Courtesy of the Washington Post.

 
First and foremost, kudos to Michael Alison Chandler for an extremely well written article.  What impressed me the most is that it wasn’t written from the perspective of what’s wrong with blacks or why education isn’t working or anything as silly as that.  This is truly an article examining the rationale used by parents seeking better for their children.  Two thumbs up to you.
 
I think that everyone who reads my blog can agree that we recognize a disparity in regards to educating black children.  It is not uncommon for smart black kids to feel that being smart is not cool.  Or that clubs/classes/activities that highlight and encourage high academic achievement or not for them.  It’s true and it’s not a new problem.  When I moved to Oklahoma from Texas I was 2 years advanced in mathematics and science.  I was immediately placed in Geometry, Chemistry, and AP English.  The simple classes that my classmates were taking as electives didn’t appeal to me so I signed up for Business Marketing and joined DECA…..then I signed up for the Entrepreneur class sponsored by the local Junior Achievement branch where we learned about the stock market and competed in a test of finances. By my junior year I was the teacher’s assistant for that class, a student council officer and the Vice President of the National Honor Society.  My senior year I had won several awards from DECA competitions for my marketing skills and was the yearbook copy editor because as you all know…I can write my tail off.
 
Yep you guessed it….in ALL of that I was the only black person.  The only speck of color in every single picture.  My other black classmates were busy competing for the title of best dancer and best dressed while I was striving to be Student of the Month.  Not because they weren’t equally as smart as I was…..but because they were cool and it’s not cool to be smart. I remember being berated for insisting the school offer Calculas and then being the only student of 6 to receive an A. They said that I thought I was better than everyone.
 
Where exactly did this concept come from?  What generation decided that the equal opportunity our grandparents marched and were jailed for wasn’t cool?  The better question appears to be; how do we combat that?  How do we explain that cool is having the opportunities and skills necessary to live well in life (financially).  Cool is having the good sense to hold a conversation on any level.
 
The club that these parents started seems to be the perfect step in the right direction but I have to question something.  You’ll notice that all of these parents come from educated and professional backgrounds.  They are teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc…..  Is this something that other parents can do?  Can the schools in the low test areas cooperate like those in suburbia do?  Is it possible to take this formula and transfer it to poverty stricken schools and achieve the same success?  The most obvious obstacle would be the mindset of the parents.  I can agree that you will find more concerned parents in the suburbs (where the predominately white schools are) than in the hood.  Not only that but I am almost positive that the level of dispair the teachers are experiencing is also a factor.
 
Direct quote:But even with their advantages, these parents say they worry about the images of African American men that their sons absorb from popular media. Carter said he started noticing his son and his friends strutting, letting their pants sag and picking up slang. He became troubled when they started doubting their abilities in advanced math and science.

Carpenter said she understands that her son now cares most about his friends and being cool. So she figures if she can get all of the boys to buy into the idea that math is cool, too, then they will help one another succeed.
 
At one of the gatherings the boys were even bragging to each other about how many A’s they received. This is not only motivation but these parents have created a peer support system based on achievement. That is amazing! Now how do we get that message out to the entire nation? Will you be passing that story on to your friends like you do the email with the ghetto prom pics? It obviously has to start with us.
 
Any ideas, suggestions, comments?