[Image: ProPublica.org]
I work in a high school library in a rather conflicted position. While at work, I have to present some veneer of authority as I, for example, sign kids in, ask for passes, ask them to follow procedures, and the like. In my regular day to day life, however, I am not authoritative at all; the most important authority lies inwardly and I understand that if there is any hope for these children, they must come to grasp this fact. However, most of the teachers in the school I work at have this ideal that they hold (either serious or sardonic), that somehow through hard work–regardless of one’s circumstances–will put them on the path to success. In order to keep them on the “path to success”, the faculty–including myself, unfortunately–has to be more or less be stern and convincing of out authority.
However, in all honesty, I gave up on the notion that academic achievement can bring you societal success–especially for black children–years ago, especially under this current model. The truth is, I believe that there are very few truly successful individuals, in the deepest sense of the word, and most of them have not found their existential liberation through lectures at school. Now, I am not making a case against learning; in fact, it is the most important thing to understand that in this world, learning is a continuous process. I am, however, pressing the issue that schooling does the exact opposite, for as Baldwin stated, “Education is indoctrination if you’re white – subjugation if you’re black.” When we often talk about education, we talk about the system of education, and as with all systems, we cannot talk about it without talking about the values associated with that system. If one is to take Baldwin’s quote into consideration, one will see how white students are naturally indoctrinated to observe black and brown students with a quiet superiority, while to be a black or brown student is to be subjected to a passive fatalism. This fatalism resides in the fact that, no matter how hard you may try (and, even “succeed”, as was once said to me), you are set up to fail–whether in actuality or in the eyes of another–at some point. It also resides in the teachers, principals, guidance counselors, telling you that they are “sorry” that your chances of getting into college are almost non-existent; pandering to their sense of self-righteousness rather than actually providing guidance. As a result, there is a conflict, often, between black children in education and those ordained to teach them.
This occurs every so often and this recently occurred between a student, a young black girl that frequents the library, and myself. I won’t go into the details about what happened, but let’s just say that the exchange between us led me to realize the antiquated means by which we analyze the behaviors that young (black) children exhibit. What disturbed me about the encounter was not the fact that we had a back and forth (in all honesty, I don’t take these things personally) but rather the fact of how she, and others, are labeled as once they get written up in the VADIR (Violent and Disruptive Incident Report) directory. Instead of this being seen for what it actually was–a minor conflict between a teenager who was upset for whatever (probably justifiable) reason, and an adult who had low patience at the moment, she HAD—in the same sense that we “have” to accept problematic behavior as normalcy–to be labeled as an “offender”. What else can you expect from a system that automatically assumes that a fed up adolescent is violent and disruptive? I may have been “offended” by the student for a moment as she cursed at me (she didn’t curse me out, though she did call me ugly and I would have to agree with her), but I was not offended to the point of branding her as, essentially, a criminal. In addition, I am much more offended at the system, inside and outside of school, that contributes to preconditions that breed these behaviors in black children, as well as the oppression against them.
This would be forgivable if this were not a precursor to the subjugation that this girl, and others like her, will face throughout her life. From the moment of birth, a black or brown child in this country is born with two strikes (and this is me being generous). Of course, I do understand that there are, indeed, black people who have risen above their circumstances in this country; mostly financially. However, they have understood–or at least will find out–that in most cases, this does not matter. Your skin has branded you a threat, and no matter how much you may coon like Elder or pander, there are those that do not care about your success, academic or otherwise. And it could cost you your life.
I do not know how other districts operate in terms of hierarchy from an administrative standpoint but I can only guess they are very similar to the Albany High School District, for two reasons. One reason is because, no matter how much we may succumb to our illusions, ALL districts in education across these United States follow a common thread of exploitation; some just work better at covering it up. The other fact is that I, as an inner city kid growing up in Staten Island, New York (shoutouts to Shaolin) have always experienced the so-called benefits of school from a cursory perspective. That is to say, while I may have achieved high grades, been on the honor roll and everything else, I was only “respected” as a human being while listening in class and being a good little nigger, and even this required the most stringent of conditions. Being on the honor roll did not stop me from being in handcuffs as the result of leaving school innocently; nor did it stop my fellow classmates, that lived miles away from my neighborhood, from calling me nigger, while teachers did nothing about it.
Even more unfortunate is the fact that, for most of my brothers and sisters that went to school as a way to escape the reality of their home life they did not garner any respect or compassion from our teachers. For my brother Brandon growing up, school did not provide a way for his parents to pay the rent. It is the job of the parents to work long hours to make ends meet, not to make sure their children flourish scholastically. For I.S. 61 though, he did not achieve academically, so what did it matter? He obviously will never contribute anything to society (besides being one of the greatest MC’s to walk the planet). And while the young girl that I had an argument with will, hopefully, find herself and transcend the confines of the limitations naturally placed upon her, she will probably be one of the many black women who are demonized–and ostracized–for expressing her justifiable disappointment with the world. I do hope, though, that somehow by the time she’s my age, the world will come to its senses.
Almost every teenager growing up in this world has an angst within them, though we do not acknowledge the fact of why one may have a different trepidation from another. We do not take into account that the black child, who may have bore a child herself, is going through something much different and much more serious than the child who is given everything–though, often times, not love–while both parents are still in the home. I feel sorrow for both children; it is just apparent who is, more often than not, given the benefit of the doubt constantly and who is, as mentioned before, doomed. While I have come to observe that white supremacy ultimately fails everybody, white people at least have the privilege of being forgiven of their transgressions. Meanwhile, if you happen to be a black ex-convict, that’s all you’ll ever be, even at your most heroic.
Ultimately, there cannot be a true flowering of education within this current model, lest there be a truthful dialogue about what we mean by “education”. What I mean by that is we have to be truthful about what we want kids to learn and, even more importantly, we have to reveal the hidden prejudices regarding what white people believe black children should learn. This goes beyond the feeble (and flawed) notion of getting kids, for example, to read because “that’s what they need to learn how to do, in order to thrive in society”. What we need to be asking ourselves is just how black people got to the point where we had to speak the King’s English, even though none of us look like Queen Elizabeth. Furthermore, we need to ask ourselves why we believe that, no matter what may be going on in a black child’s life, that a lecture will somehow, magically, change their circumstance.
Shaka Senghor spoke about how once he left prison, he was set up for failure. Prison is a place where the damned go home, for once you commit a crime in this society, there is no forgiveness. We cannot pride ourselves as being “the greatest nation in the world” if we do not reconcile with facts. And there can never be true reconciliation, on either end, until we are able to address the truth about ourselves, regardless of how uncomfortable we may be talking about it. I see black kids, everyday, walk the hallways, with various life experiences. Some do strive for academic achievement, others are–rightfully so–disillusioned by their teachers, this system, this hell. And I know there are some teachers who conflate all of this experiences into one, giving no deeper analysis, nor care, to the nuance of each situation. These children get into altercations, most of which are not even a result, truly, of the parties involved. They are looked at with contempt and damnation. They are thought to be savages, who are not to be trusted.
But they never shot up the school though.
Return of the Native Son 