Are black men being silenced?

I’ve conceded it’s a futile task.  You simply can’t educate people on how it feels to be a black man.

It’s hard to be heard.  It’s ever harder to share all that passion without being labeled.  You’re left feeling isolated from the rest, and minimized for doing what comes natural – screaming because few are willing to listen.

Over the years, I have committed my work to standing in the middle.  My credentials qualify me to speak as one nurtured in that space between varied worlds.  I’m a black man who has never attended a Historical Black University.  I graduated from schools with an overwhelmingly white attendance, and found it difficult at times to fit due to the assumptions made about me.  I was forced to overcome my own hostility forged after being discriminated against. 

I know the difference between taking things personal and being overlooked because of my race. I’m not an angry black man.  I’m a black man who has lived with that burden.

That stuff hurts.

I’m also the product of my own mistakes.  I’m a recovering addict who once used drugs to cover my insecurity.  I, like so many black men, was forced to take personal responsibility for the error of my ways. In time, lots of it, I found the strength to keep pressing after being denied and minimized for things I did long ago.

That stuff is real.

Frantz Fanon said it best in Black Skin, White Mask. Fanon argued that black people are forced to survive within two worlds – the world of white power and privilege and the world of black dysfunction.  For this reason, black people, for the most part, know more about white people than they know about themselves.  Black people are forced to contend with white culture and norms while standing distant from it all due to the limits caused by race.

Ellis Cose writes about this burden in his book The Rage of the Privileged Class. Cose discovered extreme frustration among black people who have gained access to the world of class privilege.  No matter how much they achieve, something is missing.  The thing missing is respect and acceptance as one who offers a credible voice beyond the assumptions of white people.

Standing in the gap between the world of white privilege and black dysfunction comes with the risk of pitting those who speak against those unwilling to admit the influence of their privilege.  Using the terms power and privilege in the same sentence stirs hostility among those so glued to their own notions that they can’t see the imperfection of their own claims.

This is the place real racism shows up.  It rises to the top whenever the voices of those in the middle are confronted for speaking from the middle.  The expectation is for them to share from the place of white privilege.  That position discredits the context that hinders those on the other side of the middle.  The outcome is an attack of those who use their intellect and expertise to raise issues fueled from that unique perspective.

The common trend is to force black men to speak from the perspective of the white side of their bearings.  They’re expected to think white, speak white and to draw conclusion that fail to ponder their position as black men.

This is a painful truth.

Black men are asked not to feel.  They’re asked not to share those stories that helped them transcend the grip that keeps so many black men down.  They’re asked to talk about education as the key to their overcoming, but to remain silent regarding the emotions they carried along the way.

You simply can’t separate the educational process from the unique social condition and enculturation that all black men face.  We’re asked not to talk about the pain that comes with being judged before taking the test. 

That pain is too profound for most to listen.

So, what happens when black men are asked to speak only to be told their opinion doesn’t matter?  What lesson is there for black boys who witness black men invalidated for sharing from their unique position?  Even more maddening is the assumption among those who refuse to accept the views of black men who, more than anyone else, have the answer regarding what black boys need to achieve.

All of us should take note of how white women bout with men for functioning from a place of power and privilege. Feminist attack patriarchy.  They challenge us to consider the assumptions men make while being unable to view life from the lens of women.  If white women challenge us to consider the voices of women, why can’t we ben sensitive to the voices of black men?

Why aren’t black men afforded the same respect?  Why can’t black men lead the charge to develop a strategy for black boys?  What does it say when people unable to comprehend the condition of black boys tell black men what’s best for black boys?

That is, by definition, a position of power and privilege.  It’s a truth many refuse to concede. It’s disrespectful to discredit the voices of those living within that social condition. Why does this happen so often when it comes to the state of black men?

Why is it that no one is willing to listen to black men?

Since no one is asking, I will answer the question.  It leaves us feeling no one cares to listen.  It leaves us feeling no one wants black men to achieve.  It feels like a plan to further destroy black men. 

Do I believe that’s the case? NO! But perceptions speak deep.  Real deep.

If you want to know what it takes to reach black boys, ask a black man.  We know because we experience a common link.

Black men have a right to speak.  Are you willing to listen?

How do we really feel about integrated schools?

“I feel sorry for Durham if we are going to follow the leadership of people like Carl Kenny who perpetuate the racist, us against them, propaganda in the paper,” Lou Peters, a Durham Public Schools parent, responded to my recent column. “Why must it always boil down to race in Durham?”

Peters shares the outrage of many who judge the proposal to open an all-male academy a waste of taxpayer money.  The thought of a school designed to address the needs of black and brown boys has stirred hostility among those bent on maintaining the status quo. 

Peters makes valid points in his response to my column.  “If our leaders are really concerned with students’ well-being, then testing should cease and the millions saved used to fund more teachers who know how to address the differing learning styles in smaller classrooms with better student to teacher ratios,” he writes.

There is no easy solution to the decline in the academic achievement of black and brown boys.  What is clear is an escalating negative culture that is making it more difficult to educate those caught in a vicious cycle.

It’s why I talk so much about race.

Buried deep within this conversation is Durham’s grappling with the bearing race and culture plays in the academic achievement of minority boys.  There is suitable evidence to suggest the cultivation of inner-city social norms that makes education counterintuitive.  Numerous books have been written on “acting and talking white” and the implications of the “cool pose.”  These forms of social conditioning makes the education of black boys a tough task for those entrusted the responsibility of working to overcome those environments.

All-boys education formats work for this reason.  Removing boys from surroundings that feeds messages that education is for white people and girls fosters a support base that frees boys to focus on excellence.  Durham’s Nativity School is a local example of how this works.

What Peters, and other critics, fail to concede are the hostile environments that black and brown boys are forced to overcome.  Also inferred in his comments is the deep influence of his own position of privilege, and how our assumptions related to integration force opposition to an all-boys academy. 

Brace yourself for what follows.

Sadly, our suppositions regarding integration presupposes middle class status and fails to ponder the implications among youth devoid of resources.  It hasn’t worked for those threatened by a culture that refutes the credibility of education.  It doesn’t work for those bruised by the constant disappointed related to failing to measure up to those who begin with more than enough. 

My pressing of the question of race is aimed at forcing the school board and larger community to discuss assumptions we carry about integration.  My hope is to begin a deeper dialogue involving how those views impact public policy.  Put another way; let’s be honest about how we feel about race and integrated schools.

This is about race and our assumptions of power and privilege.  It’s about white power and privilege.  It shows up in the ability to find alternative schools for your children.  It shows up when the resources are there to overcome things feared.

Power and privilege also shows up among black leadership.  Their assumptions regarding the benefits of a segregated school may feed into their decisions.  Most were nurtured in schools segregated by race.  Maybe their decision is fueled by their own experience and speaks to a desire to re-segregate Durham Public Schools.

We must tell the truth about how we feel.

Yell at me! Blame me for talking about race! But, after making this a Carl Kenney thing, ask yourself an important question.  How do you feel about integrated schools?  Have the choices you’ve made for your children coincided with that position?  Have you opted to use your power and privilege to find an alternative for your children, and, if so, what led you to make that decision?

Why are white parents leaving the Durham Public Schools?  Why are black middle class parents doing the same?  What’s left behind when that happens, and what is needed to address the growing needs of those students?

The all-boys academy may not be the answer, but Durham must find a way to address problems facing minority boys.  Failure to do that is repulsive.  It’s tragic due to the correlation between academic performance and the rise of violent crime in Durham.  Something is wrong, and we, as a community, must fix it.

Yes, this is about race.  It’s about a re-segregated school system that is being stirred in that direction by those who hold an agenda.  What is that agenda, and how is it reinforced by the decisions each of us make? Are school board members any different than the rest of us?  If not, what can be done to repair what is left behind.

Talk about race.    Be honest.  Get all of that out of your system.

After you’re finished, get back to the question I’ve placed on the table – what are we going to do with black and brown boys in Durham?

Answer that question and I’ll stop talking about race. 

NC Republican Legislators play dirty to pass bill limiting abortion access

North Carolina Republican Legislators are speaking loud and clear.  

To Hell with civil rights.  Gay and women’s rights can take the same trip.  The unemployed can pack their bags and jump on the wagon.  North Carolina is home of conservative white dudes who have no compassion for most of the citizens of the state they are elected to serve.

North Carolinian’s are screaming.  It doesn’t matter.  They’re not listening.

Thousands have showed up for Moral Monday’s to show their disdain over the passage of laws aimed at making life worse for normal people. Hundreds have been arrested.  Protestors represent a diverse group of discontent citizens.  None of it matters.  Republican legislators are on a mission to prove their power.

When will it end, and what damage will remain after North Carolina voters send a few legislators into retirement. What is the point behind it all? Is it about asserting power over the weak, or do they believe in the pain they peddle like juice in a bottle sold by a medicine man?

The most recent addition of “we don’t care about you,” is a measure placing tougher restrictions on abortions. The state Senate passed the second reading of the bill on Tuesday by 27-14; a final vote today will send it back to the House for approval.

The bill will require abortion clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgery centers and will force the closure of all but one clinic in the state.  It will place limits on health care coverage for abortions and require doctors to be present when women take the drug that induces abortions.

Critics of the bill point to the scheming that led to Tuesday’s vote. It was presented unexpectedly during a rare late-day committee meeting.  It combines numerous bills in different stages into one bill.  At 5:30 p.m., the measure on the committee’s calendar reflected a bill on the family law provision of the bill.  Critics argued the bill could interfere with U.S. law in foreign courts.

The committee quickly jumped on an amendment to the bill that dealt with abortion. 

“It seems to me that they’re trying to pass under cover of darkness legislation that would not otherwise be passed,” Suzanne Buckley, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, told the Huffington Post.  They’re trying to pull a Texas.”

State Republicans have embraced the Charlie Sheen philosophy of life- WINNING.  It’s about winning at all cost. Change the state constitution, rob people of their voting rights, deny the role race plays in determining guilt in court cases, shortchange people money the federal government has approved, refute a woman’s right to decide related to her body – do whatever it takes to win.

This isn’t state politics.  It’s a game.  Citizens are pawns maneuvered like board game pieces to prove Republican dominance.  The people aren’t heard.  They keep screaming, but Republicans keep playing games reminiscent of Niccolò Machiavelli who made deception an art.

They’ve redefined “we the people”.  Democracy and independence is revamped into the image of white dominance.  Community is reconstituted as the forced moral agenda of a few.  The American Dream is relegated and defined by the voice of those with the power to manipulate those weakened by indifference.

Blame is used to confuse. Hatred hides the truth.  Winning divides.  Winning denounces the credibility of compromise.  Winning doesn’t care about the other side.

It just wants to win.

The abortion bill is an example of the mindset behind the closed ears in Raleigh.  They will do whatever it takes to win. 

The people keep screaming, but it’s hard to win when the other team uses dirty tricks.

The Durham Public School Board's decision not to approve all-boys academy viewed as disrespectful by those who served on task force

In voting down a proposal to develop an all-male academy, the Durham Board of Education may find it difficult to restore trust among those who worked hard to create the plan.

Race relations in Durham have taken a step in the wrong direction.

The motion failed in a 3-3 vote. Board members voted to take the issue back to committee to be reviewed at the August meeting.  Although the proposal is not dead in the water, what remains is the tarnishing of relationship between white board members and core black leaders who worked on the proposal.

It’s critical that hard work go into restoring trust, or the Durham Public School system could face serious consequences going forward. At the root of the divide is the perception that Board Chairwoman Heidi Carter, Leigh Bordley and Natalie Byer, the three white board members in opposition to the all-boys academy, are incapable of hearing what the black community needs.

Even more troubling is the sense that members of the special task force entrusted to develop a strategy for the all-boys academy aren’t being respected.  Members of the task force represent some of the most esteemed leaders in Durham.  They were given the task of investigated the feasibility of the all-boys academy. 

17 people served on the task force.  They represented a wide range of interest and brought considerable knowledge and expertise to the process.  Members included Farad Ali, former member of the city council and vice-president of the Minority Business Development Agency, Superior Court Judge Elaine Bushfan, Bill Ingram, president at Durham Technical Community College, Michael Palmer, coordinator at Self-Help Credit Union, Leslie Winner, executive director at Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Phail Wynn, of Duke University, to name just a few.

The impressive assemblage of task force members adds to the infuriation caused by the school board’s inability to move forward.  Board members undermined the hard work task force members volunteered after moving on a recommendation outlined in the school system’s strategic plan.  The task force was not assigned the responsibility of determining the merit of an all-boys academy, but to investigate the best way to facilitate what had been approved within the school’s planning process.

Failing to vote on a proposal that was already approved as part of the strategic plan leaves members of the task force, and members of the black community, soured by a lack of perceived integrity related to Durham Public School’s Strategic Plan.  Members are left frustrated and confused regarding the rationale for their serving on the task force.  This could undermine long term relationships between DPS and community leaders asked to collaborate with the school system.

Many who served on the task force have significant ties to the population the all-boys academy is aimed at supporting.  Their work lends a perspective that adds credibility to the process.  By failing to support the recommendations of the task force, board members have refuted their expertise by suggesting the proposal isn’t in the best interest of DPS.

Can you hear “you don’t know what you’re talking about”?

It’s safe to assume that the will to collaborate with DPS has been damaged by the lack of will to move forward on this proposal.  Damaged are relationships between DPS and the key stakeholders at the table to address the needs of minority boys.  Damaged is the hard work that went into altering the reputation of the Durham Board of Education.  Damaged are trust and the willingness to form a strategy that significantly impacts the population with the greatest need.

In an earlier blog, I warned that the failure to move on this proposal will hinder race relations in Durham.  Durham’s black leadership is left disappointed and confused by this process.  They feel compromised and disrespected after committing time in service.  Board members need to find a way to honor their service while respecting the expertise and recommendations of those who served.

Failure to do so will pit white board members against a black community both frustrated and annoyed after not being heard.  The outcome could be the formation of an all-boys academy not endorsed by Durham Public Schools.  Members of the task force may decide to build the school on their own, and, if that happens, we may witness the final nail in the coffin leading to the re-segregation of the Durham Public school system.

If white board members are unwilling to concede the wisdom of the best minds in Durham, how can blacks trust the school board has the interest of black students in mind when making tough decisions? Leaders came together to propose a plan to open an all-boys school.  They did so with the assumption the board had approved the concept based on the school’s strategic plan.  Members of that task force are now forced to concede a lack of interest in the plan among white school board members - despite it being in their own plan.

How do you reclaim trust?  What steps need to be taken to make this right?  How do you apologize to those who worked hard and believed in the proposal they presented?

Maybe members of the board don’t care, but they should.  The black community is watching, and the gap is broadening more and more every day.

Expect and all-boys academy built by black leaders fed up with being told no.  This is a decision that will not go away overnight.

 

 

Carlos Riley, Jr. says he had to fight for his life after Officer Stewart pulled his gun

Carlos Riley, Jr. claims his life was at risk.  The evidence supports his assertion.

We shouldn’t assume he’s telling a lie.

Why would we? Should we take the word of Kelly Stewart, the police officer shot in the foot after a scuffle with Riley?

The logical response is to side with Stewart.  It’s built within the mentality of most of us to honor and respect law enforcement officers.  We’re taught as children to trust the men and women who carry a badge. That’s what we’re taught, and anyone who questions the authority of a police officer must be telling lies.

It’s not always that cut and dry.  There are too many examples of rogue police officers to validate their report in all cases.  Durham has its share of overzealous men and women in blue who use power like a weapon of mass destruction.

The arrest of Riley came after the horrific case of Stephanie Nickerson.  Nickerson was beaten by Cpl. Brian Schnee when police responded to a noise complaint on Oct. 28, 2012. Pictures of Nickerson’s battered face rapidly spread on the internet. Nickerson was charged with resisting an officer and assaulting a government official.

Charges were dropped on Jan 24 and Schnee resigned from the police department after it was discovered he had used excessive force.  

Riley’s arrest raises serious questions regarding the credibility of Durham’s Police Department. Is there a culture of police brutality aimed at black men and women?

Riley was arrested on December 18 at 10:00 am shortly after dropping his girlfriend off at work.  Without reason, he was stopped by Stewart who was driving an unmarked police vehicle and wearing street clothes.

Not knowing Stewart was an officer, Riley drove off.  Stewart chased Riley and turned on his lights.  Riley stops after seeing the lights.

Stewart approaches the car and accused Riley of smoking marijuana.  Riley denies the accusation.  Riley claims Stewart jumps into the car and begins to choke and punch him.  He says he couldn’t breathe. 

Riley alleges that Stewart threatened to kill him and began to draw his gun.

Stewart shot himself in the leg.

Riley says he was afraid he would be killed.  He grabbed Stewart’s gun and pulled it away.  He helped Stewart out of the car and fled to protect himself.

He was afraid the next bullet would be for him. I would fear the same.  Wouldn’t you?

Within a few hours, Riley turned himself in.  He’s facing state and federal charges.

Riley claims Stewart choked him.  Riley claims Stewart drew his gun.  He jumped into his car. He had no reason to stop Riley.  He wasn’t smoking marijuana.  Does any of this make sense to you?

Should we assume Riley is telling lies, or is it possible that his life was in danger that day?

Riley is the nephew of Walter P. Riley, a Durham native noted for his work as an attorney in the San Francisco Bay area.  The Riley family will gather today at the Durham Police department to protest the arrest of Carlos Riley, Jr. 

Nia Wilson, executive director of SpiritHouse, is helping the family in their quest for justice.  She emailed the following statement:

A 10 year study by UNC political science professor Frank Baumgartner, found that Durham has the highest racial profiling, racial disparity divide among any of North Carolina’s 100 counties.  Black motorists, in Durham, are unjustly stopped, searched, and are 900% more likely to be incarcerated for criminal conduct than whites suspects. Yet, when we hear of cases like Stephanie Nickerson and Carlos Riley Jr., the assumption and general opinion, is that they must have done something wrong. It makes it easy for people to walk away, rather than to do the hard work of confronting a systemic problem that heavily impacts the African American community. Carlos, like Stephanie, did nothing wrong on December 18. On the contrary exercised his constitutional right to stand up for himself and protect his life.

 Last night I attended a film viewing, at the Hayti Heritage center, of a new documentary about Mumia Abul Jamal. Mumia has served over 30 years in a Philadelphia prison for a crime that he did not commit. Mumia, who continues to declares his innocence, has said countless times, “My only crime is that I survived.”  Carlos Riley Jr. could say the same.

The rally takes place today in front of the police department at 505 W. Chapel Hill Street.  It begins at 4:30 pm. 

It could be assumed that Carlos Riley, Jr. is just telling lies.  What are the consequences if he is telling the truth?

Are we willing to uphold the integrity of a badge when there are too many examples of tainted police? And, what happens when the word of the police outweighs the evidence?

I’m going to the rally.

Paula Deen exposes the racism of the "New South"

I’m struggling to express my thoughts regarding Paula Deen.  Now that I’m past my “no she didn’t” moment, I can share how I really feel about Deen and Southern living.

On center stage is Southern culture and how closely connected we remain to an ideology that assumes blacks are inferior to whites

Deen’s ouster as a Food Network host attempts to cover common thoughts and tendencies among those born and reared in a segregated society.  Although Deen, and many like her, have done the hard work to distance themselves from the mean spirited ways of their ancestors, some of it still lingers.

Ostracizing Deen by making her a rogue promoting a racist agenda fails to censure the culture that cultivates that racism.  Convicting Deen as a racist may take the covers off the charisma that made her the darling of Southern culture, but it doesn’t give space to the need for deeper reflection on what remains after she goes away.

"I believe that every creature on this Earth, every one of God's creatures, was created equal," she told NBC's "Today" show. "... I believe that everyone ought to be treated equal."

Deen has a different understanding of truth.  In her mind, she’s not a racist.  In her mind she has been misunderstood and lies have been told.  Deen believes she’s a victim of a conspiracy to undermine her work and reputation.

In other words, it’s not her fault.   

The national debate on Deen involves court documents that support allegations that she and people in her restaurant have been insensitive to blacks, women and other minorities.  She confessed to calling a man Nigger and to having used the word more than once.

The discrimination lawsuit filed by Lisa T. Jackson, a white woman, contends racial slurs about women, Jews and blacks were common in Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House, a restaurant run by Deen’s brother in Savannah, GA.  Lawyers for Deen’s brother filed a motion in the case arguing Jackson is pursuing race-based claims, but has no standing because she is white.

The unraveling of Deen’s empire bares before the public the behind the scenes culture of a Southern restaurant.  It’s clear that something is amiss in Deen’s kitchen, but could it be that the work environment in many Southern kitchens follows a long legacy of mistreatment of black employees?

Is the culture of “The Help” still enforced in the South?

If so, on trial here is Southern culture and the assumptions regarding race and privilege.  Maybe Deen, and others like her, believe their contention that they are removed from the grip of race.  Maybe Deen doesn’t believe she is a racist because her form of racism deviates from the form she knew as a child.  Maybe the movement away from the old model of racism leaves many convinced they aren’t racist.

She’s not racist, she just calls people Nigger.

Racism doesn’t look and act like it did when Deen was a young person growing up in the South. But if it looks like a racist, it is a…..You know the rest.

Racism hides under positions of privilege and power.  It robs people of their culture and voice and claims it as its own.  Southern cooking is the creation of the former slaves.  Deen’s wealth entrenched in a long history of black cooks who fed those who kept them entrapped to protect their power and privilege.  Those old cooks watch as people like Deen take ownership of their culture as if they crafted it themselves.

Racism is about owning what doesn’t belong to you due to the power and privilege needed to promote it in a way that separates you from those on the bottom.  Racism is calling people Nigger when your wealth and reputation is built on what they have given.

Racism is the celebration of a culture of exclusion.  Jackson's lawsuit claims Deen wanted to plan a party in the style of a Southern plantation, staffed with black waiters dressed to resemble slaves.  Racism is not knowing that desire is racist because Southern culture makes that fantasy normative.

Today’s racism doesn’t know it’s racist.  It places Southern culture and white pride above thoughts involving race.  Deen doesn’t know she’s a racist because racism is adjusted to feel normal.

On trial is the evolution of racism. Transformed racism is found among white liberals unable to concede their racism.  They invest time to prove they’re not racist, while refusing to acknowledge how their position of power and privilege discounts the contribution and work of black people.  They take the fried chicken and make it their own.  They reap the advantages that come with race while preventing a black person from getting what they receive.

All while refusing to concede the benefits afforded them due to their racial privilege.  This is the new racism.

Deen is a good white woman who loves black folks.  Behind closed doors she calls them Niggers and wishes for days when she was served by black people.

She’s not a racist. She’s a Southern woman living within a culture that continues to take advantage of the power and privilege afforded her because she’s white.

"I believe that every creature on this Earth, every one of God's creatures, was created equal," she told ... I believe that everyone ought to be treated equal."

Now, get back in the kitchen.

Welcome to the “New South”.

All-boys academy for black and brown boys attacks culture that negates importance of education

The critics of an all-boys academy claim the proposed school are sexist, cost too much and is counterintuitive to the intent of Brown vs. Board of Education. Each appears as a vital argument; however, none take into account the troubling culture that makes an all-boys academy the best solution for Durham’s black and brown boys.

“The ‘extensive data’ that Kenney refers to goes unexplained,” Tim Tyson, State Education Chair for the NAACP, responded to my recent blog supporting a proposal for an all-boys academy. “This assertion certainly does not represent any consensus of the scholarly literature. People of good intentions can differ. But to pretend that the research shows a deafening roar in favor of academies segregated by race and gender are unjustified. “

Tyson’s thesis, along with the assessment of others, fails to take seriously the stack of research and statistics that give credibility to an alternative approach.  Research suggests an inner-city culture that regards education in negative ways, which guides poor academic performance and dropouts among minority boys.

The Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University’s Theories of Change among Single-Sex Schools for Black and Latino Boys: An Intervention in Search of Theory was published in 2010. The study examines the work of six all-boy schools and offers a strong argument in support of their relevancy. 

Need for Changing Boys’ Ideas of What is a Man

The Metropolitan Center study discovered the importance of framing the social/emotional need for a masculine identity based on their understanding of ―street‖ images and the absence of male figures that often surround boys of color

“I think that this notion of manhood that a lot of your urban youth experience is pretty one-sided,” a member of the staff at an all-boy school says.  “It pretty much looks at this aspect of strength and power and equates them solely with sexual prowess, the ability to earn money, and the ability to defend.”

The study uncovered how students are bombarded with imagery and the identity of being a thug, being a gangster, being hard, as defining what qualifies one as a man.

School is referred to as something that ―girls‖ do, and it is for this reason that some administrators claim it is necessary to separate the boys from female students – to give them a space where they do not have to ―compete‖ or feel the need to show off as ―men‖ who are ―too cool for school.‖

Bilson &Mansini’s Cool Pose is informative in unlocking the implications related to inner-city culture.

Need for an Academic Identity in their Social Identities

Minority boys face the acting White stigma.  Cook & Ludwig address this matter in their book The Burden of Acting White. 

“Due to the history of racial discrimination in the United States, African Americans began to doubt their intellectual ability, began to define academic success as White people’s prerogative and began to discourage their peers from emulating White people in academic striving, i.e., from acting white,” the book concludes.

All-boys schools confront the negative perceptions of education among minority boys by establishing a brotherhood among students that instills the resilience to develop and sustain their emerging academic identities.

Need for Future and Leadership

Those interviewed in the study expressed it was through this identity work that they could begin the work of transforming black and brown boys into ―leaders.‖

“These single-sex schools transmit the message that their Black and Latino male students should become examples in their own right and find ways to ―give back to their communities,” the study states. “The young men are being primed to lead the next generation in transformational change for their communities. Rather than sit back and be influenced by the negativity of street culture, the schools direct their students to take positive control of their own lives and take what they learn back to ―the community.”

Need for High Expectations

An administrator suggested that the structural issue of racism prevents Black students, in particular, from making educational gains:

“I would say social issues just from the standpoint of being a young Black male, dealing with racism,” the administrator said. “And so, you’re going to have to converse with people who have low expectations of you, who have no expectations of you. Or you might be in an environment where they don’t want you to be.”

Core in the analysis of public education is how the biases of school administrators and teachers impact their ability to teach minority boys.

Need for Relevant Curriculum and Instruction

The schools in the study expressed the need to center teaching and the curriculum around the educational needs of their students, with careful attention given to the social, emotional, and academic challenges minority boys face.

There is massive evidence that points to how the culture of minority youth clashes with the academic goals of the traditional public school setting.  As admirable as the goal to embrace an integrated school may be, the body of evidence clearly speaks to cultural dynamics that make it problematic to teach those who regard education as a thing that black and brown boys don’t need.

Durham’s statistics make the case – 3,002 black male and 560 Hispanic male short term suspensions in 2011-2012, compared to 249 white male students.  233 black male and 68 Hispanic male dropouts out of a total of 363 for all students.  47% reading proficiency among black males compared to 81% among white males.  64% math proficiency among black males compared to 90.6 compared to white males.

Add to the pot unemployment, incarceration and metal health concerns and you have an increasing divide between black and brown males and their white counterparts.

Tyson argues the affirming of Brown vs. Board of Education. His is a valid claim when taken outside the context of the current plight of black and brown boys.  This is what John Stuart Mills called Experiments in Living.  There are times when the conceptions of good must be tested by the experiences we have in living them out, not merely by comparing them with ethical institutions.

Is it possible that the integration of public school has fostered a population left fractured by the internalized inferiority created by a well-intentioned union?  If so, we, as a society, are obligated to undo a culture that makes education a bad thing among black and brown boys.

They have the right to achieve.  Our failure to respond in an affirming way is paramount to casting them to the wolves to continue their journey toward low achievement and incarceration. 

Is that the message we want them to hear?

Lack of support for all-male academy for black and Hispanic boys may trigger racial divide in Durham, NC

Photo from Teaching.monster.com

The back and forth bickering between members of Durham’s Board of Education could be the prelude to impassioned racial division.

The board is split, on racial lines, over a proposal to create an all-male academy to target black and Hispanic students. White board members are expressing concerns that the academy is too costly.  Black board members consider the approach essential given the current state of black and Hispanic male students.

The board will vote on June 27, and many feel the proposal will fail given the 4 to 3 white majority.

The concerns of white board members are perceived as further validation that they don’t care about black students.  It’s an old cry that forged a wedge in Durham that landed the city the label black sheep of North Carolina by the Greensboro News & Record.  It was an era of extreme tension that resulted in people being arrested during school board meetings for protesting against an assumed racist agenda.

Things could get worse if the current board refuses to see beyond counting the cost related to the forming of an all-male school.  If white board members want to make this about cost, they will reap the fury of a community disgusted with a lack of response to growing problems among black and brown boys.

White board members can’t hide behind the net of cost restraints.  The perception of racial insensitivity is the subject of a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights investigation into whether Durham Public Schools disciplines black students and students with disabilities more than others.  The mounting of evidence suggest the need for an alternative approach, and the failure to consider the all-mail academy will send a message that will hamper the board’s ability to function beyond the assumption of racism.

The lawsuit against DPS was filed by the Advocates for Children’s Services, a project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, and the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project of UCLA.  The lawsuit alleges that DPS suspends black students at more than four times the rate of white students.  The complaint also claims DPS suspended 17 percent of all students with disabilities, compared with 8.4 percent of students without disabilities.

The lawsuit addresses a 15-year old eighth-grader who started failing classes after being suspended 24 days during the 2011-12 school year due to behavior linked to mental issues.

"At no point did DPS discuss or consider substantive ways to address his problem behaviors without resorting to the punitive measure of out-of-school suspension. The school also failed to provide (him) with any education services while he was suspended, resulting in his falling even farther behind," the complaint states.

An all-male academy could be used to offset some of the concerns stated in the complaint.

“This is a very resource-intensive endeavor that would require more money than what follows a student,” Leigh Bordley, member of the school board, stated at a recent town meeting to discuss the proposal. “To be true to the success of these types of schools, we’ll need that additional funding.”

Bordley went on to claim the R.N. Harris Integrated Arts/Core Knowledge Magnet School serves the same purpose as the proposed all-male academy.

“We are doing it,” Bordley argued. “We’re having success there and we’re not replicating it. I want our resources to go to our neediest children. It takes more than the funds that follow a student to make this successful.”

Bordley’s conjecture is rooted in the type of hyperbole that leaves one wondering if she lives with her head in the sand.  Discussions related to the education of black boys in Durham are held within a context that assumes black boys are playing on an equal playing field.  Something is wrong, and Bordley and her cohorts are making things worse by making assumptions that make it seem they have never taken a step into the world of black male youth.

Eric Becoats, DPS superintendent, stressed the importance of taking extra steps to assure black and brown boys don’t fall through the cracks. Heidi Carter, board chair for DPS, stated she needs more data before moving forward. 

Excuse me.  More data? Suspensions, dropouts and low academic performance aren’t enough data to support pulling your head from the sand to seek a way to rescue these boys.

The school board was handed extensive data that proves the success of all-male schools across the county.  Carter asked for more.  Why do black boys always need more to get a chance to succeed?

 Minnie Forte-Brown, the normally calm and reconciliatory board vice chair, almost busted a fuse when begging board members to think outside the box.

“We know that we have children who are drowning. But what are we going to do to help them?” Forte-Brown said. “I want you to think and stop being scared. You’ve got to step out on faith. We’ve had kitchen table conversations, but we’ve never had the community that’s before you today.”

Amen!

Forte-Brown asked the board to do something. “If it works, it works. If it fails, it fails. But to not do it is unconscionable.”

Board member Omega Curtis Parker asked members not to discount the plan based on cost.

“We can’t stop living or educating these children because times are hard,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to do what we can for our constituency. It’s been presented to us and funds have been identified. But there is a particular segment of our community that needs to be serves, who tend to be minority. Why are we so much against what’s good for our children?”

Becoats continues to emphasize the money is there to support the all-male academy, and that money will not be pulled from existing schools.  He says the school will mirror the Durham School of the Arts and City Medicine Academy in offering small classes with themed instruction.

It hasn’t been enough to sway white board members to consider what the black community has been feeling for years.  From Bill Bell, the mayor, to countless black community leaders – something has to be done before it is too late.

It may not be racist for the white board members to vote against this proposal, but, if they do, it will be virtually impossible for the black community to ever support their right to speak on the behalf of black children.

Look for the turning back of the clock.

 

The Eulogy of a black man's dream

The film Mumia - Long Distance Revolutionary will be shown at the Hayti Heritage Center on Thursday, June 27 at 5:30 pm.  The short film The Manfacturing of Guilt will be shown at 7:45 pm.  Join The Rev-elution, Rachel Wolkenstein (a member of Mumia's defense team and legal consultant for The Manufacturing of Guilt), Jamal Hart (Mumia's son), Keith Cook (Mumia's brother) and local activist for a discusion following both films.

A donation of $5 will go toward supporting the work at the Hayti Heritage Center.

This essay reflects on the underlying emotions associated with the incarceration of Mumia Abu-Jamal

I stepped on the bus draped in black.  I was wearing my death clothes.

Three deaths in one week – two men who mentored me into manhood and a cousin who was more like a sister.  My head remained bowed to hide the tears as bus 9B left the downtown terminal.  The sense of doom filled the air as I struggled to find room for my legs in a seat intended for someone much shorter.

My black Perry Ellis suit, black English Landry shirt and black Kenneth Cole shoes stood in contrast of the attire of the others on the bus.  Hidden beneath my garments was the soul of a hurting man.  The cloud over my head served as a warning that a thunderstorm of tears could come at any moment – like a flashflood.

The bus turned right onto Pettigrew Street. 400 yards later we stopped at that intersection – the one that exposes the best of Durham and the worst of Durham. I gazed at the Durham Performing Arts Center.  Thoughts of past dates flickered in my mind like a movie trailer. I remembered dancing with the group Brick and feeling something deep when Chaka Khan took off her shoes.

A quick moment away from the pending inner rain was shaken by the building across the street.  It reminded me of dismay.  It forced me to contemplate the deep misery begging to break free. The image of black faces hardened by disappointment took center stage.

The county jail.

Thoughts of mentors now dead.  Thoughts of close calls avoided for reasons I will never understand. Thoughts of old games played while pretending to be tough.  Thoughts of black men playing games in a world consumed with making the jail their home.

Could have been me.

Deeper thoughts now.  I wonder how many don’t belong there.  How may didn’t commit the crimes? How many are assumed guilty until proven innocent?

Welcome to the black man’s world.

The jail is the abode for those presumed guilty despite the evidence. The proof of guilt is race.  All of them are that way.  All of them.  Put him away.

The sound of steel bars slamming in my face.  Guilty.  Guilty of being a black man in America.

No, that can’t be true.  What about the American Dream?  What about the lessons I learned from my mentors?  Was it for nothing?  What happens when a black man fights for freedom in a way that counters the interest of the protectors of the white American Dream?

Are you discounted for sharing frustration?  Are you censured for refusing to walk the line of mainline suitability? What happens to those who decry injustice and demand to be heard? What profit is there for those pleading for space in a room controlled by a divergent view?

What happens when you scream for justice?

Do they lock you up? Do they deny you work until you assimilate within a larger culture that defines merit by class?

What happens if you scream?

My mentors taught me to survive based on the assumption that education would level the playing field. They weren’t prepared for this.  They underestimated the hostility among some that keeps a foot on black men’s necks. Too many can’t feel the rage that traps black men in a cycle leading to escalating dysfunction.

They say black men are making excuses. It’s their fault.

I call it death.  What else could it be? Black men watch as others pass them by. They watch as others reap benefits denied them for reasons hard to understand.  They fight to be seen and heard.  They play the game until they discover a set of different rules.

Go to jail.  That’s where you belong.

Madness everywhere you look. Don’t speak. Fit in. Pretend you are just like me. Don’t complain. It’s your fault.  No one is to blame but you.

Pray more. Go to church.  Strip yourself of all that pride.  Get over the truth of a racist history.  Others have made it.  Why can’t you?

The bus turns left onto Roxboro Street. Glasses in my hand in wait of the tears. 

“Mumia Abu-Jamal, they locked you up for telling the truth,” whispers. “They fight against your freedom to deny efforts to keep us back.”

Eyes closed harder now. Head hurting to fight the pain.

“Release us from the pain associated with proving we belong,” more whispers. “Create a place that grants us the freedom to be.”

The jail is behind me now.  We turned right onto Dowd Street, one of Durham’s inner city havens of blues.  Black men crammed the bus headed to the recycling of pain.  Another day of disappointment.  No plan of escape.

Trapped.

We lay to rest the lives of those who believed in better days. They leave behind countless failures.  Their work is left to those who made it to the river.

They’re still waiting for the parting of the river to pave way for the crossing to the other side.

Rest in peace dreams.

Welcome to the nightmare.