Donald Trump — he thrives when people don’t have courage to speak their convictions
How is racism practiced on your job or in your presence?
Over 30 years of watching videos of the march on Washington to, among other things, demand the elimination of racism, I am more resolute and can no longer sit silently by and see racism raises its ugly head.
Indeed, the politics of Mr. Donald Trump and others wishing to become President of the United States filled with racist tirade and diatribe; but all politics are local as are all racist practices.
Therefore, as your local vote can stop the racist from gaining national office –the presidency– your local action against racist practices, whether on your job, in your schools, on social media, or in your place of worship, can help stamp out its brazen or subtle reemergence.
As a New York City educator, for near 15 years I have witnessed how nepotism, favoritism, and other ways are used to promote racism to circumvent the gains of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which those good Black, White, and other people marched for.
In NYC, the nepotism helps keep progressive Blacks out of leadership position, and it is practiced in a manner to circumvent the Chancellor’s Regulation and the department’s non-discriminatory and equal opportunity polices. Such actions I will reveal in upcoming issues/posts.
In New York State, the few Blacks in school administrative positions prompted the New York State Regents to call for actions to embrace diversity in the state’s school leadership cadre.
How is the state able to maintain such lack of diversity in its school leaders? It is the same way by which the New York City Fire Department was able to remain 97% White in a 75 % Black and Latino City. Some of you know how it is done, and my hope is that by sharing it you can help eliminate the racist practice.
How is it that Black children nationwide are the lowest performing? Why are there so few Black students in schools for the intellectually gifted and talented children in NYC, and the nation?
Is it that the children are stupid, or that their parents do not care about education? The facts do not support such claims. Consider that: (a) Many Blacks marched on Washington for justice and equality. (b) Even during enslavement Blacks were fighting for education. (c) The struggle of freed Blacks helped establish the public school system. Can such people who put their lives on the line be dismissive of achievement striving in their children? Hardly.
Nationally, the few male Blacks in teaching positions prompted former Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan, to note, “It is especially troubling that less than 2 percent of our nation’s 3.2 million teachers are African American males. It is not good for any of our country’s children that only one in 50 teachers is a Black man”.
What is the reason for the discrepancy?
Irrespective of what it is, the call for vigilance is noted: Acting U.S. Education Secretary: Civil rights community must be vigilant Thus, you as an individual can be vigilant by beginning to expose the cancer of racism and how it is practiced around you.
It is important to note, the silence of good people is the nectar that feeds racism.
