PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN OR READ THIS ARTICLE!
*Go to NPR’s site to listen to the report.

Yesterday was a tranquil day in Houston. I spent most of it planning curriculum and rearranging my classroom—excited about the opportunity to teach the history of America another year. I came across MLK’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech and reveled in the idea of exposing a truer King to youth who claim “the civil rights movement was a long time ago.” For me, studying King is something of a quagmire. It would be blasphemous not to acknowledge the influence he has had on my life (and surely the lives of others), but I am always reluctant to show my adulation because of his “place” in the minds of most Americans.

For a majority of the population, Martin Luther King Jr. is the “I have a dream” speech. It is the highlight of Black History Month and is played virtually non-stop on TV and radio spots on his birthday. But most Americans have absolutely no idea what MLK accomplished after that hot summer of 63’. MLK’s popularity broods from his non-violent activism and his deep-rooted adherence to Christian principles, but most would be shocked to hear the radicalization of his doctrine toward the end of his life. As James Cone eludes in A Dream or a Nightmare, his seminal book about MLK and Malcolm X, the two men where moving closer and closer together in mind and action. But King is not like Malcolm. King is a hero. Like Christopher Columbus, King is a hero, and heroification is a very dangerous thing because it, first, makes the person seem more than human and, secondly, places a limit to other aspects of his/her life (be they good or bad). So, for most, King is only that speech and nothing more. Again, as a teacher, I have the wonderful opportunity to expose my students to a man who was more than just those words.

So, with King on my mind, I began the arduous drive through Houston traffic back to my house. I had been listening to music all day but something made me reach down and turn on the radio. I was welcomed by the familiar introduction of NPR and was immediately floored by the first story I heard: “Beating charges split Louisiana town.”

With age, acquired knowledge, and lived experiences, I never know how to react to stories like the one told in Jena, Louisiana. The story discusses a series of actions and claims made at a small town Louisiana high school. What started with a simple question about where students could sit at lunch, ended in second-degree murder charges for five black students. (Please read the story for complete details.)

There are so many things wrong with this story.

On one hand, my historian mind goes to work. I browse my mental archives of the innumerable cases of social injustice throughout American history. For centuries, the United States has effectively chosen when and where to execute just law, how to execute the law, and for whom. Most often, slaves and their contemporary descendants have faced the brunt end of the blow when dealing with injustice in the legal system. In the South especially, reminders of second-class citizenry are more evident than MTV and BET would like to tell. The lack of resources, education, living-wage jobs, and access to housing and affordable health care, continues to divide the South much like it did during the heyday of Jim Crow.

On the other hand, whenever I am reminded of the harshness of the Jim Crow South (which is often in Houston), my “Black sense” goes off. The story in Jena is just another reminder of how we, as a nation, have so far to go. District Attorney, Reed Walters’, quote, “With one stroke of my pen, I can make your life disappear,” is another example of how the legal system is bent to maintain hegemonic traditions and ensure its benefactors they can do as they please without fear of reparation.

The fact that the community decided to wait until the end of football season says something about the cultural structure of our society as well. Why didn’t the Black athletes boycott the season? Were they forced to play? Were their lives threatened? Or, realizing their situation and potential to “escape” Jena through football, chose to continue the season as if nothing had ever happened? No one will know, I guess. But how powerful would it have been if the black athletes decided to boycott the entire season until the matter was resolved? How would white community members react then? Regardless, one action led to another and now we find a community divided, and six black men facing charges.

I cannot begin to tell you how double-standards have shaped my life. The contradictions heard in the Jena story are familiar to Blacks nationwide. Blacks (and Hispanics) still pay higher mortgages for homes, (Article #1, Article #2), are twice as likely to go to jail, and still struggle to out step the stereotypes that others place on us. (I recognize that we also continue to place these stereotypes on ourselves—something Carter G. Woodson predicted in the 1930s.) Race will continue to plague this society and world politics. The influx of immigrants from across the world only helps perpetuate America’s xenophobic tendencies and a stranglehold to “traditional values” for those who benefit them.

Again, this started with one question. Despite the repercussions for the black students and the community at-large, I admire anyone willing to ask the question that needs to be asked, not the one that is most convenient. I guess that is what I admire most about King. His ability to ask the questions that could potentially get him killed. To ponder why things were the way they were, and not just accept the status quo as the norm. For the students in Jena, I hope they can all heed to King’s call for justice and equality and hope that we, as a nation, continue to learn from our mistakes and learn how to prevent them from happening in the future .

As a teacher, that is my top priority.

Wheatley

_______________________________________________________

Beating Charges Split La. Town Along Racial Lines

by Wade Goodwyn

Enlarge

Bill Haber, AP

Carwin Jones talks to his father, John Jenkins, outside the LaSalle Parish Courthouse in Jena, La. Jones is one of five black students still facing attempted second-degree murder charges for beating Justin Barker, who is white, last December. A sixth black student has already been convicted on lesser charges.

Enlarge

Bill Haber

Justin Barker, the white student whom a group of black students are accused of beating, leaves the LaSalle Parish Courthouse. AP

All Things Considered, July 30, 2007 · As at hundreds of other high schools across America, black and white students at Jena High School in Jena, La., rarely sit together. The white students gather under a big shade tree in the courtyard, while black students congregate near the auditorium.

But last year, a few days into the first semester, a new student, a freshman African American, asked the principal at an assembly, if he, too, could sit under the tree. He was told he could sit anywhere he liked.

Three white boys on the rodeo team apparently disagreed. The next morning, there were three nooses hanging from the shade tree in the courtyard.

Anthony Jackson is one of two black teachers at Jena High School. He laughs ruefully, as he recalls watching the nooses swaying in the tree.

“I jokingly said to another teacher, ‘One’s for you, one’s for me. Who’s the other one for?’”

Many in Jena’s black community wanted the three white students expelled. But when the white superintendent and other school administrators investigated, they decided the nooses were a prank. Instead of expulsion or arrest, the three received in-school suspension.

Blacks called the punishment a double standard.

“White students can do things and receive a slap on the hand,” Jackson says. But authorities “want to throw the book at blacks,” he adds.

An Incident Escalates

A few of the black athletes, the stars of the football team, took the lead in resisting. The day after the nooses were hung, they reportedly organized a silent protest under the tree.

The school called an assembly and summoned the police and the district attorney. Black students sat on one side, whites on the other. District Attorney Reed Walters warned the students he could be their friend or their worst enemy. He lifted his fountain pen and said, “With one stroke of my pen, I can make your life disappear.”

That evening, black students told their parents that the DA was looking right at them. Walters denies that. Billy Fowler, a member of the school board, doesn’t believe it, either.

“He said some pretty strong things,” says Fowler, “but I don’t think he was directing it to anyone in particular. I think he just wanted people to calm it down.”

But things didn’t calm down. Some whites felt triumphant; some blacks were resentful. Fights began to break out at the high school. But that year, the football team was having an unusually good season and the black athletes were a major reason why. So while there were fights throughout the fall, nobody wanted to take any action that would hurt the team.

When the season was over, so was the truce. On Nov. 30, somebody burned down Jena High. Whites thought blacks were responsible, blacks thought the opposite.

Charges and Public Outrage

The next night, 16-year-old Robert Bailey and a few black friends tried to enter a party attended mostly by whites. When Bailey got inside, he was attacked and beaten. The next day, tensions escalated at a local convenience store. Bailey exchanged words with a white student who had been at the party. The white boy ran back to his truck and pulled out a pistol grip shotgun. Bailey ran after him and wrestled him for the gun.

After some scuffling, Bailey and his friends took the gun away and brought it home. Bailey was eventually charged with theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace. The white student who pulled the weapon was not charged at all.

The following Monday, Dec.4, a white student named Justin Barker was loudly bragging to friends in the school hallway that Robert Bailey had been whipped by a white man on Friday night. When Barker walked into the courtyard, he was attacked by a group of black students. The first punch knocked Barker out and he was kicked several times in the head. But the injuries turned out to be superficial. Barker was examined by doctors and released; he went out to a social function later that evening.

Six black students were arrested and charged with aggravated assault. But District Attorney Reed Walters increased the charges to attempted second-degree murder. That provoked a storm of black outrage.

“Jena has always been a racist town,” says Bailey’s mother, Caseptla Bailey. “We’ve understood that….It has been that way since I’ve lived here.”

But school board member Billy Fowler disagrees.

As far as racial problems, our community is no different than any other community,” Fowler says.

Fowler is one of the few leaders with the school administration or local law enforcement willing to talk to the media. The principal, the school superintendent and the district attorney all declined repeated calls for comment.

Fowler says he is appalled at reports by outside media outlets that he claims portray Jena as a racist community. But he and many other white leaders agree that the charges are unfair.

“I think it’s safe to say some punishment has not been passed out fairly and evenly,” Fowler says. “I think probably blacks may have gotten a little tougher discipline through the years.

“Our town is not a bunch of bigots. They’re Christian, law-abiding citizens that wouldn’t mistreat anybody.”

But the black students and their families feel mistreated. The first to go to court was Mychal Bell, the team’s star running and defensive back. Bell’s court-appointed lawyer refused to mount any defense at all, instead resting his case immediately after two days of government presentation. An all-white jury found Bell guilty.

A talented athlete, Bell had a real shot at a Division I football scholarship. He now faces up to 22 years in prison. The other five black students await trial on attempted murder charges.

Over the weekend, Jena High School had the big shade tree in the courtyard chopped into firewood.

The following clip is a youtube version of George Reavis’ book, The Animal School. I was introduced to this simple, yet powerful story in my curriculum, planning, and development course this summer.

While I appreciate Reavis’ story, I would love to create another version of the animal school. It would go something like this.

All the animals in the animal kingdom learned the stories, cultures, and histories of just one animal. The other animals were forced to learn, study, and mimic the characteristics of the main animal. Those who learned and imitated the main animal were given better opportunities later in life. Those who didn’t…

In the process of this education, the other animals began to notice how different they were from the main animal and began to despise their unique features and cultural legacies. Instead of striving to learn more about their own animal histories, they simply accepted what they learned in school at face value. The turtle learned he was slow. The hyena learned he was uncultured. The Ox learned that he was only good for pulling.

Meanwhile, the main animal loved school. He excelled at virtually every aspect of school and felt a sense of pride in reading the stories about his ancestors, or learning the survival skills that his ancestors used to outwit other animals century after century. He believed in meritocracy, like his forefathers, and seldom understood why his other animal friends did so poorly. “It’s so easy guys,” he would tell his other friends, “you just have to work hard.”

The other animals began hating school altogether. Even when they went to school near their ponds, forests, and fields, they still learned about the main animal. Some questioned why, but even their teachers could not provide satisfactory reasons. “You’re going to be tested on it,” was their best response. Animals throughout the animal kingdom eventually accepted learning about the main animal at school.

OK. I’ll stop here. This is getting a little cynical.

_ _ _

As many of you know, my most recent passion in urban/multicultural schools is redefining, redesigning, and implementing a multicultural curriculum. My story attempts to address (quite poorly I think), a dilemma faced by students of color in our schools: the curriculum continues to reflect Anglo-European culture, history, and societal expectations.

“Education within a pluralistic society should affirm and help students understand their home and community cultures,” (1) claims Washington professor and advocate of multicultural curriculum, James Banks. Unfortunately, this is still a problem across the country, especially in urban schools comprised of students of color.

“White students usually attend schools where less than 20 percent of the student body is drawn from races other than their own, while [African American] and [Latino] students attend schools composed of 53 to 55 percent of their own race. In some cases, the percentage is much higher, as more than a third of them attend schools with a 90 to 100 percent minority population.” (2)

I live in Texas, soon to be the first state in America where Hispanics outnumber everyone else. What will the curriculum look like then? What does the current curriculum do to students of color? What does learning about the “main animal” do to people of color over generations?

I know we have come a long way, but simply adding a few cultural gems to the curriculum is insufficient. America needs a curriculum that represents its multicultural past, present, and future.

Wheatley

(1) Banks, J. (1996). Multicultural Education: For Freedom’s Sake. In Hollins, E. (Ed.), Transforming Curriculum for a Culturally Diverse Society (pp. 75-81). Mahwaw, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates and Publishers

(2) Orfield, G. (2001). Schools More Separate: Consequences of a Decade of Resegregation. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University

THE ANIMAL SCHOOL

Finding principals gets tougher in Houston

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4999881.html

A few months ago, I would have scoffed at this article. I would have argued that it was NOT right for the best principals (and teachers) to leave HISD for KIPP or YES schools. I would’ve claimed that the best teachers should stay in the district to “fight the good fight.” My views have definitely changed.

Last week, I experienced one of the best educational leadership seminars I have ever attended. Held at Rice University, the seminar consisted of school leaders from KIPP and YES schools across the Houston area. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to meet members from YES campuses (many of whom I had known through previous affiliations but was unaware they worked for YES) as well as many other leaders from other KIPP campuses.

It was empowering to share ideas, dialogue critical issues, and enjoy the company of other educators committed to lives of Houston’s low-income children. In most schools, teachers who commit their lives to the advancement of children are often isolated and exhausted. This week was more than just sharing battle stories, it helped reassure that I am not alone in my struggle. It is difficult sometimes to see the big picture when you are charged with such great responsibilities in the classroom, but it is refreshing to know there ARE other teachers exerting as much energy as you are to help shape our world.

Beyond the camaraderie and delicious food, the seminar presented data that proved how successful KIPP schools have been. (I am learning to become comfortable with quantitative data. I’m a qualitative type, traditionally.) 97% of KIPP student’s nationwide graduate from high school. I won’t bother looking up the national graduation rates for Latino and Black students nationwide because I know they are abysmal. From that, 85% of KIPP students are “college ready.” That means that they have graduated from high school, taken all necessary tests (SAT, ACT), have been accepted to a four-year university, and have passed a rigorous standardized exit exam.

So again; you ask why I no longer scoff at this notion of the best going to charter schools? Well, a dear friend of mine told me that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Schools have remained virtually unchanged since Horace Mann conjured up the idea of compulsory schooling at the turn of the century and I am for anyone who is willing to shift paradigms in how we educate our children—especially marginal students of color.

Working at KIPP is not easy. You work longer hours, you handle more administrative duties commonly delegated to secretaries, and you are constantly expected to perform no matter what. But through it all, I have learned this week that KIPP and YES schools are on the right path. They have identified a problem, they have found excellent solutions, and they are forcing other schools to be more accountable to not only their students, but to their best teachers too.

Wheatley

“Live Earth is a monumental music event that will bring together more than 2 billion people on 7/7/07 to raise awareness about global warming. With 24 hours of music across 7 continents, and performances by more than 150 of the world’s top musicians, Live Earth will engage, connect, and inspire individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve the climate crisis.”

(http://liveearth.msn.com/about)

* * *
This excerpt is powerful. The thought that billions from around the world are gathered to “engage” and “connect” to solve global warming, gives you the feeling that something good is about to happen…

But I can’t drink the Kool-Aide just yet.

Problem # 1: The Music.

I am an avid music lover and the idea of live music from musicians from across the world is invigorating. I mean it. I am always interested in hearing new music and I am known to carry an eclectic mix on my Ipod. But I am not sure if music is the appropriate medium through which the world should establish an international dialogue about “climate issues.” Not to say that music has never been an avenue for change. The music of the late Sixties was dedicated to raising awareness of the growing discontent for the Vietnam War. If politicians did not know how Americans felt about the war, they must have not had radios.

But that was the Sixties and although the artists differed, the message was uniformly expressed. I am not sure if we are sending the right message with today’s artists. I mean I love John Legend, but what does he really have to say about global warming? What can the Black Eyed Peas do about smog in Houston? And how does Madonna become an ambassador for energy conservation? Are these really the individuals we want representing our country? Will the Red Hot Chili Peppers properly address (or justify) our excessive energy consumption in America?

I hate to be cynical. But I would feel extremely guilty if I were to perform in a country that uses 70% less resources than my country does. I would just apologize over and over again.

Plus, I have a serious problem with musicians and movie stars becoming spokespeople for world issues. Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie are excellent examples of privilege. They are just actors. They are people who get paid way too much money to not be themselves. And while I have appreciated their craft in various movies (not really Jolie though), I do not want them speaking for me.

If you know me, you know what I’m going to say.

Yes. There are REAL experts dedicated to solving REAL issues who we will never hear from. These scholars have dedicated their lives to such issues and are getting a fraction of what movie stars get paid, to do it. Whether its global warming, or international epidemics, there are people who wake every morning to solve issues created by global mismanagement. I want to listen to the woman who has committed her life to finding alternative medicines; the guy who has moved into a favela or American slum to provide contraceptives and sex education; the organization that puts together the statistical reports that movie stars readily reference. That’s who I want speaking for me: the people who recognize that saving the world is not a fad and arduously at work trying to find solutions.

Problem #2: General Motors is the sponsor.

I really didn’t mean for music to take so much space. The real reason why I am conflicted about the Live Earth concert is the fact that GM is one of the corporate sponsors.

GM?

Really?

Well I won’t go off on GM since I am a Chevy man myself, but I am a bit disgusted knowing that GM, of all corporations, is sponsoring the event. If you have Netflix or Blockbuster online, you need to get the documentary, “Who Killed the Electric Car.” You will understand why I feel the way I do. Check out the preview below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSBykAngDpY

Wheatley

Today, America celebrates its 231^st birthday.

The Fourth of July is a day of remembrance and festivity. Across the country, millions will spend the apex of summer relaxing with family, eating pounds of barbecue, and admiring the sights and sounds of evening fireworks.

Birthdays are a time to reflect past experiences and future endeavors. Unfortunately, I doubt America will have this opportunity. Starting early in the morning, American media will fill the airwaves with patriotic rhetoric, profiles of American heroes, and images of dramatic moments in history. By noon, there will be no need for reflection because, “America is awesome!” (Insert the “Team America” theme song.) This simplicity and the, “let someone else do my thinking,” is fine with most Americans. Sincere reflection on our past might be a killjoy anyway, and downing beer is too important to be bogged down by history.

The Fourth is special because it is a rare moment that we collectively assume that every American has access to a quality life; has guaranteed protections of his or her liberties; and has an available avenue to arduously pursue happiness. While I could continue with my late evening/early morning cynicism, being the history teacher that I am, I’m writing to call your attention to one of the greatest Fourth of July speeches in history.

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” It was a basic question which he could have answered in a multitude of ways. But what Douglass chose to do was speak from, what W.E.B. DuBois would later call, “a warring soul,” and tell America what it was like being the bastard child of the affluent American family. He chose to stay true to cause and expound on the contradictions perpetrated by a willing and conspiring America.

I am sending you this because this is a question that many Americans (and non-Americans) living in our country might ask themselves today.

What does the Fourth of July really mean to me?

What does it mean to be an American?

Regardless, America does have a lot to celebrate, but it’s tough to look to the future without the past sneering over our shoulder (or creeping out the closet).

For your personal and historical consideration:

Here is the speech…
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927t.html

…and here is a summative article by Douglass historian, David Blight.
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1077058,00.html

_ _ _

Just in case you’re wondering, I agree with Douglass but prefer Nas’ assessment of the whole thing:

“[American] holidays [are] ‘Hell Days’…”

Nasir Jones
“Poison (What Goes Around)”
Stillmatic LP

I wish you all a safe and restful holiday…

Wheatley
Who IS proud to be an American, but for different reasons…

I am a Buckeye.  Growing up, I can recall my parents reading the Columbus Dispatch and discussing the several interesting stories from the city and throughout the world.  Since living in Houston, I am beginning understand why the city newspaper is called the, “The Houston Comical.” (Its real name is the Chronicle.)  In the various cities I have visited and lived, I have begun to assess a city based on its local news and newspaper.  The Chronicle leaves much to be desired.  It has but one agenda: report scandalous news.  (The evening news is no different.)

Houston is a city with so much potential (you like how I have been trying to brainwash myself), but it seems that there are so many factors which force the city to reside in a state of perpetual mediocrity, drabness, and over-consumption. 

Any way, this rant is in response to the article claiming that Houston is one of America’s greenest cities.  (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4996103.html)  I can make several predictions to why this is an issue:  1) there is so much sprawl in Houston that you have to drive an hour-and-a-half to get beyond the sprawl (you’ll still be in Houston though, just not sprawl).  They want to paint a picture that sprawl is not a problem.  2) Austin, our capital, is one of the greenest cities in America; it has one of the best Universities in America and has a stable job market that IS NOT based on oil and energy.  3) The purchase of Lake Houston State Park has cost the city a fortune and they need Houstonians to spend more time (and gas and money) going to the park.

I miss Columbus.  While I can do away with the gray skies, there are so many public parks readily accessible to all types of communities throughout the city.  It amazes me that even in the lower income communities, there are parks that are accessible, maintained, and patrolled.  I also miss reading newspaper that has a higher lexile score than 700 and gives you a wide-breadth of the happenings of the community and world.  I miss getting good news with the bad news.  

A perfect morning:  Waking early to read the Dispatch and then taking a run from the Fishing Access to Antrim park.

Wheatley

This blog is in response to the article, “Texas ranked No. 1 in teen birth rate.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4996256.html

Abstinence is not a one-size-fits-all solution to teen pregnancy.  Parents have the most influence on a child’s education regarding sex.  Sure.  But coming from the Midwest where both methods are taught, (abstinence is taught as a preventative measure, not “you’re a sinner and you’re going to hell,” like it is taught in most Texas schools) it is not a surprise that teen pregnancy rates are high.  Given from some of the comments, I am assuming that most people don’t know much about the 1995 law.  The law forces schools to make a critical choice:  funding or no funding.

Schools who DO NOT teach abstinence receive no funding for their Health Science departments from the state.  That means no money for books, mannequins for CPR, no drug and alcohol training kits, nothing.   Most schools that serve low-income populations are dying (I mean dying) for cash.  The choice is quite simple despite its ramifications.

Finally, it is an AMERICAN problem, not just minorities and illegal citizens. Kids in Katy, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands are just as sexually active as kids in other communities.  Regardless if their actions result in pregnancy or not they still run the risk of physical and psychological problems down the road. 

I would be cautious on making generalizations and assumptions too.

This is the beginning of my blog.  While it will concentrate on education, social justice education, and American history, you will also find opinions, movie reviews, book reviews and social commentary dealing with the darker (and other marginal) members of this nation.

Wheatley