Educational Inequality

It is hardly surprising that there is still an enormous discrepancy between blacks and whites in regards to social and economic status. However, despite the clamoring and bewildering suggestions that we have transcended and live in a post-racial society, it is incredibly ill informed to suggest that racism no longer thrives in American society. Racism is alive and well, but it is a sickening poison that undercuts civil discourse. The inequality between blacks and whites, certainly the most privileged race, is evident in their education and is far away from being a recent problem. While there is no one single reason that can be claimed the culprit of poor educational performance, there are several symptoms such as impoverishment, sadly inevitable racial differences between kids, and a variety of “sociological and historical forces” (Gabriel) that has unfortunate implications for the status quo. 

For the quality of education that a black or white child receives, it is safe to say that money plays a key role in determining both where and how long the education will ultimately occur. The wealth inequality between blacks and whites most certainly plays a role in determining where families might choose to send their child to school. From the very beginning, black Americans have been disadvantaged and “forced from [their] home, and all its pleasures, Africa coast [they] left forlorn; to increase a stranger’s treasures, o the raging billows borne” (Cowper, no pag.). While the reasoning eventually might not truly have belied an utterly cartoonish malevolence, there is something especially disconcerting about the recollection of those who bore the brunt of educational discrimination. 

While contemporary society expects educational equality, at one point in our history, it was a privilege only offered to the white population. On the other hand, for the black community, it was to have the essence of learning dangled above their heads. For the most part, as slave Ann Stoke revealed, they “learnt [their] alphabet in de middle of a field underneath a ‘simmon tree” and they were taught by their family since [they] weren’t ‘lowed to hab books in dem days” (no pag.) This treatment was incessantly cruel. Moreover, it was entirely purposeless unless the intention was to maintain a racial hierarchy by withholding knowledge from others.

Unfortunately, this discrepancy in equal educational opportunity remains. The Associated Press reports that “Most black children live in poverty, which is linked to an array of problems – low birth weight, exposure to lead poisoning, hunger, too much TV watching, too little talking and reading at home, less involvement by parents and frequent school-changing” (no pag.). This disparity is experienced by many minorities, but black children in particular seem to be the furthest behind their peers although they have made improvements in subjects such as reading and mathematics. However, Black children “are less likely to be exposed to a rich and challenging curriculum … and the schools that educate them typically receive less state and local funding than the ones serving mainly white students” (The Associated Press). Their inability to find optimal education is exacerbated by their geographic location and financial standing. 

As an illustration, Walter William reports in his article “Black Education Tragedy” that during the recent and media-infamous trial of George Zimmerman v. Trayvon Martin, a witness by the name of Rachel Jeantel had been called upon “to read a letter that she had allegedly written to Trayvon Martin’s mother. She responded that she doesn’t read cursive, and that’s in addition to her poor grammar, syntax, and communication skills” (no pag.). Troublingly, Jeantel was 19 years old and should have a fundamental grasp of skills that school systems perceive to be elementary at most. Though it is questionable as to why cursive writing, a form of writing that was born out of necessity due to the technological and structural limitations of quills, is the harbinger of black education as a tragedy, it is imperative to remember that Jeantel’s court performance was judged solely on its face and not the content. Essentially, the jury seemingly ignored “a witness on the basis of how she talks, how good she is at reading and writing” (Williams) It invokes troubling reminders of the “Jim Crow days … subtle things that echo literacy testing at the polls, echo the question of whether black Americans can testify against white people, of being always suspect in their testimony” (Williams). Ultimately, this doubt evolves from the lack of educational opportunities. 

Furthermore, though Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of “a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of slave owners and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (Luther King Jr., no pag.), that dream has not yet been realized. The tragedy of this, however, is that his dream is so close to fruition. There is not a single person who is born with the belief that someone else is inherently inferior, yet such reasoning is instilled by those who erroneously believe it to be true.

In sum, segregation has long been a tool of subjugation. However, due to the visceral shaming that blatantly racist behavior now receives, it is less apparent. Of course, this does not mean that educational segregation has also mysteriously vanished like racism is purported to have done. While it is nearly transparent, educational inequality is an overwhelmingly pervasive attitude that lingers (especially among genders and the sciences) and that continues to haunt, and to hurt, our minorities in society. 

Works Cited

Associated Press. "Black-white Student Achievement Gap Persists." Msnbc.com. MSNBC, 14 July 2009. Web. 09 Aug. 2013. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31911075/ns/us_news-education/t/black-white-student-achievement-gap-persists/>.

Cowper, William. The Negro's Complaint. 1788. An abolitionist poem.

Gabriel, Trip. "Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 5 Aug. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/education/09gap.html?_r=1&>.

Luther King, Martin, Jr. "I Have a Dream." Speech. March on Washington. 1963. Web. <http://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf>.

Stokes, Ann. N.d. Missouri Slave Testimony. Pemiscot County.

Williams, Walter E. "Black Education Tragedy." CNS News. CNS, 9 July 2013. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://cnsnews.com/blog/walter-e-williams/black-education-tragedy>.