Black Oriented Schools – How to hurt all Canadians

Here is what our young black men are faced with. Please bear in mind we are talking about troubled young men who are at risk of failure and possibly becoming anti-social. The majority of people designated as black, either by themselves or by our esteemed government, are hard working, succeeding people not particularly at risk.

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Let’s think deeply about this segregationist idea of Black schools before we authorize a solution everybody will regret. First, let’s think about young white or less “visible” students who go to our schools and contrast the problems they face with those of potentially ‘at risk’ black students. The curriculum is the same for both groups. The teachers are the same. Some teachers are very good and some not so good. All students face these same problems. The facilities are the same for both groups of students. Some schools are better than others, not because of financing; the financing is relatively the same for all. Socialization in the schools, at very young ages is the same for all. The kids can’t tell black from white and teachers of the lower grades love little kids or they would not choose to work there. Both white and black kids and kids of all shades of colour, as they advance through the grades find their subjects get increasingly less like play and more like work. Teachers begin to get pressed to spend more and more time with some students that begin to struggle. Enter the families of the children and young students. Some can help their kids and work with the teachers and school. Some cannot, either because of work, family situation or lack of sufficient knowledge. A few may not really care or see the need. Language difficulties also create problems. We know that white children on the whole perhaps do not face a supportive family problem. White students and other minorities usually have a more supportive environment, but not always. Lots of us can’t cope with the new math. When a student is not black he assumes it is he that is having the difficulty. He or his parents may think he needs help but sometimes either may blame the teacher. Race or colour rarely enters the picture. Maybe, if the students are children of new immigrants, language or level of prior schooling in the home country versus the Canadian school is seen as the problem. The black student unfortunately, may to see his difficulties as a deliberate attempt to put him down because he is black. The black student’s parents are reported (by many teachers and principals) to be more prone to believing the student and attributing problems to racial or colour identity than their white or other minority counterparts. Think about the Toronto Star’s headline of a few years ago: “Schools Fail Blacks and Portuguese” Could not the headline equally have read, “Blacks and Portuguese Fail in Schools” Need we say more? Unfortunately, yes we do. The attribution of blame is deliberately reversed here and the school system is held to account, rather than the student. Also note that colour apparently doesn’t cause discrimination; or does it? The headline is a juxtaposition of intent. People have to find reasons for failure, both students and teachers, if for nothing else than to preserve their own ego or perhaps the personal integrity of their family. We all do it. It is normal. This is so even for newspaper editors who seem to want to avoid attributing the cause of student failure anywhere else but on the home front or on their own misconstruing of racial politics. Black family members may think their kid is being unfairly treated by the staff, school or teacher because he or she is black Excuses are made such as; “they don’t care about our children;” “my kid can’t relate to white teachers;” “there is racial prejudice in the schools;” “my kid is relegated to lower grade courses just because he’s black.” All of this rationalization by students and parents is understandable, though the attribution of racial prejudice is unfortunate and on the whole very wrong and unfair. However, the next groups of players upon the scene are the real catalyst for the promotion of the racial blame game. These groups are the professional black anti-racist and ethnocultural agitators and educators. Sometimes they are relatively recent groups of innocent black immigrants, carried along by the rhetoric. Even black lawyers that specialize in race-based cases get into the act. Black university-trained sociologists also have much to say. Some of these activists have been creating havoc since the day they arrived in Canada twenty or thirty yeas ago. They see malignant racism everywhere. There are also plenty of white apologists who support these “professionals.” These groups rarely look at the overall ambience of student support, other than with a passing glance. In fact, right from the very beginning of their being in Canada they have worked to build an anti-white agenda of race-based antagonisms. They have done everything in their power to pillory the school system and all other institutions as “systemically” racist. Unfortunately, they are too often backed by non-black apologists and politicians, few of whom are prepared to confront these false premises honestly and in a straightforward manner. Those politicians and others who have tried to be direct and honest and have attempted to suggest appropriate solutions have instead found themselves labeled as bigots or racists or both. So what do students, old enough to comprehend and understand these issues, hear from their adult protectors? Here is what the black students and their parents hear (and come to believe); here is what the school boards hear; here is what the politicians hear and here is what the public hears through these inane repetitions of the mass media: “Our curriculum is too Eurocentric; our kids can’t relate to that history or method of teaching.” “How can a black student relate to a white teacher or perform well in a white school?” “We need teachers that look like me.” “We need to have pride in our own culture.” “Our children suffer from racism in the schools” “We need to teach about cultures other than the culture of the dominant majority culture.” “We need our own schools.” “Our kids don’t see themselves in their school curriculum.” “Our children need to take pride in their own people.” Couple all this excusatory verbiage with the many laws and anti-racist bribes (grants) paid to every racial group under the sun now existing in Toronto and Canada and we have a certified recipe for racial escapism and racial rage. The ever increasing demands for more and more accommodation of the worse possible kinds of programs and indeed laws emanating from these minority activist philosophies will crush the very society all immigrants came to Canada to find and benefit from. Add to these negatives the repetitive denigration of the host majority culture that emphasizes and exaggerates the past failures of the majority’s culture for not having been as fair as it could have been during its distant past and the stage is set for excuse making. All too often our anti-racist and ethnocultural professionals have falsely assumed that the past evils of southern segregation in the USA were a feature of Canadian society. Even today negative racial incidents that take place in the USA are foisted on Canadians of the majority as if somehow Canadians engage in similar practices. It never seems to occur to these destructive people that if we do not teach and promote the positive history and the great traditions, laws and principles that we have inherited and/or were created in Canada, those growing up will have no chance to learn what makes this country free and livable. It is this very “Eurocentric” history and culture, so maligned by these racial advocates, that has allowed all our freedoms to flourish and if we do not imbue in all our young people the values contained therein, we will open the door to any dictatorial power-seeker out to destroy us all. The quest for power by the power-seekers never stops. There is a very wise saying; “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” How can our children, indeed how can any of us be vigilant, if we do not know what we are supposed to be vigilant of. Our national anthem tells us, “to stand on guard for thee.” What are we supposed to guard against? What made Canada a free country where anyone can strive to achieve; to do better? A place where class, wealth or laws do not prevent us from doing so; was it some accident? Such values may seem “Eurocentric” to the excuse-makers and the professional self aggrandizing anti-racist and ethnocultural activists but these values are vital to the success of all of us. Much of the failure experienced by so many “at risk” black youth has been shown to stem from the behaviour of young fatherless families and their “baby” mothers. Too many are the products of dependency on welfare, subsidized housing and unskilled or poorly educated parents living a borderline subsistence. These and a whole mélange of other problems do exist and no Black school alone can hope to overcome these difficulties. Such schools will only encase the problem in a cast iron Pandora’s Box that will in the future be opened and cause great societal havoc to all. The Solution – a change of mental outlook The solution will take a vast change of outlook on the part of all concerned to drop all race-based excuse-making and address the problems in their entirety. The racial so-called divide, is not a divide but a state of mind. Racial social activists of all types, hurtful as they may have been, have several positive attributes that can help turn things around. They are usually very intelligent people and full of energy. These talents are needed, but they must dismiss the racist evil shadow from their minds and turn their energies to the task of solving the real problems; social not racial. As a society we must make the damage no worse. We must stop bringing marginal, doomed to failure, people into this country. We must institute plans to integrate near failure (at risk) youths into living-wage jobs and stop coddling the gunmen and those who resort to criminal activities. A strong code of ethics and values is required. We will need to remove those anti-racist and ethnocultural activists, who cannot change, from our schools and from our government controlled educational systems. We must begin listening to can-do teachers (and hiring them) black, white and of all varieties. A continuation in the present direction of everlasting racial politics will doom us all to failure, and worse. We have got to keep reminding ourselves that most people come to Canada because of the opportunity it offers to themselves and their children. Canada is able to offer such opportunities precisely because of its history and so-called “Eurocentric” laws, culture and political stability. Unless that background is understood and totally subscribed to by all citizens as being fundamental to the advancement of our civilization, we will all lose. Black segregated schools, if instituted, would be a terribly wrong step towards social upheaval, political misdirection and disharmony. They will help no one. ******************** Dick Field is the former founder and Chairman of the Voice of Canadian Committees and the Montgomery Tavern Society. He was editor and publisher of Voices, their newspaper. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Queen’s University. Dick has a wide variety of life experiences and has traveled worldwide both as a businessman and the co-owner of a travel business. He retired as a marketing officer after a thirty year career with a major Toronto life insurance company. Dick also ran a TV sales business; was an industrial relations officer at a Hamilton steel company and a salesman and sales manager in the automobile business. Dick is proud to have served in combat during WW2 with the Royal Canadian Artillery in northwest Europe. Dick can be reached at HYPERLINK "mailto:letters@canadafreepress.com" letters@canadafreepress.com