Forgive them Father
Now I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t watch Black in America pt. I…I didn’t like it from jump because they (CNN) felt the need to interview only those students at HBCU universities and an HBCU student is not living in an accurate depiction of America, that’s not my opinion, thats FACT. I believe that HBCU’s have outlasted their purpose but I don’t knock those who choose to attend them. I suppose there is some unique experience that I will never understand (and gladly pass on, I see my people everyday I’m from Atlanta). I also didn’t like that Black men were separated from Black Women and Children…thats the damn problem…but I suppose the documentary was meant to bring light to those situations (although I think its not really a secret) That being said, I was hesitant to watch BiAII, but it came on right after the Presidential address and the topic was focused on young leaders, so I stayed tuned. I have to say that I was not disappointed. I was most moved by Dr. Steve Perry, principal of the Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut…he spoke of education being the great equalizer (YES) and voiced his frustration over the lack of parental participation in their children’s education despite Capital Prep having a 100% graduation rate and 100% 4-year college attendance rate. It made me angry as well…during the election, and every election prior to this one, education is ALWAYS my primary concern. I won’t even start on my rant because I’ll get angry again…but I really wish people would emancipate themselves from mental slavery…I voiced a few of my frustrations on the book of faces via my status and here was the response:
Jess: I wish everybody was as passionate about Education as they were about Vick goin to jail….*sigh* I hope Steve Perry inspired somebody tonight!!! Yall havin all these damn kids…can u read to them please?
Tiff: well if your mom is 12 years older than u, that kind of messes up the whole idea of knowing what it takes to raise a successful child. because that starts in the womb. but its hard to realize that when you’re primary concern for the day is which lunch table you’re gonna sit at in the cafeteria and what cartoon you’re gonna watch when u get home from school.
Jess: Tiff you preachin to the choir…they make sure their kids have the news Jordan’s and the latest South Pole outfit but kid is 4 and can’t read…SCHOOL should be reinforced learning, teach them at home *throws a Nike box*
Mik: go ahead and sign them up for some extra curriculars too. No need to go through life and not be good at anything.
Jess: Nah Mik you know if nothing else lil man man and Tyke gonna be on somebody’s Rec team…
Tiff: ***lightbulb flashes again*** it’s also difficult to get the idea of teaching at home when you’re 12 and still read at a 3rd grade level. u don’t see the point of homework or school (because u feel like u are going to be an MD although your current GPA is a 1.2 in 8th grade — long story, I can tell you later) so u definitely aren’t gonna spend a few hours each day teaching your toddler sight words and the basics of pneumonics and putting letter sounds together (which should be known BEFORE entering kindergarten, which means it is the PARENTS’ responsibility). Ok, I think I’ll get off my soap box now………Oh, my bad. Disregard everything I just said. I forgot, the baby’s gonna grow up and play in the NBA/NFL! Well, that solves all those education issues I was worried about. My bad.
Mik: oh yeah we did go to school with a bunch of them. How many got drafted again out of the whole team? God forbid you can read and run fast.
Jess: And sadly the people who need to read these words are posing in the bathroom with their Metro phone taking a semi nude picture for their MySpace/Twitter
Whit: Lord when will we raise our children 2 be something other than athletes and rappers. Our people are the cradle of knowledge, we just always fail 2 rock it:-(
Jess: BC we hate ourselves….chasing ideals fed to us by generations past and this helplessness….this tendency to blame and forego ACCOUNTABILITY its sickening…And then those who dare to dream or strive for more than mediocre are called uppity or sell outs….
Tiff: my favorite term is “trying to be white” WTF. as dark as i am, i could never try that.
Jess: Right! Don’t categorize me just because you don’t dare to want better for yourself?!
Whit: You know that leads me 2 another question. Why do we as black people always try to hold each other back with ridicule instead of encouraging each other? And why when one black person is doing well he or she never wants to help out their fellow bother or sister so that they can do well too? Why dont we ever want to share the wealth?
Jess:You know..i learned this @ church…it takes someone of STRONG character to be able to celebrate a fellow man’s (or woman’s) successes…. The mark of friendship isn’t can you be there when I’m down, its can you be there when I’m rising up??? in short…hating ass haters LOL
Can’t speak for everyone but I grew up in an all majority neighborhood, went to highschool there so I longed to be aroudn more of my people. Tuskegee University did that for me. To me, my HBCU is more than just black people, it means a lineage and a history that I was never taught in grade school and a chance to be around people who were like me. My radical BlackPanther professor put it best when he called me out ‘you’re so used to being the smartest in your class KarBar, well welcome to your new world were EVERYONE is the smartest kid in the class’. The minorities I went to school with weren’t as artiuclate and intelligent as my collegemates, so while yes JDubb I do agree with you, I think the lil niglets on #BIA2 should expand their minds and not attend prodominately black schools, I totally support their reasons to. There is too much history in HBCU just to let them fall by the wayside.