“Only 12% of college degrees earned between 1990 & 1999 were received by African Americans, Latinos, and American Indians combined.”
As a high school teacher, this is my favorite quote to use as I begin a new school year. When kids realize what a small number 12% really is, they begin to question it. That spark is often all it takes to get a child engaged in their educational career. Who wants to be part of that 12% and who doesn’t? And more importantly, what does it take to get there? Political, cultural, communication, and community issues for African Americans and Latinos are not necessarily the same, yet, they are often very similar. Education is the base from which people of color must begin to address their extremely parallel existence in America.I work in an urban school whose population is about 80% Mexican American and less than 10% African American. Many of our students are learning English as their second language and are receiving free lunch due to their low family income. I am one of only two full-time African American teachers among 60 faculty members. The reason I explain all of this is because I believe public education best reflects greater society; and the state of our public schools is at an all time low. Students are dropping out at increasingly staggering rates. While African Americans and Latinos have increased their number as college entrants, numbers of college graduates has virtually remained the same. African Americans still inhabit the prison system the most while Latinos continue to work in the blue-collar and low paying segments of the American workforce. I see all of this in motion every single day. This cycle must stop and it begins with strong coalitions and unity among people of color in the United States- especially in the public education realm.“Black Student Alliance” is an organization I sponsor at my school. A big part of our mission is to educate about the African American experience while finding commonalities within the struggle of minorities in America. Every year we open students’ eyes to the Brown Berets, SNCC, Black Panthers, United Farm Workers, and Los Angles school walkouts. Black and Chicano students alike begin to understand how human rights is a struggle where everyone has to buy-in, regardless of race. If the battle is fragmented according to race or creed, the focal points get lost in our differences. I love the look on peoples faces when they realize that the symbolism of a raised fist is representative of all types of peoples struggle to rebel and has been used by a variety of political and social activist groups in history. It is through this overall awareness that we can begin planting the seeds of unity. Relationships between our African American and Latino students grow stronger, even in these brief moments of historical awareness. Family income usually determines where people live and addresses decide where kids go to school. So while they may not necessarily choose to live together, they do decide how they’re going to live together. I’d like to believe that this process of discovering commonalities among their families, history, and current situations increases the likelihood that they will create basic, meaningful relationships regardless of their color. Projects such as this can be created on a larger scale. The public school is a great initial central meeting point where different types of families can come together without even knowing it. The overall student is who they are there for--- not the Black student, not the Mexican student--- the child and their perception of success overall. Once relationships are formed, they will be expanded to the greater community. Whether it is the church, through political organizations, or even family barbeques, African American and Latino families will slowly begin to integrate their beliefs beyond the school walls and into the general well-being and opportunity for the next generation. Historically, African Americans and Latinos have focused on their own community issues which have led to fierce competition between the two groups for basic resources. Today, in 2007, there is no longer room for internal racism within each of these minority groups because the underlying problems, and the process in which the social problems are derived, are the same--- lack of education is the common denominator. That is why it is extremely important that Historically Black Colleges & Universities continue to provide resources to African American students. HBCU’s are a piece of the “extra resource puzzle” that African Americans continue to need in American society. The truth of the matter is that we still need extra and different types of assistance and mentorship today. The evidence for this is illustrated in the facts listed below. African Americans continue to experience an extremely low standard of living in this country and education is the only way out.As for the possibility of HBCU’s addressing the growing needs of Latino and racially mixed students, I believe they have an extremely important role. They have set the standard for minority education in America and should consider themselves both a resource for new institutions as well as a provider of education for those experiencing issues similar to that of African Americans. As a public educator, I cannot decide who will walk into my classroom. Instead I serve their ever-growing needs as students learning to thrive and exist in this country. I understand higher education does have the option of picking and choosing their student body. But to be institutions of higher learning it is critical that they acknowledge history and then incorporate current issues- and needful students- into their school. It would be ludicrous to ignore what is evident about the current state and future of America by denying educational opportunity to anyone who needs it.
