Education vs. Racism

Dear Mr. President,
Congratulations on your new position. My hope as a young American citizen is that you will utilize the power that comes with your position fully and with the best interest of the people of the United States in mind. You are the trusted individual whom the voting generations have chosen to represent us. The people have voiced what they expect of you and you promised to fulfill their expectations. Many of the younger generations, though, have not been able to let you know their desires. How else would you know how you can help and satisfy the leaders of the future? I have decided to help you help me by informing you about the things that are important to me as a student in the New York City public school system.

You might think that we are living in a post racial time but racism still exists. The racism that remains is a more subtle and sneaky form of the disease. Blacks have come a far way and I don’t believe that they should have to suffer from this ailment of society anymore. Children as young as elementary school age are experiencing racism in their schools. The racism is received from other students and even teachers. The run-ins with prejudice can often evoke feelings as severe as those of the slaves during the Jim Crow era. My own exposure to racism in the New York City public schools resembles that of Richard Wright in his piece The Ethics of Living Jim Crow. In the novel, Richard was discriminated against because he had a characteristic that his boss did not like: he was black. Since he was black, in his boss' opinion he was lucky to have a job where white folk were involved. Richard realized that white people had a lot of resources and he was hoping that he would receive a glimpse into the work they do and maybe gain a few pointers. The whites weren't thinking that this information could make Richard a better worker. They only thought of the fact that they were educating a Negro and, in effect, they were making the Negro smarter and closer in equity to the white man.

Similarly, I was judged unfairly when a teacher determined whether or not I could go first in my group. My seventh grade teacher, Ms Roos, decided that the person in my group with the longest hair would go first. Naturally, the hair of a White, Asian, or Spanish girl would be longer than that of a Black girl. Ms Roos’ actions showed preference for a certain race; this is racism. The length of my hair could not rightly determine how smart I was. The situation was used to label me unqualified for the position (even though I was not) and to exclude me from a higher position. In Richard's case, when he asked to learn, Pease said, 'Nigger, you think you're white, don't you?', rather than accepting that Richard would have liked to learn something from the job. Richard was as frustrated as I was. He said, 'I worked hard...I was not learning anything and nobody was volunteering to help me,' and the white men left him with their final thought: 'This is a white man's work around here, and you better watch yourself!'(Page 88) I went to a school where there were more white children than any other race. For my teacher to make a rule so that I did not have a chance to go first based on my profile as a student made me feel as if the world was not fair and I would always be discriminated and excluded in life because of simple and unimportant things like my hair or skin color. These thoughts can damage the minds of our black children and cause them not to want to succeed or even try in life. We cannot allow this to happen.

To prevent this from happening, Mr. President, you need to address some serious problems that plague the black community. The educational system in minority populated areas is disintegrating. The schools in areas where black students and other minorities reside have to be improved. The schools in minority populated areas are not on par with the schools in white populated areas. The black children are learning a lot less at a later time than the white children and as a result, the black children are not succeeding like the white children; they are lagging behind. This is not fair to the black children who realize this fact late in their lives when they have entered college and realize that they are behind the white students in progress. If all men are equal under the law and in God’s eyes, then the resources available to all men must be the same. The black students are suffering and we have to make a change. I am appealing to you, our highest representative in our democratic government to make this change happen. The schools need better facilities, teachers, and guidance counselors to encourage the students who may not be motivated by their parents. The Department of Education must stop cutting funds for the after school programs that allow students to spend time doing homework with access to computers. We need to invest more in the lives of our black youth. The President before you spent the tax payers’ money on wars. I trust that you will make better use of the money by saving for the futures of the children. The money could be used to supply these schools with the modern technology. The black children need to know how to use these new technologies. Every school should have a library. Many of the schools in the city do not have a space that is reserved for a library. The students should have a library in the schools to teach them about the Dewey Decimal System and how to use it. It should be used to introduce them to the world of books. If no one tells them how great books are, then what will motivate them to visit the public library on their own. Teachers are a big deal in a student’s learning experience and their understanding of the material that they are taught. Students need involved teachers who go beyond the watered down curriculum of the city schools. A program should be set up so that if the students are not doing their homework at home then they will eat and do homework at lunch time or they will have a time designated for studying. The textbooks in these schools need to be updated. They are torn, outdated and over used.

Also, the foods in these schools need to be improved. Lately studies about obesity are being conducted and it shows that many black students are likely to become obese. The schools in urban areas cannot afford to buy healthy food for their students. Every now and then they serve a vegetable-filled egg roll or a veggie-burger but it is not often enough because black kids are getting fatter. School should be an experience that teaches students about life and what they need to succeed. Therefore, it should teach them that eating healthy is essential. The black folk are dying about five years earlier than the white folk. This is partially because they cannot afford healthy food because they have low incomes because they did not go to school or because they were not motivated to go to college. Everything points back to the schooling of the children in the black community. That the former President opted to spend the tax payers’ money on the war rather than on the education of the American youth sickens me. The black community elected a qualified politician who has our best interest in mind. This politician is you. We needed a President who cares about the education of the kids of the future, not only the white ones but also the black ones. These children need someone to care about them or they won’t care about themselves. How can they care about their progress if no one shows interest in their progress? If the parents will not get involved and pay attention, the teachers and school community need to pay attention and make sure that the children succeed. Remember, it takes a village to raise a child the right way. Being a teacher does not only involve teaching a subject and handing out grades. Teachers are the back-up and support for the student when the parents aren’t there. Teachers are the encouragement that every child needs. Teachers provide the praise when a child does well. Teachers are the key to sparking a child’s imagination. Teachers are the future for our black children.

Mr. President, we cannot progress as a society and a country and a people when ideas as faulty as racism are maintained pervasively in America. Amending the state of the city schools will have a long term effect on the abundance of racism throughout the United States. When the black children receive an education that is on the same level as the education that the white children are receiving, our society will more readily accept blacks as assets to our country. Also, the whites who are bosses of the blacks will not underestimate them because of their race. We will see more black CEO’s in the corporate world. In addition, when the black children realize that they are equal to the white children in educational aspects, they will stop hiding and they will be more comfortable in their skin and they will succeed. Hopefully, when these changes are achieved, the future black students will not experience the bar from education that Richard Wright received in the Jim Crow era or the prejudice that I experienced in middle school. As president, you are our highest hope besides God. Know that the black community has put their full trust and hope into your efforts. Make us proud!

Sincerely,

Kristina Bryce