After the decision by the United States Supreme Court a
while back regarding Affirmative Action, a gazillion articles have been written
for or against it. This post/article will do neither. It’s about time for the
Black community to get off the merry-go-round of lies that have been peddled to
us for way too many years and start working on our own rules for success and
full access to the supposed American Dream!
The right-wing’s quiet debate about
affirmative action is nothing but a thick smoke screen of false sounds bites
and dazzling silence that has ignored the truth in order to paint a false
picture for us. Affirmative Action has been the favorite whipping post of white
folks for decades. It’s the beauty that continues to be defined as a damn
beast. Most of the debate around affirmative action has been centered on the diversion
of racial preferences.
White America is being very hypocritical to
blame us when we use the racial preference card when it comes to college
admissions and/or government contracts, but has vast resources directed their
way every day based on race and their historical advantages.
These advantages based on race happen every
day, but have roots in years past. The white folks have access to a strong
network that is based on family and neighborhood ties that were built over
generations where us Black folk were intentionally barred from competing in
those areas is a preference based on race. Their wealth that was/is passed on
from generation to generation that was gained because of slavery, segregation,
and/or discrimination of Black people is a preference based on race. It does
not matter one bit, that today that same discrimination is illegal as long as
the fruits from the past discrimination are still ripe to help give white
people an advantage. Understand?
Affirmative Action ain’t about reparations for
us Black folks for past discrimination. It’s not about handing out preferences
based on race (although America already does a
good job against Black folks). It’s about doing away with the racial, gender,
and ethnic preferences that really are the biggest part of our society today.
It’s actually about merit. Merit ain’t what
your momma or what your daddy or your granddaddy did. It’s not how well a
silver or bronze or gold or platinum spoon fits into your damn mouth. It is
about you. What have you done on your own?
Very few people stand on their own.
Most of us stand on the shoulders of the people that came before us, so
if your father’s or grandfather’s or mother’s or grandmother’s shoulders were
bent outta shape due to the weight of the discrimination of their time, then
you may not be able to reach as many stars as someone without that
disadvantage. Understand?
When a white kid that grew up in a good to
elite school system with an abundance of good food to eat, no fear at all going
to and from school, has enough money to pay tutors to get ready for the SAT and
ACT, has good grades and great test scores, is it nature or nurture? Hum?? The
same can be asked about the Black kid that has average grades and scores but
grew up in a screwed up public school system where failure is not only expected
it is embraced, and yet this proud student is able to exceed all expectations. Is
that nature or nurture? Who is really
more impressive? Understand?
There is a tremendous wealth and
opportunity gap in America and there always
will be. While the wealth gap is real and proven, the opportunity gap may not
be completely proven; and the real problem is that both gaps are based on
racial preferences.
The wealth gap numbers speak for themselves
don’t they, and are appalling. The opportunity gap may be a lot smaller than it
was during Jim Crow, but it’s still there, and it’s still there because of the
lack of opportunity for Black people. Those gaps continue for a helluva lotta
reasons, the least of which is the institutional racism that still exist today.
But, those gaps are based on very real racial preferences, really hidden by the
lies of omission (we never discuss these truths), and the false excuses given
to distract us from the height of inequity built upon a discriminatory system
that is essentially pure racist.
White folk believe that affirmative action
is used to give undeserving and unqualified Black students admission to so-called
elite universities solely based on their race, gender, or ethnicity. Bullshit!! The funny thing is I can’t find
anybody to define what is qualified or who is the most qualified. You tell
me….who most deserves to get into a highly competitive, highly selective, and
highly ranked state university? Does the
student with access to the most money and resources deserve to be admitted
first? Understand?
Should the admission pecking order be based
on the student’s past achievements, even if those same achievements may be because
of being born into a family with vast resources as it is the student’s inner
drive? Should it be based on a student’s
established track record of overcoming obstacles and barriers to their success? Should it be based on the student’s
likeliness of success in college? Should
it be based on being able to provide a unique perspective of life in the
pursuit of higher learning than most of the other student body? Should it be based on all of the above? Hum?
I
just can’t find anyone willing to step up and answer those questions. Instead
we’re left with white folk, elitist fiction, that only the students that have
the best grades, test scores, and activities have earned the right to admission
in the small number of so-called elite schools that they believe are the only warehouse
of knowledge. The definition of who is qualified will always favor white people,
while evading the reality that a big part of who is most qualified is flawed
and biased, giving them a huge advantage. A big part of the current system of grading
students for admission to college is really screwed up. It’s screwed up in
large part due to the white belief in standardized tests that can’t predict success
in college, but the same tests are very good at giving an advantage to white
kids with resources and disadvantaging Black kids.
Surprise!
Surprise! Surprise!
The bottom line is this. Our community has
to stop accepting the lies of the past and start thinking for ourselves. We
have to be clear about our own paths to success. We have to build, maintain,
and reinforce our own networks to build our own wealth and power, which
includes more funding and attending HBCUs.
We can no longer be slaves to the white folk’s definition of what a
relevant school is or what qualified means.
Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and Michigan just love their
college football and basketball teams, which are over represented by Black
kids. I wonder if the coaches from those schools found as much mistrust and
animosity from Black high school star athletes during the recruitment process
as affirmative action has faced over the years if all of a sudden the value of
diversity in the student body at these universities would start to be discussed. Crazy idea?
Most first steps towards revolutions are. I’m out!!
