News-Record.com

"Only in America are people judged by the color of their skin, their gender or their class."

The pickings for letters must be in short supply.

This country offers more opportunity to anyone willing to work for it, regardless of skin color, gender or class. If America sucks as you portray it then why aren't people flocking out instead of in?

Norma, perhaps you should talk to the Africans that my dad is tutoring. Some spent 11 years in a refugee camp before landing on American soil, legally. They told me how blessed they are to have the opportunity to work and earn money for their families, that people are volunteering their time to tutor them, that there is food easily available.

If America sucks so bad Norma, try travelling to some other countries. That trip should include any Muslim country, see how you are judged as a woman, and report back please.

Race, gender and class 'isms are global behaviors. Claiming they're unique to the US is absurd.

Well it is true . . . a white woman was bypassed for a black man . . .

. . . but I think the writer needs to look a little deeper into Greensboro politics to understand the real issues affecting the community here . . .

If a black man wasn't hired there would have been such an outcry from black people . . . kind of like the way very small children cry and whail for no reason . . . sad but true . . .

Only in America are people judged by the color of their skin, their gender or their class.
It's not "Only in American", look around!

Why is race and gender always a factor with appointed or elected public officials?
Because the news media deems it so!

Only in America do people fail to realize that we do not have any control over the color of our skin or our gender.
Does this enclude Michael Jackson or the "man" who just had a baby?

Norma,

I totally agree that people should be judged by their character, not the color of their skin. In Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech Dr. King said: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

This statement means that in judging other people, skin color should be ignored--that it should not be a factor in evaluating their competence or moral stature. It follows that skin color should not be a factor in taking actions toward other people, e.g., hiring and admitting to universities.

What has happened in the years following MLK's murder is the opposite of the "I Have a Dream" quote above. Colorblindness now has been replaced with color preference in the form of affirmative action. No amount of rationalizing can disguise the fact that affirmative action involves implicit or explicit racial quotas, i.e., racism.

So, I ask you if Mo Green was selected based upon his character, not his color? If Mo Green was a white man with his qualifications, would he have been selected over a black woman with Ms. Prince's qualifications? I submit to you that would not have happened. In tis case, color of his skin did matter, because Ms. Prince was eminently more qualified.

“Because I veto every bill sent to me.”

FACT CHECK: Bush has vetoed nine bills in seven and a half years.

Norma found another way to express her BDS in a letter that was ostensibly about the selection of a school superintendent in Greensboro.

membername

your fact check neglects to mention that all of the 9 bills were under the current congress. prior to that, he didn't veto a single bill.

See a pattern there?

“Only in America are people judged by the color of their skin, their gender or their class.” Ms. Burkes, this country does have issues when it comes to race, but, this country is far from alone when it comes to racial baggage. South Africa, Brazil, India and France are just a few countries that had and have issues with race and class. India and Brazil are infamous for their caste systems. The majority of slaves that came to this country were brought during the Atlantic Slave Trade. The effects from that will linger for sometime and you can see how it has affected the South.

“If a black man wasn't hired there would have been such an outcry from black people . . .” J. Peterman, it is really presumptuous for you to speak for black people. Do you have any contact with black people or are these observations gleaned from newspapers or TV news?

I don't like to post consecutively, but, I had to answer this question that was posted by ORR. In 2000, this country took a chance and selected a candidate that had less experience than his competitor. As a matter of fact, judging by the nature of your posts, I would wager that you voted for the candidate that had less experience. But, now, it is an issue for you with Mr. Green’s appointment. I would say your opinion about Mr. Green is below the surface, but, it isn’t. You don’t think that he is competent. If the Guilford County schools had wanted a superintendent who was African American, they could have gotten one before now. Annually, of those African Americans who receive PhDs, more are received in the field of education; so, there is not a dearth of African Americans who have PhDs in the field.

It is insulting for you to criticize Mr. Green, when he and those who look like him, generally, have not been given the same opportunities as those who look like you. It is akin to a runner (you) having a head start in a race and the runner has the gall to criticize the runner who was held back (by someone who looks like you). You put hurdles (pardon the pun), rules and shoddy equipment along the way, and you considered the race even. Please explain how the field became level for African Americans between now and 1954 when the Supreme Court handed down the Brown decision? And how was that parity achieved in the short span of 54 years?

conundrum, did you read this article yesterday?

http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=86516368

"The new superintendent of Guilford County Schools made clear to parents, educators and taxpayers in late July that he has no specific agenda for tackling the system's largest challenges during the next four years."

No specific agenda? That worries me a bit, he starts soon and might ought to consider some basic plans.

"I am looking for dramatic improvements," said Green, who begins work here on Sept. 8. "I'm not interested in a 1 or 2 percentage-point drop in the achievement gap over a two-year time frame. I really want to close the achievement gap."

See more on achievement gap below.

"Green has said publicly that he won't tolerate disruptive students in the classroom. He pointed to practices in his current district, such as added security personnel and the use of 10- and 30-day learning centers for suspended students."

Sounds promising.

"Green said he also supports strong base salaries for teachers and performance bonuses for employees, including custodians, specialists and bus drivers."

I like the "performance" condition.

Green has stated repeatedly that his initial strategy is to "listen and learn". That is commendable yet I hope he will emerge as an effective leader.

Back to the achievement gap. Written recently by Charles Davenport. Yes I know lefties loath this guy but please let me know what you think about these statements:

"Many black males arrive at school handicapped by circumstances beyond their control. They begin the race long after the starting gun has sounded, as their peers approach the horizon. The illegitimacy rate among blacks, for example, is nearly 70 percent. Consequently, nationwide, only 37 percent of black kids (as compared to 77 percent of whites) live with both parents. This is a well-known fact but one that is often ignored in discussions of the achievement gap.

Black males are also hobbled by the age of their mothers. Studies reveal that being born to a mother 18 or younger has a strong negative impact on a child's intellectual development, and this is a circumstance far more common among blacks than whites. Likewise, low-birth-weight babies are slower to develop cognitive abilities; they, too, are far more common among blacks.

Another often-overlooked stumbling block for black children is the ratio of kids to parents in the home. In black households, the average is three children to each parent; among whites, the ratio is 1-to-1.

The cumulative impact of these conditions on black children is catastrophic. Many do not respect authority, have no self-discipline and no desire to learn. But these are matters of culture that are, for the most part, beyond the purview of public schools. It is sufficient to acknowledge that educating black children - black males, in particular - is a formidable task. But it can be done.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2008/08/01/article/how_to_close_the_black_male_achievement_gap

He does continue with solutions in the piece.

IMO, Davenport exposes the cold hard truth that is often avoided in discussions about the achievement gap due to political correctness. Statements such as this will immediately be labeled as racist by the PC crowd.

Thoughts?

Dan, Davenport's use of facts does not make him a racist. The numbers are there for all to see. A study has shown that white, high achieving high school students have friends in proportion to their success in the classroom. It's the inverse for high achieving African American students. Tragically, for some African American students, being studious is something that is not to be emulated. If Green comes in and starts expelling kids, he's going to catch hell from the parents. Basically, this man has to play catch up. Dr. Benjamin Carson has said that his watershed moment was when he answered a question posed to the entire class during his public school days. He said that he went from being called the dumbest kid in the class to the smartest kid in the class. From there, he went to Yale and then on to the Univ. of Michigan School of Medicine. Can you imagine the atmosphere around the dinner table in Dr. Carson’s home? Think about the role models that Dr. Carson and his wife are. Prior to going away to college, I had never met an African American with a PhD. My academic advisor received his PhD from Harvard. Can you imagine the kind of impact that had on a kid from a little town in the South? African American children need to be able to dream and any parents that don’t prepare their children academically for the future are doing them a disservice.

Conundrum . . . it is really presumptuous for you to speak . . . at all?

Look in your mirror . . . that's the only fool who takes you serious . . .

Conundrum the champion of all black folk . . . campaining under the banner of "change" . . .

. . . get real . . .

"Conundrum . . . it is really presumptuous for you to speak . . . at all?

Look in your mirror . . . that's the only fool who takes you serious . . .

Conundrum the champion of all black folk . . . campaining under the banner of "change" . . .

. . . get real . . ."

You can't drag me in that gutter with you.

Closing the achievemant gap is a formidable task. I would point out the generational aspect of the problem. Not only do many of these boys have mothers who are only fourteen or so years older than they are, but their grandmothers may be only fourteen years older than their mothers. How does the intellectual atmosphere in that child's house compare to an environment in which both parents were in their twenties, thirties, or forties when they had children? Those parents likely finished high school (at least.) Davenport's analogy to a kid starting the race long after everyone else got a head start is right on the money.