Racism, education and economics
Written by Phillip Leno Wright, Sr. Ph.D.
I am a product of a southern Housing Development, and educated in Florida and Boston. In the 68 years of my life living in the south, I can recall how before integration in America, the Black Schools were developing the young Black minds to expand and get ready for higher education. Many of the Housing Developments which we call Projects produced doctors, lawyers, judges, teachers, engineers, music stars, journalists, and many entrepreneurs of many types of businesses.
The myth is not true that Blacks are slow learners, lazy, and just do not want to work or better and empower themselves by education. The cost of educating anyone today is over the top, or nearly impossible to finance if you do not have a great job or profession.
Today the Republican Party wishes to end any kind of assistance for students who wish to get their college degrees. Many of these students have brilliant minds but without any financial backing. Racism has stifled and crippled many young brilliant intellectual minds especially in the Black communities around America. Racism is the cause and effect that statistically may show that Blacks are labeled as below the whites in education.
However, there are those Black students whose parents managed to stay together, in spite of, took part in their childrens’ education and cultural development. They worked at menial jobs until they got more education themselves in order to help their children financially to get educated. Many families were with absentee fathers due to racism supported by a failed welfare system that made it criminal for the fathers to live with the mothers and their children who were on welfare, if the father did not have a job, thus separating the Black families.
Many times those fathers had to hide in that household to maintain his fatherhood but without being hired on a job unless having to reveal his residence address the same as the mother. If he did get a job or position, it was a subservient type of position or extremely menial pay.
His pay couldn’t support a family by himself, or without more education or a degree to obtain a profession with a higher income. America is still behind China in education. Boston is at the head of education in America, but still not equal to Chinas’ students who attend school 50 days more than American students…America will never be ahead in education to develop our young brilliant minds if it doesn’t get rid of racism. Racism keeps a divide between the rich and the poor. The poor are forced to live subservient as slaves to the rich. Racism prevents Blacks and other so called minorities from getting education, or with education, not getting hired due to race, color, creed, or sexual preference. All these walls must come down or end, if America is to continue to stay ahead as the greatest country in the world.
gspinc2006@att.net
