As a teacher, what can you do to help your students deal with this pressure?
The history of African American’s is acknowledged to be one of the most unjust in society. Tracing back to the early 1600’s where slavery first surfaced, African Americans were brought to America to do free labor. In chapter three of Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality by Joel Spring, it is explained that education was highly denied to slaves due to fear that plantation owners had of a rise in rebellion against them. Since the southerners were all in agreeance of this, “between 1800 and 1835, southern states passed laws making it a crime to educate slaves” (Spring, page 43). Knowledge is power right? Since slaves were obviously the minority, they were …show more content…
We’ve witnessed slavery, rejection of education, non-voting disadvantages, etc., that this specific race has been targeted into. In The Hidden Hurdle, author Sophfronia Gregory defines what “acting white” is in schools. This phrase refers to an insult that is used upon African American students who prosper in their studies in comparison to peers in the same ethnic group who stay behind. Gregory states that “once it was suppose to invoke the image of an African American who had turned his back on his people and community,” in a similar context nowadays, although not as severe, “acting white” is nonetheless blacks being bullied for being smarter by their own people (Gregory, page 44). In other words, black individuals are looked down upon by their own community if they are speaking “standard english, showing an interest in ballet, having white friends or joining activities other than sports” (Gregory, page 44). Since these characteristics demonstrate the typical white middle-class life, it is almost like African Americans are discouraged from achieving the “American life” because they are acting like something they are not, as discussed in this …show more content…
Gregory suggests that the problem of the lack of education is additionally influenced by the type of neglectance a child receives at home from their parents and/or guardians. Mark Martin is a student in Webster Academy that tells us that some of the parents of the his classmates are on drugs. “Such a homelife can further strengthen the attitude that school does not matter…” with situations like so, it is no wonder that good education is frowned upon in the black community (Gregory, page 45). The worth of education is not practiced which can cause a misleading perception on those students who notice just how important it is to have a good job and eventually get teased for it. This “acting white" culture is prevalent amongst African American students in public schools since the history of African American’s has its misconceptions that are still very much alive. Misconceptions such as lack of success. However, these misconceptions perhaps can be “vanished in the light of black achievement” (Gregory, page
The history of African American’s is acknowledged to be one of the most unjust in society. Tracing back to the early 1600’s where slavery first surfaced, African Americans were brought to America to do free labor. In chapter three of Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality by Joel Spring, it is explained that education was highly denied to slaves due to fear that plantation owners had of a rise in rebellion against them. Since the southerners were all in agreeance of this, “between 1800 and 1835, southern states passed laws making it a crime to educate slaves” (Spring, page 43). Knowledge is power right? Since slaves were obviously the minority, they were …show more content…
We’ve witnessed slavery, rejection of education, non-voting disadvantages, etc., that this specific race has been targeted into. In The Hidden Hurdle, author Sophfronia Gregory defines what “acting white” is in schools. This phrase refers to an insult that is used upon African American students who prosper in their studies in comparison to peers in the same ethnic group who stay behind. Gregory states that “once it was suppose to invoke the image of an African American who had turned his back on his people and community,” in a similar context nowadays, although not as severe, “acting white” is nonetheless blacks being bullied for being smarter by their own people (Gregory, page 44). In other words, black individuals are looked down upon by their own community if they are speaking “standard english, showing an interest in ballet, having white friends or joining activities other than sports” (Gregory, page 44). Since these characteristics demonstrate the typical white middle-class life, it is almost like African Americans are discouraged from achieving the “American life” because they are acting like something they are not, as discussed in this …show more content…
Gregory suggests that the problem of the lack of education is additionally influenced by the type of neglectance a child receives at home from their parents and/or guardians. Mark Martin is a student in Webster Academy that tells us that some of the parents of the his classmates are on drugs. “Such a homelife can further strengthen the attitude that school does not matter…” with situations like so, it is no wonder that good education is frowned upon in the black community (Gregory, page 45). The worth of education is not practiced which can cause a misleading perception on those students who notice just how important it is to have a good job and eventually get teased for it. This “acting white" culture is prevalent amongst African American students in public schools since the history of African American’s has its misconceptions that are still very much alive. Misconceptions such as lack of success. However, these misconceptions perhaps can be “vanished in the light of black achievement” (Gregory, page