Empower Yourself
The United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (Yup, that is a real name!) released their preliminary findings in February regarding their research into how "racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance..." affect African Americans in the United States. It certainly comes as no surprise that the Working Group's findings are pretty depressing: The recent police killings of African Americans, men in particular, recall the terror of the Jim Crow era lynchings; African Americans, men in particular, disproportionately suffer from mass incarceration, racial profiling, solitary confinement, death penalty prosecutions, and disenfranchisement; the criminalisation of poverty is the most recent systemic policy that disproportionally impacts African Americans. In fact, "the cumulative impact of racially-motivated discrimination faced by African Americans in the enjoyment of their right to education, health, housing and employment, among other economic, social, cultural and environmental rights, has had serious consequences for their overall well-being."
Unfortunately, this type of discrimination begins early. African American students are expelled for such minor and subjective infractions as being disrespectful or loitering, whereas white students are expelled for violating stated rules regarding smoking, vandalism, or profanity. It is again, not surprising, then, to learn that African Americans and Latinos, males in particular, are three and a half times more likely to be suspended or expelled from school, leading to what many call the school to prison pipeline. In the 13 southern states, those numbers increase drastically. So it was refreshing to read "Monks and At-Risk Teens Run School Together With 98% Graduation Rate" on the Huffington Post. Considering a quarter of black and latino youth from low-income families do not graduate high school, the 98% success rate of low-income men of color at the St. Benedict's Prep school is astounding. Most refreshing is the headmaster's understanding that poverty and the emotional stress that comes with it is like a lid tamping down a child's potential. He says, "It’s very rare that cognition is the reason for poor academic performance in our experience — frequently it’s emotional distress.” With this understanding, St. Benedict's Prep focuses on counselling to help the students deal with that emotional stress. In addition to career counselling, the students attend group sessions that help them cope with the emotional problems that hold them back--anger management, family relationships, depression, etc. There are also school psychologists that the students have access to. Of course, the high graduation rate is not due to counselling alone. The students are responsible for a large portion of the school's day-to-day activities, and they rely on each other for support, counselling, tutoring, mentoring and preventing fellow students from succumbing to gang or other harmful influences outside the school. Unfortunately, not all school leadership in the United States is so enlightened. The very next article I read today stated, "three of the five largest school districts in the country prioritize school security above students’ mental health." The article goes on to explain that in the country's largest school districts, there are twice as many security officers than counsellors, despite studies that have shown security officers in our schools escalate confrontations and are a crucial link in the school to prison pipeline. And, as expected, it is students of color from low income communities who are most affected by such policies. "The zip code can determine to some extent the future development of young African Americans. People from Black poor neighbourhoods are more likely to face lower education achievements, more exposure to violence and crime, a tense interaction with the police, less employment opportunities, environmental degradation and low life expectancy rates as well." (The UN Report) It doesn't have to be this way. Zero tolerance policies and policies that seek maximum sentences for even minor infractions have done nothing but crowd our jails, criminalise our youth, and destabilise our society. School budgets that spend more on security than counselling send the message to our communities that mistakes can label our children for life and second chances don't exist, at least not if you are black or Latino. By prioritising security rather than counselling in our schools, we are teaching our youth that authority and 'knowing' your place in the hierarchical order is more important than education, developing character, finding solutions in the face of adversity, freedom, critical thinking, and establishing one's own identity. In other words, all of the things that are meant to make us American. It seems to me we can all learn from the boys at St. Benedict's Prep. Their motto is "Whatever hurts my brother, hurts me." Let's divert some of those funds from security to counselling and dealing with the emotional well-being of our students so they have more of a possibility to reach their potential. In other words, let's have a little more brotherly love in our schools and a little less policing. Sources Statement to the media by the United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, on the conclusion of its official visit to USA, 19-29 January 2016 RACIAL DISPROPORTIONALITY IN SCHOOL DISCIPLINE: IMPLICIT BIAS IS HEAVILY IMPLICATED Study finds higher expulsion rates for black students in SouthMonks And At-Risk Teens Run School Together With 98% Graduation RateThere Are More Officers Than Counselors In The Largest Public School Districts
2 Comments
A few other places where massive changes should take place in our public school system- start applying common sense- have you seen a demonstration of the new common core new math methods- they are insane:
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Linda
3/31/2016 06:23:22 am
I couldn't agree more. It is a travesty that art and gym have been removed from so many schools, especially for the younger kids. And there is nothing wrong with vocational schools.
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AuthorI am a yoga instructor, author and activist. I wrote The Diamond Tree to inspire women to take chances. Even if the outcome of any given risk is different than expected, there is something for the community and the individual to gain from it. Archives
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