Part 1 -- Silence the Violence

Black students are being sifted away from their futures by a racist straining device - the school system.

An activist once declared that “the educational system was structured to carry out a political agenda,” and, judging by recent history, it sure seems so. The statistics are unapproachable. Grimier, is the reality that encloses them. No one with a functioning conscience can deny it: Black children have been violated by the school system. They are being victimized in every way imaginable. And let it be clearly understood that those statistics are not a delineator of their incompetence, but rather, an indictment of a system that is, in its very nature, incapable of educating them adequately and appropriately. The school system has made clear its mission, and it goes without saying that this mission never considered (still doesn’t) the future of Black children as attention-worthy. What we have in return, is a neo-colonizing of the educational process, where the dreams and aspirations of Black children are bought and sold on the auction block of standardized testing. To a considerate degree, this scheme has found success.

The underperformance of Black students on state-sponsored tests is championed, by many, as emblematic of intellectual deficiency. Black children: dumb, White children: smart. In essence, the bell curve is validated in perpetuity. But, behind this veil lies the truth - a sobering one: Those tests were never meant to assess academic proficiency. No. They were constructed to separate the wheat from the chaff. And in this instance, Black students are being sifted away from their futures by a racist straining device - the school system. Unless we begin challenging those dogmas that sustain this device, the violence will continue unabated. . . .

A black child, walking into a classroom at the early age of five, soon comes to realize the truth about his/her function in the educational system. At Kindergarten, this function is actualized. The child notices a difference shared with the other children of lighter complexion. They - the White ones - are more advanced, and have already found their niche in the classroom. But the Black child is still lost in this unknown universe. This strange environment. Naturally (and logically), the narrative of inferiority becomes personalized - even at such young an age. The Black child is unable to piece together this puzzle, but doesn’t fail to notice how out of sync from the rhythm of education he/she is. What the Black child knows, however, is that his/her peers were introduced to a form of education that pre-dates their enrollment in Kindergarten.

This prior engagement could be the demarcating line between success and failure, for many Black children. Because universal crèche programs (preschool daycare) are still a non-reality, Black children are largely left out, at the start of the race, but still expected to catch-up, somehow. The lack of Preschool education becomes their first introduction to a world dictated by privilege and prowess. This is victimization, and nothing else. . . .

In his lectures on Education, Emerson poignantly outlined the fundamental qualities of genuine, student-centered pedagogy:

However, the number of those fighting on the other side far outweighs that on our side. Their arsenal is larger, and their drive, judging by recent history, blows ours to smithereens. But our history has no shortage of David and Goliath folktales, and once again, David will conquer Goliath - if we have the fortitude and determination to win the battle.

For many White teachers, who hold unprecedented leverage over the hearts and minds of their students, Black children must either adapt to the Eurocentric paradigm of education created without their interests in mind, or drop-out of it.

One of those wholesomely dedicated to the struggle of making this dream actualized, is Asheru (Gabriel Benn); a Hip-Hop artist, Peabody Award-winning writer, and educator. Co-founder of the Hip Hop Educational Literacy Program (H.E.L.P.), Asheru is a rare individual - confident enough to put his time where his title is.

Asheru agrees, right off the bat, that Black children are not being “treated fairly” by the educational system. He arrived at this conclusion because a “disproportionate number [of them] are being shipped shifted into Special Ed programs, and labeled as ‘emotionally disturbed’.” He contends that the cause of this shifting actually “boils down to a cultural difference,” rather than a deficiency “on the part” of Black children. As a result, Black students are “held to a standard that is not only unrealistic, but also not culturally conducive” to their learning process.

Asheru makes the distinction between teachers and educators. In his forthcoming book (work in progress), “The Urban Educator’s Manual: What Your Master’s Degree Program Didn’t Teach You,” he writes: “Educators are those who make the strange, familiar and the familiar, strange.” Educators “think outside of the box, integrate technology, are not afraid of being vulnerable, are open to change, are life-long learners, are culturally-responsible. They find teachable moments in everything.” Some of the “common trappings” of “regular, old teachers,” he explains, is that “they look at [teaching] as ‘just another job’.” This leads to the “further marginalization of students.” In his upcoming book, he hopes to convey to teachers how much of a responsibility they have in imparting upon inner-city students the gift of “liberation.”

Asheru sees literacy as a non-negotiable factor in the educational development of Black children: “When we talk about literacy, we don’t just mean ‘reading’. We’re talking about financial literacy, cultural literacy, environmental literacy, [and so on]. We want kids to be ‘in the know’. That’s just the bottom line.” The educational system, Asheru argues, currently teaches Black students to “fall in line.” Independent thinking isn’t appreciated. The students are expected “not to question what they’re being taught.” True education, however, teaches Black children “to teach themselves, so they can be self-sufficient.” . . .

Whether Black children remain statistics in White institutions, and fall mercy to the godless grace of arrogant White teachers, is hardly the focus of our fight. Our fight is a larger and luminous one. Additionally, it must be clearly registered that this article is not meant, in any way, to disparage the good works some White teachers are putting forth in the lives of Black students; but rather, to lay bare the truth, that we may forge a successful path toward victory.

Talent-assessment vs. Talent-development 

To forge a successful path toward victory, the journey ahead must be placed in proper perspective. Very few are more qualified than Dr. Janice Hale, in this aspect. As the author of three books, Black Children: Their Roots, Culture, and Learning Styles , Learning While Black: Creating Educational Excellence for African American Children , and Unbank the Fire: Visions for the Education of African American Children , two of which were nominated for Pulitzer prizes, and a life-long educator, Dr. Hale knows best what criteria must be addressed to guarantee success in the long haul. The founding director of Institute for the Study of the African American Child (ISAAC), she has dedicated her life to assuring educational prosperity for Black children.

“There is a game of hide-and-seek [being played], there is a rat race [being run],” says Dr. Hale. “And parents who are connected to the ‘culture of power’ [can ensure] their children are stimulated at an early age.” This is a “political issue,” she says. Because of a lack of “universal preschool education,” Black children are more likely to “start off behind.” Medication then becomes the remedy for their shortcomings, because “nobody wants to be bothered.” This practice, in the eyes of unenlightened observers, “looks fair because the child [supposedly] doesn’t have the skills. So, the educational enterprise dismisses the child.”

As Dr. Hale sees it, the education system “is a rat race, and the people who are equipped to run it are creating escalating standards, and Black children are [being] victimized by those standards.” Black children, she says, are being “washed out at earlier and earlier ages.” Capitalism, a philosophy that “takes from the needy and gives to the greedy,” is the problem, she asserts. And the notion of “raising standards” is built upon that foundation.

“We as intellectuals in our community must change the cultural ethos,” says Dr. Hale. Black children need “culturally-appropriate pedagogy.” The “survival-of-the-fittest” structure, within which the school system currently functions, promotes the psychology of defeat to which Black students are cast. Until educators move from a “talent-assessment” orientation to that of “talent-development,” Dr. Hale sees a gloomy future for Black children. She lays out a sobering example: