The comment made by the Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, stated that black students should attend schools that match their speed. This was not only rude but misinformed. As an African American and a college graduate and I have seen the difference between predominately black high schools, and how they can put African Americans at a disadvantage compared to White schools. I would like to detail my own experiences going to schools where the majority of the students were black and then going to a Predominately White Institution. I want to describe the things that could give others the impression that black students are not as intelligent as White students. One of the main problems is that our teachers lowered the expectations for black students. The work I did in high school was very remedial. During the first few weeks of college, I realized that the books I was reading in some of my college courses had already been read by many of my White counterparts. They were also prepared to write at the college level. They were familiar with all of the writing styles, APA, MLA and Chicago style. My childhood friend who attended Case Western University and graduated high school with a 3.9, also struggled with the material, but took the time to study, in order to make up for her lack of knowledge. Although, we attended different colleges in Ohio, she told me a White woman in her class had also used one of their science books already while she was in high school. During class discussions, I realized the White student's vocabulary was more advanced. I would often write down words I heard in class and Googled their definitions after class. Some other reasons lie in the fact that black students have internalized this idea that we are not intelligent, so much so that many of them bully those that demonstrate their intelligence. The learning process is often interrupted by bad behavior and school fights. Many African American students feel compelled to live up to their stereotype, so they accept the mediocrity that is expected of them. While African Americans, may seem slow some are simply displaying the result of not working on the same level as Whites for years. The first year of college is spent catching up. Many have the idea that black people are innately dumb. There are even some white patients who refuse service from an African American doctor. I feel it is important to explain all the factors that contribute to this perception. 12/21/2015 11:43:32 pm
Is there something that you think would change this vicious cycle? I am from Europe so it's hard to really get it, but I do follow the news closely and it's quite shocking how black people are constantly pushed into the niche formed for them, and each time they try to break through someone dies. Truly horrifying. I haven't read about many solutions apart from educate people more, but this takes time, and the US is so awfully large... What do you think? Comments are closed.
|
AuthorMy name is Kiara and writing is the way I express myself. Archives
March 2017
Categories
All
|