The author of this article is Lisa Delpit and the part that we read was called the Silent Dialogue which is turn describes the silence that people of color have in the world because it is just easier for them. I disagree with this because in my opinion everyone should be equal but that isn't the case all the time. But rather than speak their mind the person of color keeps quite knowing that if they speak up it won't make a difference so to make things easier they don't say anything at all.
The
first part of this article is upsetting to me.
I know that this happens in the world and that people of color are
looked down on and their knowledge sometimes isn’t valued and the “white folks”
know what is best. But that doesn't sit right with me! But here's the deal with that, I know that people act differently and I can only speak for myself and I know that I don't act like but people do. Two questions come to mind when people show racism towards people of color or even someone different then "white" 1. Is it fair? 2. When will it end? It is so upsetting that this has been going on for hundreds of years and it has gotten better. But has it really? Just like in the article when Delpit says about the position of power in our schools and how it is geared more towards the middle and upper class kids and the lower class suffer. It makes me cringe knowing that this goes on and that people actually justify it to make themselves feel better.
I want to mention a little bit about power in reference to the article. In
a position of power the one or group who is in power will always try to make the
person they are trying to teach see it the way they see it. A lot of people handle power
differently. Some can use the power and
teach and be understanding to peoples learning abilities and then some yell,
belittle, act arrogant and teach and say what they think is best regardless of
people’s opinions or even knowledge, god forbid someone knows more than they do
about something. I know this from experience at a job where I was a boss and I also got bossed around so to speak. I would use different tools to help my employees understand how to sell and would relate it them but I was in a world of negative teachings and my boss would belittle me and make fun and just was mean to the managers and it would rub off on me and I would find myself doing that to my employees and would have to catch myself. I always would say I don't want to make these people feel the way I feel when I go into a meeting or to work. I want them to be able to come to me and ask questions not fair me. I feared the owner and it wasn't fun.
I am attaching a video my blog this week because this article is reminding me what I am learning about in one of my other classes. It is called blaming the victim yet this was in the 1950's some of this stuff goes on today and we are always blaming people of color for things so I thought it was fitting to this article and this post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALmBinv19mc
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Kozol's Amazing Grace
This chapter out of Jonathan Kozol's book Amazing Grace paints such an vivid image about what goes on in the "Ghetto". The descriptive verbal illustration made it seem like I was right there with him. He drove his point home that these places exist and it almost seems like they are just shipped into this neighborhood and left for dead. I think that it is horrible. It reminded me of the piece that we read called the Silent Dialogue. The people in this neighborhood don't even bother to speak up anymore because they know they wont be heard. For example the women Kozol talks to named Mrs. Washington she says "My doctor said that I should be on SSI. He said, if I have to start all over, that's the program that I should apply for. I told him I applied for it before, when I had cancer, but they said I wasn't sick enough. He said I needed to go and try again. I don't know how sick you have to be to qualify for SSI"(Kozol 20). She then goes on to say that her friend finally got money after she had died and that nobody know at the records office. Come on now that is just wrong. It's like they set you up to fail. I knew places like this exist and I know they are terrible but I wasn't always like that. There was a time in my life where I had no idea about what really went on in these types of neighborhoods and I got a dose of reality when I went on a business trip to Cincinnati. This is like what Tanya's story in her blog is like. I went there to work with my friend Kurt and he lives just on the outskirts of the city in a nice neighborhood but his mother and family live in the city. He took me into the city and showed me around just like the little boy Cliffie did in the book and when I got there it was like a whole new world. There were factories pumping out pollution into air, run down houses and housing project stacked side by side just like Kozol was talking about in NY. No matter how sunny it was outside it always looked gloomy to me and had a atmosphere of just something totally different than what I was use to. But the funny thing was that people had some positive attitudes and kids would play and run and there was a buzz a very different buzz but there was some positive energy.
It saddens me that the kids suffer too. They don't have a shot to make it out of the place they live and make a better life for themselves. Mrs. Washington's daughter never moved out of the city just out of her mothers apartment. And then this was stated too, "At the elementary school that serves the neighborhood across the avenue, only seven out of 800 children do not qualify for free school lunches. Five of those seven, say the principle get reduced-priced lunches, because they are classified as only poor, bot destitute."(Kozol 3). This reminds me of a project that myself and Kurt started to work on with other people he knew from his childhood neighborhood who had beat the odds and did well for themselves and moved out of the neighborhood. The project was geared towards children in the inner city and they wanted to create a drop in center for youth to come and do afterschool programs, have computer access, tutoring, study hall, counseling, life coaching ect. It was going to be set up to give kids in the area hope that they could get out of the "Ghetto" and be anything they wanted to be. Now because it was a non profit it has to go through all the channels of the government to get funded. And wouldn't you know it got denied. It's just like in Kozol's book they group these people together and give them nothing and don't allow them to try and succeed. In my opinion it's just awful. And here I was growing up that everyone was equal and that is so not the case. It's just what McIntosh was talking about in her piece.
I'll end with this. One part of the story really bothered me when Mrs. Washington was talking about the 15 year girl who died and earlier in the chapter it was mentioned that the uncle was trying to raise money for her funeral. He didn't raise enough and this is what was said. "The girl who died, the city had to bury her. Her uncle couldn't raise the money for a funeral. That means that she don't get no stone over her grave." "What do they put on it?" "I ask. "They say she gets a number, she replies. City don't have the money for the living. I guess they think: Why waste it on the dead?" (Kozol 20,21). That right there is the worst thing I have heard in a long time. That was a human being she had a name lived a life yes a short life but it was her life and she had a name and the city can't even put it on where she is buried she just gets a number. That's what these people are to them just a number just another number. It is like we never moved out of slavery. I cant believe that that still exists is appalling. That is something I would like to talk about further and see who else it bothers or is it just me.
It saddens me that the kids suffer too. They don't have a shot to make it out of the place they live and make a better life for themselves. Mrs. Washington's daughter never moved out of the city just out of her mothers apartment. And then this was stated too, "At the elementary school that serves the neighborhood across the avenue, only seven out of 800 children do not qualify for free school lunches. Five of those seven, say the principle get reduced-priced lunches, because they are classified as only poor, bot destitute."(Kozol 3). This reminds me of a project that myself and Kurt started to work on with other people he knew from his childhood neighborhood who had beat the odds and did well for themselves and moved out of the neighborhood. The project was geared towards children in the inner city and they wanted to create a drop in center for youth to come and do afterschool programs, have computer access, tutoring, study hall, counseling, life coaching ect. It was going to be set up to give kids in the area hope that they could get out of the "Ghetto" and be anything they wanted to be. Now because it was a non profit it has to go through all the channels of the government to get funded. And wouldn't you know it got denied. It's just like in Kozol's book they group these people together and give them nothing and don't allow them to try and succeed. In my opinion it's just awful. And here I was growing up that everyone was equal and that is so not the case. It's just what McIntosh was talking about in her piece.
I'll end with this. One part of the story really bothered me when Mrs. Washington was talking about the 15 year girl who died and earlier in the chapter it was mentioned that the uncle was trying to raise money for her funeral. He didn't raise enough and this is what was said. "The girl who died, the city had to bury her. Her uncle couldn't raise the money for a funeral. That means that she don't get no stone over her grave." "What do they put on it?" "I ask. "They say she gets a number, she replies. City don't have the money for the living. I guess they think: Why waste it on the dead?" (Kozol 20,21). That right there is the worst thing I have heard in a long time. That was a human being she had a name lived a life yes a short life but it was her life and she had a name and the city can't even put it on where she is buried she just gets a number. That's what these people are to them just a number just another number. It is like we never moved out of slavery. I cant believe that that still exists is appalling. That is something I would like to talk about further and see who else it bothers or is it just me.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
About Me
My name is Michael Fratus and I am a Junior at Rhode Island College. I am just coming back to school this year after taking 6 years off. I am majoring in Youth Development and want to work with children and adolescents. My first week of classes went really well and I am excited to be back in school just a little nervous. I work a lot outside of school as well as being a high school baseball coach. I volunteer my time with two non profit organizations. I enjoy all sports but baseball is my passion. I enjoy a lot of different things and I look forward to sharing all sorts of views and opinions with you on my blog. I hope it isn't too simple it is my first blog.
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