Christi: I just had to say how very impressed I was with your letter. You wrote so perfectly in words ideas/problems which are close to impossible to explain, or at least able to explain well. I am a white woman, so I can't really know the experience you have had; I can only read, work in the thicket of the problems, and hear about the difficulties. However, before I became an appraiser, I taught English for 12 years in what is known in SC as "Section 8" schools (ie., poor African-American neighborhoods--in SC, as the schools, at least in Charleston, SC, are still, for the most part, very segregated as the majority of white families send their kids to day schools & private schools). That is a fact easily proved by statistics. Not a state secret.
Anyway, I can say everything you have said is absolutely true. Of course there is unequal footing, sadly, and I left the south because I didn't want my daughter exposed to the whole damn thing," as Albert Brooks would say, even in my very middle-class neighborhood, Confederate flags adorned 50% of the cars and homes even in the middle class neighborhood I lived in. Added to this fact were my daughter's teachers who attempted to imbue the students with very right-wing philosophies, and granted, I was their worst most vocal enemy-- but the practice was very accepted. (And as a quick caveat, please, for 'all southern friends,' of which I am a part, where my entire maternal family is from and a region which remains a treasured part of my past, I am talking about a "group," a certain population in Charleston, SC where I worked, not the entire southern population of the south by any means).
BUT, as has been noted, I wish it there a more structured program for mentorship, the need for any mentor, white or black, as this is a HUGE factor in any student development, black or white. The students I taught were so grateful and enthusiastic for a mentor, anyone who really cared about them, worked like dogs if they "knew" someone they respected was counting on them to do well. Again, I am repeating myself--but this is such a big deal as Merri alluded to. And for the majority of my students, over a long period of time where I taught, a mentor meant everything. And the majority of the students did do well, a great majority; even if they passed the high school exit exam after a few tries and went on to being a car mechanic, that was progress. They already were making more money than I was at the time!! Many other students went much farther. So, after working in the trenches, the division between ability & race fades considerably when there is a mentor, white or black in my experience.
I am 45, and I wish I could say I thought racial inequality will end in my lifetime, but I don't see that as even as option for the general population. That is not an indictment, just what I have experienced being a mentor, teacher, and an observer. The problems and mechanisms of politics between Jewish America and African Americans is another is another long topic not easily explained in any context (and I say this as I have taught in orthodox Jewish schools as well). Very difficult to address.
Finally, no matter how the US citizens hold to their beliefs, which they will, prejudices that seem to cling like the beautiful moss adorning the lovely trees of the south I still miss so much, mentoring means SO much, however cliché it sounds, to struggling students, and can make such an incredible difference that any interested would-be mentor cannot imagine unless truly involved. You do what you can do.
Some thoughts,
Rhonda Morrison
----- Original Message -----
From: Merri Pemberton
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2003 3:39 PM
Subject: Re: Cloth Jew v. Jayson Blair
In response to the Cloth Jew v. Jayson Blair. Race was "A" factor, used as more of an excuse to get the culprits (Blair and the people who let this happen) more sympathy for what took place. If the person who runs the New York Times really cared about helping minorities gain equal footing then he could have hired another African American journalist, or one of another ethnic group. There are plenty of talent among minorities. So that excuse is just a copout. The New York Times has access to a plethora talented journalists of all nationalities, just waiting to be given a chance. One senior writer of Newsweek said that he was flooded with email of young African American journalist who said that they actually finished college, they hit the pavement everyday to reach their dream career, and have writing samples that they would love to submit to the Times.
Basically, this man used the paper, his great opportunities, his boss, and Mr. Boyd, an African American mentor who holds a high position in the New York Times to get what he wanted...then he himself places it on race...and now the media is running with it.
As an African America, I see the need to be a mentor to ones younger than I, because I still see unequal footing even in 2003 and even in my own experience through childhood, schools, and yes even in the museum field ( I have the scars to prove it). As one Newsweek senior writer puts it people will use this story to further their own political views on diversity and race. That is what we are seeing now with some comments. Yes, race shouldn't be a factor, but as long as racial inequality exists, race will always be a factor. That will only change when we all admit that racial inequality exists and still has power, provide quality education to all neighborhoods so that everyone can compete well in the job market and college, and and resist own prejudices, which even the best of us have. This will take more work and everyone's cooperation.
Sincerely,
Christi Pemberton
----- Original Message -----
From: Indigo Nights
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2003 8:57 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Cloth Jew v. Jayson Blair
Sometimes I am simply amazed by the members of this
list.
John Martinson posted the above-referenced article,
containing terms that were offensive to many,
explaining it wasn't his creation, and he wanted to
put it out here for discussion, and folks are ready to
shoot the messenger instead of trying to determine
where it came from, were the terms included therein
once considered politically correct and have now
fallen out of disfavor, failing to understand that
history is full of terms once considered ok, now
considered vile. I'm not defending the piece itself,
but taking exception with members who can't step
beyond personal identities to discuss the article from
an educational perspective.
What makes this discourse so remarkable is what's
ongoing with Jayson Blair, the NY Times reporter who
duped the public and put a blight on the veracity of
the news reported there.
I have on my desk an OpEd from my local paper. I
rarely buy the paper these days, reading my news
online from 9 news sources each day throughout the US,
but I left my book in my desk a few days ago and
didn't have the latest copy of Time Magazine in my
car. The local paper (as opposed to the LA Times), is
a bit of a moth-eaten rag. There are huge holes in
the paper in terms of news content, but sometimes,
when I want to know what's of interest on a local
level, I read it.
When I got to the OpEd page and scanned the editorials
there, wondering if old classmates, coworkers, and
friends might have shot off an opinion, and trying to
take the political temperature in my own backyard, I
came across this despicable Letter to the Editor that
was the sum total of what the paper published on the
subject that day. It caused a knee-jerk response from
me, and it made me angry. First, I thought the author
of the letter was an obvious bigot, but I was more
incensed that the paper chose to publish that vile
piece as though they, too, embraced the philosophy.
I tried to forget about the article, but found I went
back to it not less than six times and, finally,
losing the battle of no clutter, found myself tearing
both it and the place where one would rebut such
nonsense out of the paper to perhaps shoot something
back that might innoculate my community's social
consciousness against such abject prejudice.
And then I read more papers. And I was aghast to see
that the same sentiment prevails in a number of areas.
So what did Cloth Jew and this OpEd have to do with
one another.
Here. Read an excerpt from the letter, entitled
"Ability, Not Race".
"The Jayson Blair scandal at the New York Times has as
its origin a desire to achieve 'diversity' at the
expense of ability, and 'political correctness' at
the expense of the truth.
"Long before the scandal broke, Blair's imediate
supervisors had warned upper management as to his
abilities, and had urged upper management to remove
Blair from the staff. It looks to me like Blair was
given preferential treatment due to his race and the
race of his mentor, Managing Editor Gerald Boyd. That
proves once again that ability, not race should be the
determining criteria in employee relations, and truth
not opinion should be the basis for reporting news."
Now, if you missed the tie between these two pieces,as
I see it, it's this:
People who have preconceived biases about people
different from them will find any excuse to paint a
class of people they don't like as bad based on the
actions of individuals instead of judging the actions
by themselves. Blair was a cheat, but cheating is not
limited to Afro-American reporters or attributable to
Affirmative Action. Cheating infects white folks,
too. Just check out the folks from Enron and WorldCom
if you need examples.
Some Jewish person may have done something along the
way that offended the original writer and, because
they were steeped in bias, they allow themselves to
stereotype and judge a class of people by the actions
of one.
Some Afro-American writer gets away for a period of
time by lying and BSing the American public, and the
pox is placed on Affirmative Action instead of the
integrity of the single individual.
John didn't write the article he posted. Instead of
flinging cowpies at him and huffing and puffing about
the article itself, how about focusing on ways to help
to remove the stigmas of prejudice intelligently. How
can you and your museum work to educate the masses?
What exhibits can you create that will enlighten
people to the great works of whole peoples to take the
bite away from the actions of one or two?
It seems this list could benefit from a collective
viewing of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing."
Prejudice comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and
abilities.
Do you take such umbrage when someone talks about
"Those People" or calls them the N word, faggot,
retard, Beaner, Redneck, Nip, crip, Pollock, Towel
Head, or some other term of hurt? How many of you
utter these things in private and yet puff on a list
when it's applied to you and your social demographic?
I've stopped young ladies at a restaurant who were
working there when they're running around saying,
"You're a retard." "No, you're a retard." Duhhhh.
As the Mistress of Ceremonies for Special Olympics for
nearly 10 years, I find it incredible that there are
whole segments of people who think it's ok to make fun
of retarded people.
Terms of hurt are not terms of art. They can be
combatted with education, compassion, and
understanding. This group is in a better position
than most to change these attitudes in America. But
squashing intelligent discussion isn't going to fix
that.
So instead of spanking John or seeing which of you can
get the Indignant King or Queen of the Day Award, why
not focus on ways to eradicate the hate?
Among my family and friends, if you stretch your
fingers out, you can touch on someone who, by their
color, ethnicity, state of life, or gender preference
could fit at least one of those hate-filled terms I
used above if viewed by a hate monger. Eradicating
bigotry is something I've worked on my entire life,
and I find it amusing when I see people jump up to
defend one segment of the population but rarely take
exception to all the other ways that prejudice is
allowed to flourish.
Simply amazing.
So how can you help to fight hate?
=====
Indigo Nights
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