it wasn't more crack, it was crack, I actually believe the crack epidemic is dying down, but in 1980 it was just starting. and the black community now is in the aftermath of the crisis.
I was referring to the time immediately after segregation..i.e. when black kids had to go to these schools that really didn’t want them there. That’s a big difference from an environment where everyone is supportive (i.e. at HBCU’s today, which are the feeder schools for most black professionals and the majority of blacks in graduate programs). The main issues with schools in times like today are the vast underfunding to inner city schools (usually poor and full of minority students). For example, my nephew is at Booker T. Washington this year and those students have been without lockers ALL SEMESTER. One of the benefits of desegration was supposed to be equality, and we all know that didn’t happen…especially when you have to close up your schools and businesses to assimilate. Sure blacks could enter avenues that they couldn’t before, but how much did they give up (I have no idea which is greater)? I do know that prior to desegration the majority of businesses in black areas were black owned. Now you will be lucky to find one outside of a barber shop…. And bigtexxx, I guess there is a good chance hip-hop will ruin these kids lives as well: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1784347
i think this has a lot more to do with the corporatization (if that's a word) of all of america. most black owned business are mom and pop shots, all of these type of businesses are being eliminated all across this country.
This is complete crap. Throwing more money at these awful schools has been shown to be ineffective. The problem is at home. There's no family structure, no father around, and there's no focus on education - hell, you're called "acting white" if you do well! It's no small wonder there are more blacks in prison that living in college dorms.
have you ever been at a black school? seriously, I get so sick and tired of you so called experts who claim that smart black kids get criticized for "acting white" when you don't what the hell you're talking about. seriously oh yeah, and not funding these schools seems like a real good idea.
yes i have, and I know plenty of black kids that graduate from black schools, and i have plenty of friends who graduated from black schools, and I grew up with kids who graduated from black schools, and on my way to college I was never criticized for "acting white". its the stupidest, most false criticism i've ever heard of black schools. my brother graduated number two in his class from wheatley, and never had a problem with this. people respected him for doing well in school. its a flat out lie. you can be made fun of for "acting white" but it has nothing to do with grades. so don't flatter your white self and think that "acting white" means making good grades.
I think the problem of role models is one that needs to be addressed. What do the typical black kids dream of when growing up? They want to be NBA, NFL, MLB star or a rapper. They do not realize the chance of someone making it to the NBA,NFL,MLB is extremely small. The chance of them becoming a major music star is also extremely small. They should have black professionals as their models, doctors, engineers, accountants, etc. These are very achievable with a college education. However, there are not enough of these around them in everyday life to look up to. I am not sure the successful black professionals put time and efforts in reaching out to the black youth, maybe more black leaders should try to work on this instead of just looking for the next Don Imus all the time.
black professionals put in their time, the problem is the idiots who go after don imus get the media time. unfortunately its a two way street. a black kid looking for mentors can find them, the black kids who arent' usually don't.
That's what I'm talking about. MLK is to Quannell what Abe Lincoln is to George W. Bush. In other words...Quannell can't hold Martin Luther King's jockstrap. He's a pretender to the throne rather than a true leader.
Hmm, more garbage from you. Why am I not surprised…. There is plenty of family structure, fathers and focus on education in the hood (I will admit folks need more fathers though). The issue is that the majority of kids in the hood trying to make it are bused out to other schools (ya know, with updated books, facilities, etc) because their local schools get no support. The quality kids are there. The support for those local schools is not. In the 3rd Ward area, a large chunk of the students (especially high school age kids) transfer out of their zoned school to go to another one (myself included, all of my life). Sylvester Turner recently had a nice article about this in the Chronicle before the bond vote, showing statistics for kids zoned to particular schools that did not go there. And the money that does go to these schools usually goes to things like security cameras, police, metal detectors as opposed to books, infrastructure, etc. I have two degrees and went to a black high school and college, and lived in the hood when I went to my white elementary and mixed middle school…and never had any issues with folks saying I “acted white” because I was smart. Who feeds you this garbage? And there are not more blacks in jail than in college (another dumb myth): http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2003836145_blackmen15.html A simple google search will show you the light if you are really interested in knowing the truth (doubt it). And that’s not even considering all the black women going to college (that greatly outnumber black men). This is obviously a topic that you don’t know too much about. Stick to the threads about defending the Republican party….
It's funny reading through this thread. I'm taking an African-American literature class this semester and it is very interesting reading different writers opinion on the modern popular culture and hip-hop (our subject matter for the entire semester) Plenty of material for my blogs in this thread, keep em comin'! P.S. Some people are going to think what they want to, regardless of..........well basically anything. I feel sorry for them and pray that somehow an open mind supersedes what we grew up with and our negative experiences.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21001543/ ....yep, a simple google search found did indeed find me the answer I stated earlier.
Did you read your own article: "The numbers, driven by men, do not include college students who live off campus. Previously released census data show that black and Hispanic college students — commuters and those in dorms — far outnumber black and Hispanic prison inmates." I am assuming here, but I think you were trying to go with the common myth that more blacks are in prison than college, as support for their being no focus on education. If your point/support in a debate concerning how there is no "focus on education" is that more blacks live in cells than live on-campus, even though more are in college than in cells...then your point/support was really, really, really, REALLY dumb. Wow...now on-campus living is a sign of ones focus on education.
On a somewhat related note, there have been some studies that show sex-segregated schools tend to have a positive effect on scholastic performance, especially when it comes to boys. There are more and more schools experimenting with sex-segregated classes now, and some schools have turned away from the traditional co-ed environment altogether. I remember reading about it a while back, it may have interesting implications moving forward, especially with growing concerns about male students lagging behind their female counterparts.
I think I can sum up the problem in one word: Discipline. The concept has been completely lost on America as a whole, and the problem is only exacerbated when you add poverty and historical discrimination to the mix, which tends to afflict the Black community more so than any other ethnic group. The whole concept of "paying your dues" no longer applies, and there is little to no respect for authority figures (i.e. teachers, parents, etc), and worst of all, kids know they can get away with it, thanks to parents who, instead of supporting their school teachers, actively undermine them. Respect, Discipline, Commitment...
