Why Ferguson is an education issue

The big story in the news right now is the shooting of Michael Brown from Ferguson, MO, who was young and black. There are many similarities between this killing and that of Trayvon Martin, as well as the Rodney King riots. But why, you may ask, is an education blogger mentioning this?

To answer that question, it is necessary to first unpack the inherent racial profiling that occurred in all three of the above cases. There can be no question that each of these scenarios might have happened differently if the victims were white. Perhaps they still would have been killed, but the backlash about race would not have been so powerful. Many people have recently alluded to the white privilege that white people don't often realize they have. In the latter article, the writer mentions that even though she grew up dirt-poor, she still possesses white privilege simply due to her skin color. Another Huffington Post writer states that the media  isn't helping with the perpetuation of stereotypes.

Additionally, in nearly every category that the government gathers statistics of -- people in jail, people in college, people on welfare -- people of color are disadvantaged. Is it because POC are genuinely more driven to commit crimes, not finish school, or not obtain living-wage jobs? Of course not. A great deal of the disadvantages occur because this country perpetuates white privilege, whether the people perpetuating it are aware of this or not. True, there is no longer slavery or legal segregation, but this is a culture dominated by white males, and it therefore can leave those who do not fall into this category feeling like outcasts.

But what does this have to do with education? First, as stated a remarkable piece written by Peggy McIntosh in 1988 (which all educators should familiarize themselves with, by the way), there are (at least) 50 reasons why white people can feel more comfortable in this culture. Because they fit in they may not be able to sympathize with POC in even their simplest struggles (like being followed while shopping). As a result, POC often feel marginalized or unwanted. If you possess these feelings (especially if they are coupled with worrying about whether you can eat today), school is most likely not your first priority.

Secondly, school systems were designed by this white culture. Therefore, there is often a disconnect not only in the curriculum for people of color (i.e. history being written by white men, required books by mostly white authors), but also in everyday scenarios similar to those McIntosh lists. White teachers may not be able to empathize with black students who feel like they can't walk around the school or community wearing jeans and a hoodie. This is why POC (especially black males) are especially vulnerable when it comes to dropping out of school. (Of course it's not the only reason, but if teenagers cannot relate to something or understand how it is relevant to their lives, they will not be invested.)

What's going on now in Ferguson is terrible, of course, but it can also open our eyes to the bigger issues -- there is still segregation in terms of society's perspectives of the races. We cannot hope to reform schools in the so-called inner cities until we reform these attitudes about race. For better or worse, they are intertwined.