WEEK 7: 15 attendees
Part 1: Chapter 8: What is the school-to-prison pipeline?
Prior to the meeting, Karen circulated a podcast on the Brown v Board Supreme Court decision and its aftermath:
http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/13-miss-buchanans-period-of-adjustment
The discussion revolved around issues of “representation” and how important it is for non-white students to be exposed to non-white teachers, particularly in the lower (primary) grades. It was noted that the NJ State Department of Education reports graduation rates throughout the state broken down by sex and ethnicity. There was also a discussion about intersectionality with teacher gender as well.
[After class note: Hunterdon Central Regional High School reported graduation rates of 95%, 88%, and 78% for whites, black/African-American, and Hispanics; however, I would note that the magnitude of the differences may not be significant based on the sample sizes - the ratios of students in the adjusted cohort to those graduating was 632:603 for whites, 17:15 for Black/African-American, and 64:50 for Hispanics. For additional data, and for all schools in Hunterdon County and other counties in NJ, see https://nj.gov/education/data/grate/2018/ ]
The following article was circulated after class for review:
https://sojo.net/articles/study-shows-racism-shortens-lifespan-black-people]
Part 2: Chapter 9: Why can’t I say the “N” word?
This chapter was pretty straightforward. We did discuss how certain pejorative terms can be used within a group that owns that term can be used a sign of belonging, such as the use of the “N” word within the Black/African-American community in the same way that “queer” is sometimes used in the “fluid” (non-straight, non-heterosexual) group. However, when those terms are used by those outside a group, they retain their history of separation, dehumanization, and oppression.
Peace,
— Duncan Taylor
