Why you should attend
Politicians sacrifice the black community over and over again.
The black community is worse off than most other racial groups in the UK in a variety of sobering ways – from HIV rates to incarceration rates to poverty rates. This situation is driven directly and indirectly by flawed or deliberately destructive government policies that disproportionately harm Black people.
Non-white students are disproportionately located in the worst schools in the country. There are 1,700 high schools (out of 27,000) that produce over 50% of the total dropouts in the nation. More than one third all black students attend these schools, which helps explain why the graduation rate for black students is only 51%. Kids who attend these 1,7000 schools are more likely to find themselves in economic poverty and/or prison than graduating from University.
Public schools expect less from black students.
A culture of low expectations surrounds black students on a daily basis. Whether or not they are made aware of the tremendous achievement gaps between blacks and whites, they tend to recognise that the idealised British vision of being able to achieve whatever they put their minds to does not apply to them. Instead they learn that the academic struggles they may face are merely a symptom of their stupidity and that ANY transgressions are punished harshly in a criminalised classroom. While they are reminded that society has been extremely unkind to the black community, at the same time they are reminded that they must know their place in society, and that demanding equal treatment is disruptive, uncouth and unacceptable.
Let us not deal with these issues in isolation.
Parents for many reasons do not come forward or speak out about issues they may be facing when dealing with their childs school. It is well noted that many parents from Africa and the Caribbean also have a fear when they have to speak with or face their childs teacher(s). It is a well know fact that we as Africans have a stigma attached around “talking our business” is was well imbred into us from childhood. However, at a time where the world is becoming smaller, and children are more outspoken and at times refuse to tolerate certain types of treatment wether it be from their peers or adults. It is fair to say that we as the adults need to start “talking” to each other more.
Just because Kwame is doing well and Yemisi is on the virge of being excluded, we need to STOP with the showing off and START supporting to get the BEST for ALL our Children.
Its Not All Negative
It has been found that children of African heritage do better when they are able to be educated within an environment which meets their cultural and educational needs. We hear too often that children thrive when they are given the attention and cultural empowerment needed to develop well rounded and confident individuals. Supplementary education is one way to do this, places like West Side Young Leaders Academy are one of such places, we have chosen this organisation simply because their main target audience are young Black Boys. These boys are usually the main target for permanent exclusion in schools, however it has been shown that children who attend establishgments such as WYLA, Fathers to Fathers and other African led groups and organisations tend to do better.
TONY TOKUNBO ETEKA FERNANDEZ 