The "Black School" Debate

NOTE: it's really 2am on Sunday.
Okay, it's late. Really late. But the new meds are making me a little gittery and thus, the late-night post. Now, nothing extraordinary happened today - not to me, but there is an issue I feel strongly about that is wracking my last nerve (those of you who read this blog know I have too few as it is).

COLES NOTES VERSION OF EVENTS:

The Toronto District School Board has voted to open an africentric school to help combat the high levels of drop-outs among black students. The school is to be run primary by black instructors (or so the board has led the public to believe), to be populated primary by black students (but of course, all are welcomed), and have an "afri-centred" curriculum (whatever the heck that is).

A test curriculum was put into place quite successfully in a few classes and based on this a new school will be created. The late-night vote was 11 to 9. One of the black board members who tried to vote it down was assaulted afterwards while trying to give an interview.

The public heard the next morning, saw the images from the meeting and for the large part, are enraged. The online polls I've seen have put the numbers anywhere from 7% - 20% FOR the schools and 80% - 93% AGAINST. The provincial government has stated it's opposition, but says the board is operating within it's jurisdictions.

The dollar figures are $850,000 to get this up and running. $850,000 when the Toronto District School Board is operating on a 41 million dollar deficit. The province has said in no uncertain terms it will NOT provide the board more money for this project and it must find the money within it's own budget (which means schools elsewhere in the board must be losing funding). Compare this to a parent giving a child allowance; you can get whatever you want, but once it's gone, don't look back for more.

To be fair, it should be noted there is a gay/lesbian focused alternative school and a native alternative school. Both have been received well. There is also an "afri-centric" private school open.

WHY I HAVE A SAY:

I can see why, on the surface, particularly white people like myself, would want to stay out of this issue. It's not our place, let the "community" decide for itself. This is just the first issue to deal with. Yes, it IS my business. It's my tax money. It's my school system, where I went, where my children may go. It's the system I went to school in. ...And most importantly these are some people who shaped who I am today. They helped make me who I am. Thus, I DO feel the need to speak my piece and stand and be counted.

MY TAKE:

I went to Forest Hill C.I. and it didn't get much whiter (or Jewish) than that. 4 teachers of any colour (two of them were indian) and probably about as many black students. Deanna was my best friend in grade 9. We ran into each other in that lonely fear you have in a school of people different from you. Greg was the class clown but never a bad influence... he'd just manage to be around you when it happened. Moishe was one of the cool kids so I never really got to know him beyond school, but a great guy (I was far down the food chain, by the way). Had I not met these people I wouldn't be the person I am. I doubt I would be as accepting of people of colour. I wouldn't have known any. I was brought up in Leaside (WASP! I hate bugs!). :-P

School is a preparation for life. If there was an africentric school, and I was a black youth that felt like I didn't fit in, I may want to go there. But then I wouldn't have met Deanna. Who knows how many "mostly" white schools will look like KKK rallies if this school opens. It scares me to think of people not getting to know each other. Getting to know them, their families, backgrounds. What happens on graduation day when they're off into the real world? Africentric colleges? Africentric employers?

I saw a statement from a black student that used to go to a "historically black college" in Mississippi he said something to the effect of, I don't care who my teacher is or what my curriculum is, if I want to learn, I'll put the effort in and learn. I also spoke via email with a woman whose (beautiful) bi-racial children will never set foot in that school because she and her spouse feel it's segregation and against his (and her) values. I've heard from my fiance's work colleaugue, that feels to not prepare teenagers for life in the "cubicle" world, where you will work with people of ALL colours, is criminal.

Please note I have looked up the word "segregation". It is a noun meaning "forced apart or forced to separate".

This of course also doesn't address the fact that not everyone who is black is "afri"-anything. My fiance has a good friend who considers himself an islander and intentionally will not refer to himself as "african-canadian", he's never been there, he can't trace his roots there, why would he describe himself as such? Much like I have Irish blood, but I'm very much Canadian.

And onto my next point. We are ALL EQUALS UNDER THE LAW. So far as I am concerned, everyone (including the natives and gay/lesbian communities) should be in school together. Those are your formative years and not having those influences is silly when we are trying to build a cohesive society with everyone coming together in PEACE.

I also believe part of the problem is the lack of after school programs to keep kids interested in school but that's a whole other thing I'm NOT getting into. Sorry!

...SO IN THE END:

The public outcry since the event has been astounding. As I mentioned about the polls, people are by and large: pissed. And now, even with these numbers, I'm still being asked why I should care. I don't understand why they don't.

I'm glad my children will likely be raised in europe where I can teach them about other cultures by taking a train on a weekend trip. Cut out the middle man.

Now, though, I'm tired... It's 2:45 am... time to go.