and, later, the movement for gay rights, now blossoming in its own right.***

Conservative 527 Organizes Despite Looming FEC Crackdown***The National Faith Based Initiative Coalition, with a name similar to one of President Bush's favorite federal programs, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative, will join other prominent conservative 527 groups like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and the Club for Growth in supporting Bush's views or criticizing those of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

The political organizations are known as 527s after the section of the Internal Revenue Service tax code that regulates them.

"If we're really going to have political empowerment, we need to go ahead and not blindly give our votes to a party that doesn't care anything about us and has all but abandoned the African-American community and just utilizes them when it comes to getting out the vote," said Kellman.

He said that times have changed, and African-Americans no longer need the government to constantly intervene on their behalf.

"The majority of African-Americans believe in economic opportunity and not handouts ... It's a new world, and with that comes new political affiliations," Kellman said. ***

Blacks for Bush have won my respect***"I was raised in a Democratic household," actor Joseph C. Williams told me. Williams, who appeared on the "Cosby Show," "General Hospital" and "The District," was the co-chairman of the "African Americans for Bush" steering committee. "The Republican values are the same values that are in most African-American homes. This party reflects those values much more than the opposition."

During the week, I met black people from all professions and all economic classes who proudly touted their decision to support Bush despite the fact polls predict about 90 percent of their counterparts will vote for the Democratic nominee, John Kerry. ***

Thanks CW, must save this post.

All you have posted applies equally to Americans of Hispanic origin. The job of turning this trend (low expectations) around will be made easier when we can convince our children that being smart and self-reliant is "cool".

My wife and I celebrate every one of our daughters academic achievements, and we never let her give up when she thinks her homework is too hard. So far, she has not disappointed us.

Best Regards

Sergio

Hi Cincinatus' Wife

First off, thanks for the post.

RE: Your post #52. In 1997 I was between jobs and decided to take the "CBEST" test. This is a test in California that opens the door to being a substitute teacher. It provides those who pass the test an emergency teaching credential and allows them to substitute teach for up to one year. You are supposed to take and pass the required education courses during the year you substitute teach. Upon successful completion of said courses, your emergency credential becomes a permanent one.

I took the test with about four hours of procreation, basically going over the example questions at the back of the test application booklet. I overheard some folks who were about to take the test the same morning I was. They were worried about passing the test. Some where on their third or fourth try. This of course made me quite nervous, as I thought they I had not prepared enough.

You get four hours to complete the test, I was done in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

My test results indicated that had more than double the points I needed to pass the test. Now mind you, I'm not the smartest guy around, just ask my wife, ;-), but here you have people fresh out of college, who want to be teachers full time and have failed this test multiple times. I had been out of school for 13 years and passed.

It's no wonder that the NEA opposes teacher certification tests. Funny how liberals will always use the rally cry of, "it's for the children", except for when it really is for the children.

Best Regards and God Bless.

Sergio

It isn't slavery chaining blacks ***....The shift back to an embrace of personal responsibility hasn't come a moment too soon. Because of global forces beyond the control of any politician, the jobs that created the nation's middle class are disappearing, leaving only a poorly paid service class and a highly paid professional class. Seeing the trends, many middle-class parents will be trying to ensure that their children end up among the well-paid professionals. The competition for slots in good schools and for high-paying jobs will only increase.

That portends a more fractious political and social climate. Black Americans will be less able to depend on liberal largess for a hand up. For that matter, so will less affluent whites. (A word of caution: This column is intended only for those comfortable with nuance and complexity. This is no libertarian brief for the end of government assistance or affirmative action. Both personal responsibility and societal responsibility — a social safety net, in other words — are necessary to provide a stable and democratic civil society.)

Already, black immigrants are challenging native-born black students for prestigious slots in Ivy League schools. In June, according to The New York Times, several prominent black academics pointed out that about two-thirds of Harvard University's black undergraduates are black immigrants, children of immigrants or children of biracial marriages. Researchers studying black enrollment at several other exclusive schools, including Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, report that about 41 percent of their black students fit the same demographic profile.

It's no great surprise that immigrants and their children do well. Regardless of national origin, immigrants tend to be resourceful strivers. ...***

Take heed, Democrats: Unrequited love is not an option***SNELLVILLE, GA. – The black American electorate is at zero hour; a vital decision must be made. After 64 years of mostly unrequited love, black voters must choose to end their unilateral devotion to the Democratic Party. This will not be easy, and what is required for black voters to let go and realize their full potential will be counterintuitive to prevailing political thought in the African-American community.

Prior to 1940, most blacks who were able to vote identified themselves as Republicans because Abraham Lincoln - the great Emancipator - was a Republican. But with the success of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies, blacks began voting for Democratic candidates and by 1960, most had migrated to the party. For the second half of the 20th century, blacks have been a reliable constituency for the Democrats. Yet no longer can we afford to base party affiliation and voting patterns on sentimentalism.

The black electorate has received only a small and inconsistent return on its unyielding loyalty. Self-respecting black voters should not be counted on to flex their enormous political muscles on cue without asking for, and receiving, more return on their investment.

That yield must include more blacks in all levels of Democratic Party leadership and an unfeigned effort to promote blacks for statewide and national office - even the presidency.

Eloquent speeches at the 2004 Democratic convention by the Rev. Al Sharpton, a former presidential candidate and by Barack Obama, a candidate for US Senate from Illinois, are not fair trade for robust black electoral capital……***

FL: More blacks give GOP a closer look ***...in this age of White House faith-based initiatives and a growing black middle class, many blacks no longer view black Republicans as self-haters.

"Black people have gotten past the whole voodoo thing with black Republicans," said Michael Brady, co-chairman of the president's re-election committee in Palm Beach County.

Encouraged by polls that show young black entrepreneurs are more independent politically, Republicans are aggressively courting black voters; older blacks are trickling away from the Democratic Party because they say Democrats have taken their vote for granted.

"I looked at all the issues Democrats are fighting for, and I saw no good ideas," said Ron Smith, 36, a Lauderhill management consultant. "Too many African-Americans vote for Democrats just because we always have....***

Bill Cosby shares all he's learned from teachers ***.........Cosby also had spoken of the high percentage of black males in low-income households who drop out of school, the high numbers of black men in prison and the large number of black teenagers who become pregnant.

Calls for parental responsibility

He called on parents and children to take responsibility for themselves and their personal growth, no matter the obstacle.

To some degree, Providence-St. Mel, whose 650 black students mostly come from some of the West Side's tougher neighborhoods, embodies the success that comes with the hard work and drive Cosby has sought.

The all-black K-through-12 school boasts that all of its students are accepted to college, the result of a tough-love concept to education that calls on parents and students to take the reins in their own success, said principal Jeanette DiBella.

"We come from the standpoint 'I'm sorry about all the emotional pain you're in, but by focusing on that you're not going to get in to a school that you want,' " DiBella said.

That's achieved by mandating parents come to the school and meet with educators regularly, and by tutoring for those students with a grade point average of 2.0 or below.

The statistics speak for themselves, DiBella said: 100 percent of the students have been accepted to college since 1978. And in the last three years, more than 50 percent have been accepted to top tier and Ivy League schools.***

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