Rejoice! This is wholly unprecedented! Two posts in one day? How will your minds stand it? How will they not melt? I wish you luck. So, here is a small background on today. Today used to be Earth Day at my school, well, until it was determined to be "Pagan". So now we have "Wellness Day". One of the speakers, a certain Eric Cooper, came and spoke on diversity. Oh, he infuriated me and now I get to take it all out on you! Brace yourself Dorothy, her comes the tempest.
I hear too much about the "Minority Achievement Gap", and how there aren't enough people of "color" in AP classes, etc. I say that is utter bullshit. First, let me preface by saying that the term "Minority Achievement Gap" is a racist term. Yes, racist. What it espouses is that there is a gap between white kids and the minorities. The minorities are not getting the same grades as the white kids. Of course, no explanation is given for this phenomena. The only thing there is the implication that these kids are failing classes because they are black, or hispanic, or any minority! Like I said, that is racist. Furthermore, it is desperately false. I myself am a minority ( A double minority in fact.) and I am in all AP classes. I know several other people who happen to be minorities and are doing very well in their classes.
I also know many white people who are not doing very well in school. In fact, they are not doing well at all, unless you consider a 70 average good. So what is the answer then? It's true that there is an achievement gap, but it's certainly not based around race. In fact, it is class. There is a Class Achievement Gap. The one thing that the black kids who were failing and the white kids who were failing have in common. They all can be found in the lower classes. It makes a lot of sense, those in the lower classes cannot afford the right tutors, the right books, the right resources as the upper classes. I could bore you with statistics, but I don't have any. I can tell you however that I am right. And I don't expect, nor do I care if you believe me.
The question inevitably arises, then why does it appear that the black kids are the ones that are failing? The answer is sad, but simple. Since slavery, the African-American population has been subjugated over and over again. Even after the Civil Rights Movement, there was still a whole lot of discrimination. Due to the crop-sharing system, and various other factors like the KKK, many blacks were afraid of voting, or of seeking higher education. Look at the Little Rock 9! Even with the power of the Supreme Court behind them, people still tried to stop them from getting to school. Due to many factors such as those, a portion of the black population has ended up in the lower classes, often residing near or in large cities working in dead end jobs. That is not to say that all black people are in the lower class, nor does it mean that there are no white people in the same class. Rather, there is quite a few white people in the lower classes, however, they tend to live in more rural areas. Hispanics are blocked by a very simple thing. The enormous language barrier. Also, many of the immigrants were dirt poor in their country, so they had nothing to start with here.
I believe the term "Minority Achievement Gap" is wildly inaccurate. I would rather extoll the more precise, and more valid "Class Achievement Gap". I ask you to consider what I have written and comment on it. Comment here, to your friends, to your family. This is an important conversation and it is up to you to start it. It is up to you to form your own ideas and question mine. It is up to question the accepted norm. It is in your hands to think and it rests on your shoulders to consider one of the most volatile issues of the day. Good night, and good luck.
