Public education has failed Black students. Tragically, by virtually any measure, they are behind all other groups, including immigrant Latino students who have been in the U.S. for only three years. At the federal, state and local levels there have been some programs that relate to African American students.
Black men, according to the Federal Bureau of Justice statistics, have nearly a one-third chance of being incarcerated at some point in their lives.
If Black leaders again embrace a group-oriented model grounded in moral and ethical values, Black life will undoubtedly improve.
For the most part, Black rage exists submerged, but for poor Blacks, rage is barely below the surface, primed to explode at any time. So in varying degrees Blacks tend to submerge feelings of rage, but even the more passive explode periodically. Research about Black rage focuses largely on individuals, but examining overt group rage is equally important.
We internalized the poison fruit of Willie Lynch’s dehumanizing methods for controlling Black slaves which remain in the collective Black psyche.
Donald Trump’s indescribably chaotic, insensitive and destructive presidency borders on surreal. But, how will Blacks in particular, navigate the increasingly hostile social, political and economic challenges it portends? Many, if not most of us, are more adept at perpetuating rather than alleviating a status quo that is not in our own best interests. Is it because, among many other reasons, the Black community overwhelmingly permits Black leadership, in general, to act in self-serving ways that do not actually benefit the community? Whatever the reasons, our people’s mindsets and behavior must change if things are to be different. Most likely, this will only happen when, collectively, we are sufficiently dissatisfied to think and behave differently. This is the quintessential but accomplishable challenge.
Since the civil rights era, there’s not been sustained outrage to high-profile incidents, or countless other similar incidents of police abuse.
Donald Trump is dangerously narcissistic and had already raised many disturbing questions about his racism, “whiteness” and ability to effectively lead this nation. Last week, he exposed himself as blatant racist who operates at the lowest degree of “whiteness.” Here’s some of what Trump said.
The current norm, silence, reinforces violence in Black communities and must be reversed.
An awkward silence intruded an otherwise lively and informative panel discussion on the implications of today’s critical challenges for African Americans.
Conservatives’ claim that identity politics, as practiced by Blacks and other people of color is not the “American way” is both hypocritical and patently false.
We must never minimize the fundamental importance of being unified especially since Blacks have not been unified on key social, political, economic and ethical issues for many years.
Those groups and individuals interested in improving educational outcomes for Black children should understand the devastating impact of the neglect and degradation Black students have always suffered, and often simply because of the way they speak.
Terrible de-humanizing injustices have been visited on Black people in the United States, but there is never a good reason to collaborate in one’s own destruction.
Actual change means developing new realities grounded in common values that benefit not only Black workers but the entire Black community.