Last weeks readings provided an opportunity for me to reevaluate the meaning of being a minority; how it is not only on the forefront of my mind, but how it is always the first thing someone thinks of when they meet me for the first time. Is he black? Is he Hispanic? Is he mixed?
As I experience Mason and the Northern Virginia Region what I am most cognizant of is the extreme diversity in this area. My origins are from Baltimore and my family is from South Carolina. Not necessarily two diverse areas during my up bringing. I find myself examining how this community if forcing me to grow as a person and how my kids will view their country and the world different than I did at the same age.
The readings touched upon the fact of how media and teachers play major roles in forming opinions in the young minds that are watching and participating in the classrooms. The racist outrage that happened after 9/11 testified to the fact on how "the establishment" can make you believe anything! The media wants everyone to believe that all black men are drug dealers, killers and in general deviant. The media is showing us a lazy and will only pick one person of color at a time to represent the good in us, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby. They will not admit that the oppression in which the black community has endured is greater than one or two generations to recover. We were still lynching in the United States in the 1950's and 1960's.
Our teachers are being placed in positions in the inner cities in that they are not teaching, they are forcing data to kids so that they can passed state mandated tests. This isn't learning or teaching critical thinking. This is what our youth need, they need teachers like we had in the 70's and 80's that would force you to write more creative papers and force discussions in classrooms that sparked debates. My wife is a teacher and my brother is a principle and they don't speak about the difficulty of the students as much as they say what they are being forced to do in regards to the "tests" is not teaching.
When reviewing the chapters in this weeks readings it was clear that the fight for equality is long from being won! As a man of color I forget sometimes that I am in the fight with women, but especially women of color. The readings reminded me that affirmative action has benefited white woman far more that it has benefited men and women of color. This brings about discussions earlier in the semester when we were spoke of what black men feel in higher education and how we always have to answer the question "were we let in because of affirmative action?" Well the fact of the matter is that the same student looking at me should be looking at the number of white females that were admitted to that university. The minute number of black males at these large majority institutions should not be in question, the question should be "why are there not more black male on campus?"
The readings also pointed out the low numbers of women faculty and faculty of color in general. Chapter 21 Women of Color in Academe: Living with Multiple Marginality by Caroline Sotello Viernes Turner stated that .05% of full-time faculty members are women of color. How can we infuse a discussion of change in higher education when the person(s) directing the classes are white (men and women)?
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