October 26, 2014 - 21:22
** so sorry for my late post!
My Mom’s educational experience always comes to mind when I think about how identity plays out in access to education. My mom had a very unique American educational experience. My mom attended all Black schools from the beginning of her schooling all the way through college. She grew up in segregated Atlanta, GA during the 70’s, a time when Atlanta was considered one of the country’s first Black Metropolises. Her community was raged from lower to upper middle class, and all of the businesses, schools, and other forms of social services were run by the Black people in her community. The teachers, doctors, store owners, firemen, policemen, etc, were all Black. To some, growing up in a segregated community is considered as limiting and insular, but I argue that that is not true for all cases. The racial climate of america at this time (and still today) was not a welcoming place for Black Americans or people of color in general. People of color were constantly (and still are) marginalized, chastised, subjugated, and treated as “other” in the country that they called their own. Some of the only places that Black Americans could find safety was in comfort of their homes or communities. This need for a safe-space in a country that forced them to live on the outskirts of society was what fueled the organic all black community that my mom was raised in. Every child in my mom’s neighborhood had access to the same education no matter what class they fell into. The community as a whole took on the responsibility of educating/caring for the children of their community. My mom tells stories of how she was never truly conscious of race or never internalized the negative stereotype-derived projections of the Black race that unfortunately pervaded the psyche of many Black children back then (and today) because of the dominate white hegemony that was (and is) america. Being surrounded by people like her, she never had to question her competency as a Black person compared to another race, she was able to construct a positive perception of herself based on the constant positive reinforcement she received by having tangible positive Black role models in and outside of school. Her teachers were able to teach her the standard white narrative america while bringing out its color by adding the missing cultural contexts. My mom had the unique privilege of learning about her people in a country that usually silences their stories. She continued to pursue her all Black education after secondary school and attended one of the country’s best Historical Black College/University (HBCU). There she had her first encounters with the White America she learned about all her life in school, but was well equipped to challenge its systems because she was able to see past its oppressive racial binaries. Her college taught her how to speak the language of power while preserving her racial integrity. It was there that she was first exposed to Black people from all over the world, all bring a different Black narrative to the table. She internalized and enjoyed her experience so much that she worked hard to replicate these teachings with her children (MEEE) during their experience in the American education system. She did this because she realized the cultural and personal advantage that a person can have if they are given the opportunity to learn about who they are in an educational setting. Again, people argue that these self segregating environments can be limiting because it won’t prepare you for the “real world” that generally does not/will not cater to you specific needs… but I argue that this environment is exactly what many children being socialized in white america need in order to see themselves beyond the subjugated and radicalized identities given to them by this society.