My friend's daughter has been placed in an all-black class, What should they do?

[Plant City Rebel]

It's actually more of a separate class, which the parents have to sign permission slips for.  However, The entire school attends morning assembly together( in their respective classes), says the Pledge, hear announcements for the day, have a quick prayer and then adjourn to class.    On Wednesday, they have their religion class, or Character Education as they call it, over at the Church's Sanctuary that initially sponsored the school, and is now in the process of building a new campus for the school.  Of course, a bunch of financial support also comes from the parents.  It basically is a private school without the tuition.

That really disturbs me. It's like what my mom's school was like, except with only one religion instead of classes for each religion. Mind you, my mom went to school thirty years ago in Bangladesh.

They actually do cover other religions, and they are real good about not interjecting any opinion on any other religion into the classes.  Granted these are school kids, but she's not coming home spouting opinions she has no clue about. 

A lot has changed in 30 years as far as education goes. 

[Gustaf]

I'm am appalled by the amount of racism that some people are capable of.  It's quite disturbing. This is the problem and shame with America. Every other country has gotten past the point where race is an issue at all. We still blame each other for the problems in our country. Racists like the ones who live in this country are truly disgusting. Those are the people who should be deported out of this great country. So much progress is held back through racism. Maybe I should move somewhere like Canada or Brazil.

ugh. Shame on all of you who have an inkling of racism.

If my child were placed in the worst school in the area, I would not try to pull her out, but rather would question why the school is doing so poorly. Why is so little money spent on this school? Why is the education so poor?

The child is not the failure. The system is.

Lol. Good that you don't have any kids.

[JSojourner]

Thanks to liberal permissiveness, the hip-hop culture that objectifies women, promotes violence, and denigrates education has become pervasive in the black community. 

LMFAO.

Yes, a more accurate explanation of why her classmates would abuse this poor lone whitey is that they themselves have been abused, impoverished, etc., by a group of which she is in a sense a member.

Well said, Opie.

Can't speak to school, but my daughter (and her parents) live in a mostly black neighborhood.  I wish the rest of you had such wonderfully decent neighbors, friends and playmates.  She did get pushed off her bike by a punk who called her a cracker.  I saw it.  Before I could even get to her, two other black kids and a black parent were reaming that kid out and promising to kick his sorry ass if he ever bothered her again.

I am sorry if this poor girl has been mistreated or discriminated against.  That should not be. 

[TeePee4Prez]

Well, there is an empty house next door to me; the median price is under $50 K and has increased in value, even in this housing market [/sarcasm]

You're near Temple hospital right?  I heard that corridor on Broad St. might be the place to invest now.  I have a feeling Northeast Philly will get clobbered, if it isn't already.  Home prices rose too high, too fast here and had virtually nothing to show for it except save the 10 year tax abatement and New York speculators.  Funny, some neighborhoods INCREASED in value despite getting worse.  A lot of homes for sale here are FSBO's with 646 and 917 area codes with some Asian guy as seller.  Hmm??? 

I live in an area that has been either African American or Hispanic for the last three decades.

Yes.  Median home prices have continued to increase and have increased 58% in value since 2000.  You might actually like it if you'd try it.  The do let white people in, with proper I.D. and good references.

This will actually surprise some of you, but States would actually be a good fit in terms of values with most of the people here.  (That is a compliment, States.)

The last statement.. STATES in North Philly??  Do you think he could fly a Confederate flag without getting lynched?

[dead0man]

I'm am appalled by the amount of racism that some people are capable of.  It's quite disturbing. This is the problem and shame with America. Every other country has gotten past the point where race is an issue at all.

Sorry.  I couldn't stop laughing at this line to read any further.

[J. J.]

Well, there is an empty house next door to me; the median price is under $50 K and has increased in value, even in this housing market [/sarcasm]

You're near Temple hospital right?  I heard that corridor on Broad St. might be the place to invest now.  I have a feeling Northeast Philly will get clobbered, if it isn't already.  Home prices rose too high, too fast here and had virtually nothing to show for it except save the 10 year tax abatement and New York speculators.  Funny, some neighborhoods INCREASED in value despite getting worse.  A lot of homes for sale here are FSBO's with 646 and 917 area codes with some Asian guy as seller.  Hmm??? 

I live in an area that has been either African American or Hispanic for the last three decades.

Yes.  Median home prices have continued to increase and have increased 58% in value since 2000.  You might actually like it if you'd try it.  The do let white people in, with proper I.D. and good references.

This will actually surprise some of you, but States would actually be a good fit in terms of values with most of the people here.  (That is a compliment, States.)

The last statement.. STATES in North Philly??  Do you think he could fly a Confederate flag without getting lynched?

Actually, when the got to know him, yes.  I told you the story of my old girlfriend; she had photos of all these "white" people on her walls; they were family, including a great grand unlce or something who one time owned them.

[angus]

They might want to ask whether it is underperforming.  It may be that the mostly black school is a good one.  In that case, let her stay if she's doing well in school and getting on fine otherwise.  But if it's simply a matter of her parents not wanting her to end up being a bigot--think of Andy Sipowicz in NYPD Blue as an example of someone who always complained about black people and belittled them in public and in private, and then we eventually learned that he grew up in a mostly black, high-crime neighborhood and took beatings for being different--so maybe you should consider moving.  No one really wants another little Andy running around, although he is funny when he's drunk and giving suspects a "tune up" in order to get information out of them.  Then again, it doesn't sound as though she necessarily lives in a mostly black neighborhood.  If it's simply a matter of not wanting her to end up talking like a negro or adopting their social mores, or not wanting her to lose her virginity to a strapping nubian buck, then private school is probably the best option, so that's what I voted.  But probably not mention the reason around nice people.  People cam be rather judgemental, and tend to be harsh if you do things that they might also do in the same situation, but because they aren't in your situation feel comfortable in judging you harshly.  But really, if she's a good student, and she's learning, and she's not distracted, and if you don't really mind her having black friends, and she's generally happy there and not getting into fisticuffs and other trouble, then why not just let her stay?

[Storebought]

An all-black public school in the South is almost the working definition of an abomination. It doesn't take a racist to admit this: it's just stating a fact.

I've spoken to my own sister, who still lives in Baton Rouge, about this. In fact I told her that If I had the money, I'd pay (part) of the tuition to send her two kids to the all-blackSouthern University lab school. Or to one of the all-black Catholic schools, even though neither of us are Catholic.

And lol to the New Yorkers and Jerseyites saying Don is a bigot for fearing for his friend's daughter's safety-educational attainment in an all-black public school in Memphis. Property values in NJ townships and Long Island actuallydepend on preventing black students from enrolling in any significant number in their public schools.

[Sbane]

And lol to the New Yorkers and Jerseyites saying Don is a bigot for fearing for his friend's daughter's safety-educational attainment in an all-black public school in Memphis. Property values in NJ townships and Long Island actuallydepend on preventing black students from enrolling in any significant number in their public schools.

So why do they feel the need to prevent black students from going to their schools? Here in California I think family income matters much more than race as to how a school district will perform. Cities with high income don't have blacks because they don't earn as highly, but those who do live in these places are just the same as the whites and asians. They can afford to donate money to the school and make sure their kid gets any additional tutoring they require. I don't see why race should have anything to do with it unless you are trying to say blacks are dumb.

[J. J.]

An all-black public school in the South is almost the working definition of an abomination. It doesn't take a racist to admit this: it's just stating a fact.

I've spoken to my own sister, who still lives in Baton Rouge, about this. In fact I told her that If I had the money, I'd pay (part) of the tuition to send her two kids to the all-blackSouthern University lab school. Or to one of the all-black Catholic schools, even though neither of us are Catholic.

I think that this is correct.  It is not the race of students but the type of students.  I have a friend, Viv, who grew up in North Philadelphia when it was bad; she never lived more than three blocks from Girard.  She's Black/Hispanic.  She went to Hallahan, a Catholic School that was largely, though not exclusively, Black, that is just at the edge of North Philadelphia.  We met in college.  Her high school education was substantially better than my public, rural, zero percent Black, high school.

Even some of the public high schools in Philadelphia are predominantly Black and overall better than my high school.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

My thanks to those who have tried to discuss the circumstances rationally instead of just screaming "racist" whenever you try to share an honest opinion on a subject.

Bear in mind if this child is the "last" black child in their class, that means that a whole lot of other parents moved their kids out first once the blacks started coming in.

I am trying to get you, especially the non-southerners out there, to understand how the process of busing, white flight, and black flight have systematically destroyed Memphis (and now Shelby County) neighborhoods.   Remember that there are plenty of "liberal", Obama-voting whites in this town whose kids go to private schools so that they don't have to grow up culturally accustomed to gangs and violence.  Are they racist too?

The cycle only stops if something is done to stabilize the neighborhoods and schools.  Anti-busing advocates used to have signs that said "Hapiness is a Neighborhood School" and they were right.   If black neigborhoods were more stable, then more could be done to combat crime and increase black homeownership.  If white neighborhoods were more stable, then affluent whites would stop constantly moving and taking their property tax revenue over the county or state lines. 

So why do they feel the need to prevent black students from going to their schools? Here in California I think family income matters much more than race as to how a school district will perform.

Certainly income matters 100 times more than race, as race is not an indicator of intelliegence or educational excellence.  Culture, however, matters more than income. 

The problem here is the cycle.  I don't know the parents of the black children at this school - and it is certaily possible that they are relatively affluent.  However, affluent black flight follows white flight, and the crime/poverty/dependence culture follows black flight.   In every school where the whites have left, it's not long before the school goes in the toilet.

[memphis]

Don, you went to private school. What the hell do you know about public schools in the Memphis area? For the record, wealthy private school types in Memphis are nearly monolithically Republican. I tend to agree with you that busing is bad for neighborhoods, but I can't think of a single school in Shelby County Schools that is predominently black that isn't in a predominently black neighborhood. Germantown Middle/High is majority black, but not so much that a kid would be the only one. Considering this and the fact that you refuse to name the school, I suspect you're making all this up

[Sam Spade]

Amusing thread.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Care about the school's quality/reputation and not the race of the students.

[Storebought]

Nice, storebought.  And how, in your disconnected mind, are the states of New York and New Jersey actively preventing black people from moving into expensive neighborhoods?  Keep in mind the black population of New Jersey is only 15% and this is the income map of the state:

Notice that there are 15 or so municipalities in North Jersey with per capita incomes below $20,000.  Also note that in super-white South Jersey, a vast majority of municipalities have per capita incomes of less than $30,000.

Actually, let's look at Franklin Township, in my home Somerset County.  It has a black population reaching 26% (11% above the state average and 14% above the nation average) at the same time as having a per capita income over $30,000 and a top-notch school system.  Franklin is also the most populated municipality in Somerset County, which is the 6th wealthiest county in the nation.  I think blacks in super-rich Somerset County, of which there are many, are allowed access to the same excellent education as whites, Asians, and Hispanics.

In reality, there are few places in North Jersey with super-majorities in respectively failing or excelling school districts.

I said nothing about de jure segregation, fezzy. Or about the inability of blacks to attend public schools at any case, like this is 1955 or anything so ridiculous. So don't bring that nonsense out.

I do maintain, that private realtors in NYC suburbia practice steering -- if blacks move into the area, then they are directed en masse into one or a few places so that the others can remain as white as possible.

In fact, lets take a look at Somerset Co NJ.

Here are the data for the larger municipalities, listed only by %White, %Black, since other races do not find nearly the level of constraint in the housing market that blacks do. I only list the larger townships to rule out municipalities with fewer than 1000 people, which tend to be millionaires' hideaways in north Jersey:

Montgomery T: 84%  2%
Hillsborough T: 85 % 3.7%
Franklin T: 55% 25% (67,000)
Bridgewater T: 83 % 2.%
Branchburg T: 90% 1.95%
Bernards T: %89 1.44%

Now, granted most of the places on that list (and most of the ones I excluded) are the homes of executives with median incomes well over 100K. But it is interesting that one township in Somerset with an average income that middle-class black NJites can well attain has the following stats:

Bedminster T: 90 1.75 (71,000)

Not to mention, New Jerseyites and New Yorkers from the suburbs have a tendency to overestimate the extent of racial integration of their own neighborhoods.

[??????????]

Considering this and the fact that you refuse to name the school, I suspect you're making all this up

Don's pretty respectable and way above that kind of nonsense.

[jimrtex]

Anyway, as others have said, it should really be up to the girl.

If it were really up to the girl, couldn't she simply tell the school board that she wishes to go to a different school?

[Person Man]

Seriously though, if fascism continues to grow in the United States, a good positive byproduct would be that nerdy white hip-hop kids would be able to call each other "n" without getting into any trouble.

[TomC]

My advice is to consider an African American girl in a class of all whites, determine your answer to that, and choose the same answer for this situation.

My advice to you is to consider what you would do if your child were zoned into the 'worst' school in Nashville/Davidson County and you were deined a request to move your child to another school.

Ah, but see you didn't say it was the worst school, you said it was a very black school. I'm sorry if I don't automatically assume "all black" means "worst"; I must have skipped that day of sensitivity training.

[J. J.]

Seriously though, if fascism continues to grow in the United States, a good positive byproduct would be that nerdy white hip-hop kids would be able to call each other "n" without getting into any trouble.

I wish I had a dime for every time I've heard that word used since I moved to North Philadelphia.  I actually had to ask my landlord not to use it in front of me, and he's a pastor (and yes, he's Black)!

[TeePee4Prez]

An all-black public school in the South is almost the working definition of an abomination. It doesn't take a racist to admit this: it's just stating a fact.

I've spoken to my own sister, who still lives in Baton Rouge, about this. In fact I told her that If I had the money, I'd pay (part) of the tuition to send her two kids to the all-blackSouthern University lab school. Or to one of the all-black Catholic schools, even though neither of us are Catholic.

I think that this is correct.  It is not the race of students but the type of students.  I have a friend, Viv, who grew up in North Philadelphia when it was bad; she never lived more than three blocks from Girard.  She's Black/Hispanic.  She went to Hallahan, a Catholic School that was largely, though not exclusively, Black, that is just at the edge of North Philadelphia.  We met in college.  Her high school education was substantially better than my public, rural, zero percent Black, high school.

Even some of the public high schools in Philadelphia are predominantly Black and overall better than my high school.

I think Hallahan and Roman are majority white IIRC.  Hallahan drew a lot from virtually all white Port Richmond and Fishtown when I went to HS.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Any reflection on this thread 12+years later.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Woah, what a blast from the past. Whatever happened to HTMLDon? Looks like he last posted in mid-2018 and last logged in in 2019.

[Technocracy Timmy]

People of differing groups should not mingle with one another, especially so if they're poor, and especially so if they're children.

Why?

[Estrella]

I lost it at the "Concerned Citizen" below htmldon's username. This reads like a parody of all of that 60s/70s White Citizens Council bullshxt.