Classroom Activism

The Talented Tenth Predicament "The tenth man, with superior natural endowments, symmetrically trained and highly developed, may become a mightier influence, a greater inspiration to others than all the other nine, or nine times nine like them.”       - Henry Lyman Morehouse We are all familiar with the “Talented Tenth”, a term that describes the top ten percent of the Black population, men more specifically. These were the Black men who, after slavery, were going to spearhead an educational movement. These men were going to help propel the Black race beyond the mental shackles of slavery, and create sustainable communities, all by acquiring formal education. The men of the Talented Tenth were supposed to be the leaders, organize the other 90%, and use all of our mental and financial resources to create a foundation for the future. What happened? Where did the disconnect occur? Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Two men, two dif...

Guest Blogger: Steven Waddy Steven Waddy is a real estate agent and lawyer in Baltimore, MD. A student of civil rights, Steven works with communities to promote economic wealth, through ownership and education.   I have long been an advocate for robust funding and care, given to public schools for several reasons.  First, they are publicly owned and therefore, more subject to democratic forms of governance.  There are levels of accountability to public schools that can be exerted by the constituents of the school system and not controlled by one private entity not subject to any open record of laws.  If a decision is made by a governor, mayor, legislature, or school board regarding the funding of the school system or the treatment of students, teachers, parents, administrators or faculty, then those decisions can be exposed without having to resort to clandestine measures. Within the parameters of a public school board, members of the community c...

“You know he’s a little touched in the head” “She got that bipolar” “I don’t deal with her, she crazy af” “He’s not right in the head” We have all heard these phrases growing up, eaves dropping on grandma and ‘em talk about the “community diagnosed” family member around the kitchen table. We all have that one uncle, you know, the one that lives in the back room of Grandma’s house. The one that does the most bizarre things that everyone turns blind eye to? That cousin that never goes to jail, but disappears for months at a time, returning home more sedated and zombie-like? These people are present in our lives, yet no one discusses the actual issue. In the Black community, mental health is taboo. It is that ugly little secret that the family locks in the back room. The stigma of mental health is creating a community of broken black men and women, unable to function in healthy relationships, birthing children into emotionally chaotic environments, creating more dysf...

    While I am writing this post, there are tears flowing from my eyes. I realized that my passion for my people is deeply rooted in the way my parents raised my sister and me. We learned how to value our complexions, and that without the support of our families and communities, we are nothing. My father taught me this. My mother taught me this. Standing on the basic principles of love and light, I learned that parenting is more than setting your children up to become successful adults. As I venture through this journey of motherhood, I often have thoughts of self-doubt creep into my mind. As I hear other parents discuss the many accomplishments of their children, I see my feisty lioness in all of her quirky splendor, and try not to compare. But, we as parents, we do that. We compare. We force our children to live within the bars of our own expectations, with us forcing them to identify with what we deem as acceptable.    Historically, there are many reasons why...

        It has been a few weeks since the last blog entry, and that is for good reason. There are times that we, as Black women, fail to indulge in a little thing known as "self-care". As you can see, this particular entry is a little personal. For the past two years, I began a wonderful journey of full self-discovery, which included the purchase of a new home, and starting a master's program. What is interesting is the fact that people were very supportive, until the relationships that were so concretely established, began to show cracks. I wasn't showing up for them in the same way. I wasn't being that friend that would drop everything, and rush to their aid. I became that friend that understood that my peace of mind was first. As my needs changed, the care and nurturing I gave these interpersonal relationships evolved. Evolved from a more dependent connection, to one that required me to detach, or lengthen, the cord. It was necessary, very necessary, in order f...

   A few days ago, one of my friends requested that I speak with her daughter, in reference to her skin complexion. Her concern was that her daughter did not find the inherent beauty in her skin, and viewed her skin as "ugly" and "unattractive". I can only imagine the inner turmoil a thirteen year old must endure, as she attempts to navigate not only puberty, but the fact that regardless of who she is, people will only know her as the skin she's in.     When I was growing up, I was the person in my house with the darkest complexion. And I wore it with a badge of honor. With coarse, thick, kinky hair, and the complexion to match, I knew that I was beautiful. I had to be, because my mom and dad told me so. My mother would shower my sister and I with how beautiful our complexions were, regardless of the polarity of our skin tones. My father, a typical Black man from West Baltimore, highlighted the differences in our complexions, with nicknames like "Chocolate...

There seems to be this “crisis” in Baltimore City, according Project Baltimore. For those unfamiliar, there are students in Baltimore City, who are being “pushed through” the school system, and are graduating. With diplomas. And are essentially, illiterate. In 2017. I am not surprised. And, as readers, you should not be either. The “School to Prison” Pipeline has been the topic of immense discussion for decades, even with allegations of special education class rosters being used to predict the number of future prisoners. The United States Department of Justice publishes demographics of state and national prison populations, where on both levels, there are high percentages of prisoners with learning disabilities and mental health illnesses. In other words: This is nothing new. I know a young man, who did not receive an IEP until he was in the fifth grade. At this time, the young man was not able to read on a second grade level, but was in the fifth grade. I remember sitting at the c...