- Feb 9, 2001
- 7,136
- 2,071
Emphasis is now being placed on college degrees in the STEM disciplines -- science, technology, engineering and math. The U.S. has fallen behind a lot of countries with producing future employees with these types of degrees and the representation of African Americans on predominantly white college campuses in these disciplines is significantly lower than their white counterparts.
It's not about competency, it's about proper preparation and access for our Black students. There are some faculty and school administrators that believe that Blacks are genetically inferior to whites and, therefore, less intelligent (I know, that's not a major news flash! .) So they (we) are looked upon as "affirmative action admits" just to add a splash of color to the student body and not much more. For the high achieving Black students, they are always viewed as the exception to the rule -- he or she's really smart . . . for a Black person.
If our students are not coming out of homes where families promote education; or if they are attending schools that are obviously not investing in them, brainwashing them with lies about who they are and their history, where the quality of their education is pathetic; or where they are attempting to learn in hostile school environments, most likely they won't be able to successfully compete at the college level.
Like us, our children need help in establishing a game plan that focuses on their future. A college degree is good to have but, not all college degrees will give you a good return on your investment. College isn't for everyone. Some people 'make it' without one. Being an entrepreneur and owning your own business isn't for everyone. Some people enjoy not having to depend on their own brain juice and energy to earn a living. These are the people who simply want a job (or career) that pays a decent wage higher than the rate of inflation, working 40 hrs a week with some benefits and weekends off. Parents should be investing in their children's future in some kind of way. You don't have to be a parent with letters behind your name to engage in these conversations.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Let's work together to figure out how to get you there.
It's not about competency, it's about proper preparation and access for our Black students. There are some faculty and school administrators that believe that Blacks are genetically inferior to whites and, therefore, less intelligent (I know, that's not a major news flash! .) So they (we) are looked upon as "affirmative action admits" just to add a splash of color to the student body and not much more. For the high achieving Black students, they are always viewed as the exception to the rule -- he or she's really smart . . . for a Black person.
If our students are not coming out of homes where families promote education; or if they are attending schools that are obviously not investing in them, brainwashing them with lies about who they are and their history, where the quality of their education is pathetic; or where they are attempting to learn in hostile school environments, most likely they won't be able to successfully compete at the college level.
Like us, our children need help in establishing a game plan that focuses on their future. A college degree is good to have but, not all college degrees will give you a good return on your investment. College isn't for everyone. Some people 'make it' without one. Being an entrepreneur and owning your own business isn't for everyone. Some people enjoy not having to depend on their own brain juice and energy to earn a living. These are the people who simply want a job (or career) that pays a decent wage higher than the rate of inflation, working 40 hrs a week with some benefits and weekends off. Parents should be investing in their children's future in some kind of way. You don't have to be a parent with letters behind your name to engage in these conversations.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Let's work together to figure out how to get you there.