Do black Americans need a separate school system
First, the news…
According to District 10 supervisor candidate Charlie Walker of San Francisco, this is the only solution to ensure blacks are getting the best education availiable:
District 10 supervisor candidate Charlie Walker yesterday called for creation of a separate San Francisco school system for African Americans.
Separating blacks from whites is necessary because current education of African Americans is not working, Walker told the Sentinel.
“I am hoping seriously that we consider separating blacks from whites because it’s not working,” Walker reflected.
“What good did it do us to demonstrate to get our freedom when we didn’t get nothing out of it.
“The women, the gays, the Asians, the Latinos - they got it and we’re still sitting around here. In San Francisco alone, 42% of our people are unemployed.
Walker, a longtime Bayview community organizer, made the remarks following a Board of Supervisors vote urging the outgoing school superintendent not to accept her severance pay. The superintendent is African American.
“Yes, we’ve got to have separate schools but we’ve got to have a budget that is equal to the budget that you educate whites with.
“It costs $10,000 a year to educate a white child - it costs $10,000 to educate a black child. It’s got to be just that simple. (more…)
====
If many of the schools that he is referring to already have a high concentration of black folks, what difference does it make to put the “coloreds only” sign on the front door? Most good teachers (teachers of all races) leave inner-city public schools because of poor administration, out of control kids whose parents in many cases are barely involved just to name a couple of major reasons. Fortunately, many black families are moving out of this area and relocating to other cities and states that offer a much better environment.
There is a lack of cultural competence from white teachers (9 out of 10 teachers in this country are white) and this is one of the problems leading to the miseducation of African Americans. In addition, the money isn’t being spent, as is said in the article, on African American students. I would not suggest going back in time and segregating the schools, but instead work policy and fight the system to equalize funding. This is a systematic problem and as an educator I feel that we are only taking steps backwards if we segregate our schools by color of skin. Let’s fight this and not give up by becoming even more segregated than we already are.
Comment by Ashley C. | January 26, 2006
For starters, thank you for your input!
Ashley, here is an excerpt of an article on the same situation a week or so ago:
Thursday’s meeting was the second by the board in a week to draw hundreds of residents. The first meeting, on Jan. 12, ended with the board postponing action for seven days in hopes that the Board of Supervisors and Mayor Gavin Newsom would grant $5 million to the district to keep the schools open for another year.
But Newsom flatly rejected the idea, saying the city over the past year already has provided the schools with $35 million in money and in-kind services. (link)
In this particular case, it does not appear that these schools were underfunded. In fact, if you follow many of the postings under this column, you will discover that the big cause of this disturbing trend is not the lack of money, but administration. I have highlighed Detroit and other cities on this website pointing to those same causes. Out here in the Los Angeles area, the same thing is happening—lots of funding—little to show for it.
This is a systematic problem and as an educator I feel that we are only taking steps backwards if we segregate our schools by color of skin. Let’s fight this and not give up by becoming even more segregated than we already are.
Absolutely correct!
Comment by Duane | January 26, 2006
i have been reading everybodies comments. I think that a separate way of teaching black children is in order. As a recipent of the public school i can say one problem is the lack of african and african american achievement and contribution in literature, history books etc..
IT IS TOTAL WHITE WASH NOTHING BUT EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE.
As an African born, but American raised it does hell to the black pysche. I couldnt relate to the characters or there history. All I remember is civil rights movement… THATS IT…
Where are the black inventors. Africans, african americans, carribeans, latin america blacks contribution of inventions, literature, great african empires like Ghana and Mali empires, the Great Mosques of Djenne and Sankore, the ancient city of Jenne-jeno, black nubia of ancient egypt civilization, the lost cities of Great Zimbabwe,
In Ethiopia, black people had become Christians hundreds of years before Christianity came to England, and a thousand years before Columbus discovered America; their saints and icons were black (and that the hebrews of the bible were africans)
You get none of this, not even the great black towns in america after slavery; what about the fact that blacks migrated all over the world and left contributions there ie.. china, japan, india, and even the american way before europeans got there.
What about the no religion in schools maybe white kids can do without but it is rooted deep in our culture. We blacks (in america or anywhere in the world) cant do without GOD whether we are chrisitian, hebrew or muslim. No wonder we have lost children…. think about have you every met a black atheist
If you cant see what you have contributed to society and the world as a whole, how can these kids get interested ( you dont get that amazing self worth)
America’s depication of Africa doesnt help at all, just the blatant bias, i have travelled back and forth ( so i know the truth) what of the majority that dont.
I finally got a little taste during college when i took an african american class(key word is COLLEGE, so what happens to those who never went) Now at the ripe old age of 28 (he he) I am reeducating myself. I’m absorbed into africa and all of descents contributions and covered up history.
Dont say black history month 28 days is nothing, european history and ideology is taught year round.
sorry i went on and on. I am just so passionate of all my brothers and sisters in this world waking up and taking up there rightful places.
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. Marcus Garvey
Comment by mechi | January 27, 2006
I agree that we need to try something else. As long as we are under the umbrella of white America, our culture will never be taught. Just like they are teaching their culture, our culture and accomplishment should also be taught. Acutally, in the public school system, we know that they are teaching lies in many cases.
Comment by Cynthia | January 27, 2006
Me thinks I hear the sound of a Black person slowly becoming an Afrikan and its music to my ears. What common sense, what wisdom, to say that one cannot rely on our oppressor to educate our children. To discover amazingly, that a system designed by and for the slavemaster, does not appear to generate reasonable results for the slave. How profound to note that those who run the system of white supremacy seem unwilling to invest the same amount of resources in those whom the ideology declares inferior as those whom it deems superior. And how wise to suggest that those who educated even the slavemaster as best they could in ancient times could dare to educate their own and do better. 1 African up, only 29,000,000 or so more to save.
Comment by Dr. Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani | January 27, 2006
i am doing a research paper about the discrimination between white and black americans, and i think there should not be discrimination at all….please leave the history behind…youre not just discriminating blacks but you are discriminating humanity…blacks are people!!!
Comment by dymar | February 6, 2008