DISCLAIMER:
Let me start of by saying, before I unintentionally offend my liberal white friends (again), that when I am referring to “white people,” I am referring to those that willingly and knowingly submit to what it means to embody a white identity in America, a nation founded on the expropriation of Black slaves to build this nation, a nation that had KKK supremacists and Jim Crow laws, a nation where black people were seen as ⅗ of a person, a nation where it was illegal for a blacks and whites to get married, a nation were separate and equal meant truly just meant separate, a nation where a civil rights movement was needed in order to prove that black lives matter, a nation where when you say black lives matter, someone responds with all lives matter.
With this being the attributes of our nation, I am coming to say that being pro-black does not equate to being anti-white. Sure you (some white folk) may say these conditions don’t exist anymore, but they do exist. In fact, they exist in you simply having to ease your own conscious: by saying that such conditions cannot possibly exist because you (a white person) are a liberal and do not identify with what other white people may be doing.
This is the story (Law and Order SVU voice):
I am sitting in the hallway of a building in 94 Mercer street trying to write a short story narrative on the racial dichotomy that exists and the urban youth that are pursuing an American Dream. There are two people in front of me, and if you just look at them you assume that they are white (here I go trying to be careful with what I say so that I don’t hurt the feelings of white people, even though not many of them care about making assumptions of colored folk themselves).
The only reason I became interested in their conversation is because the atmosphere in the hallway seemed to get very tense, and I noticed that she was trying to pace her words in such matter that would not offend me, the female of color rocking natural hair (no doubt I must be the daughter of a Black Panther as far as they are concerned).
“Minorities don't get enough funding as opposed to versatile schools where the majority of the student populace is white." Well, that’s a fact. Funding also comes outside of the government and unless people of black and latino background are secretly hitting the lotto and living impoverished on purpose, her statement was true. But then she kept saying that districts with white students are smarter than those of minority schools “where fights always break out”.
I went to a high school (in Harlem, may I add) where the students who were accepted were not accepted based on who had the highest grades in the city, because of course that would consist of white people that can afford tutors to get these high grades, rather students were accepted based on the highest ranked grades of each district in order to diversify the student population.
I let one of the finish their sentence before I spoke.
“Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear you and get distracted,” as they were no more than five feet away from me. “I just have a question before I continue, what state are you from?” They just smiled at me and didn’t respond. I looked between the both of them, surely they had heard me, how could they not, they were staring at me wide-eyed as if I had the words “Angry Black Activist” inscribed on my forehead. So of course I asked again, “ So… what state are you from?”
Again the response that I was awarded was more silence and another fake smile.
“So are you guys from here… because I was listening, and I’m from New York City, so maybe, just maybe, I may have something that can help with your project.”
“Right.” the male said.
“So, what state are you from?” I had to reiterate.
“Well, I’m from Israel,” he said.
“Okay, and you.”
She smiled and said “Well I’ve been working in the New York City public school system for nine years.” Umm, okay. Does that mean that what I have to say has to get discredited? Does living in New York City for over 18 years and being in the NYC system for fourteen years not mean that what I have to say can hold reason?
“Okay great, I’m just an undergrad,” there I went, trying to belittle myself to not offend her, “but I went to a school that does not embody any of the characteristics that you are attributing with urban schools.”
“What school did you go to?” She asked as if testing me, as though there could be no way for an urban school to uphold characteristics other than what urban schools are known for. Such sin, such blasphemy, how dare I say such a thing.
“I went to a school in Harlem.”
“What school?” She prodded.
“Columbia Secondary School. In fact, we got our funding from Columbia University.” I further explained the way in which students were accepted into the school and made one last comment before I left: “I just wanted to point out to you that the term minority is faulty and that it shouldn’t be the way you describe a group of students, when in fact there is no such thing as being a minority, just a marginalized group.”
“Right, well the terms we are using aren’t set in stone yet.”
“I just wanted to express my opinion if you are going to talk about me and my people.”
And they remained silent for the next five minutes until I gathered my things and left.
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