"This is no place for a black man."
I've repeated that statement more than a few times since I started with the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1996. True, more than a few black men made their way up the ranks from teacher to administrator and beyond, but for every success, there was the expendable black man. That was the black man who was good enough to step in and take over a classroom after the first teacher quit mid-year, but was not good enough to offer a contract to after the school year was over.
As a black man in LAUSD, I was relegated to discipline. Discipline primarily meant African American boys. I knew when a school recruited me, what they really wanted was for me to deal with some of the African American boys they couldn't handle. I usually accepted the challenge. However, I knew my days would be numbered.
The state of California is going through a crisis. Crisis usually means money. Money means the state doesn't have any. That generally means budget cuts. Education is always at the top of the budget cuts. California school districts have been slashing jobs since April 2008. Today was the day LAUSD sent letters to those who were getting their jobs cut. Black men, caught unaware, have been calling me all day. Their jobs are gone. "What am I supposed to do?" they asked over and over. I answered, "Just wait until the first day of school. The boys will be back in school."
What is it that makes some people so afraid of even the youngest African American male student? Should we be frightened of them because they are so frightened of our boys?
1 comment:
Their fear comes from incompetence, insecurity, and ignorance. The first two create a need to subordinate those around them; the ignorance makes them look to a population whom they assume they can do so with ease.
Yes, be frightened, then disgusted, but then be solution-oriented. We must continue to advocate for our boys and hold LAUSD accountable for its many transgressions.
Speak, my friend, SPEAK!
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