An article in today’s Detroit Free Press about a recent visit by some students provides some grounds for optimism about the fate of equal opportunity in Michigan, but also a clear sense of the obstacles still to be overcome. In this case, and it is a case that I suspect is not uncommon, the optimism is provided by students; the obstacles by their teacher, supported by the University of Michigan.
Evan Ford and Angela Loomis are best friends, both seniors at Pontiac Northern High School. Evan is an African American with dark skin. Angela is a European American with light skin.
Normally, they don’t give a thought to their skin color. But one day this month, they did. On Feb. 1, the girls and the rest of their advanced placement government and economics classes visited a special exhibit about affirmative action at the Pontiac Creative Arts Center.
Called “A Case About Diversity: The Affirmative Action Lawsuits at the University of Michigan,” the exhibit is on display through Feb. 26 in honor of Black History Month.
“I don’t think there should be affirmative action,” Angela said after spending half an hour browsing through the life-size pictures of the first African-American students at U-M in Ann Arbor and other people who played a role in affirmative-action history.
“I think everyone should be treated equally,” Angela said.
Evan agreed. “I can see it helped a lot of people in the past get into college. But I don’t see that racial segregation is a big problem now,” she said. “I’ve grown up with a lot of diversity.” Referring to affirmative action, she added, “I guess maybe we could do away with it.”
So much for the forces of light. Now for the dark side:
Their teacher, Eloise Williams, head of the social studies department at Pontiac Northern, said that many of her students think of affirmative action as a giveaway and don’t want it. They want to make it on their own. She said she hoped the exhibit would help the students see that affirmative action isn’t only about race and it’s not about giveaways.
“It’s about opportunities and resources,” she told the 30 or so students who visited the exhibit. “It doesn’t give you a head start. It just gives people the chance to run the race.”
Williams is a graduate of U-M and Wayne State’s law school.
The exhibit was created — I think by the University, which schedules its appearances — with a grant from the Ford Foundation. It has been criticized by the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, and U-M philosophy professor Carl Cohen, a liberal who has consistently and steadfastly opposed racial discrimination, continues to point out its shortcomings.
“The idea behind the exhibit was, I presume, to defend the university’s position,” he said. “It was not, of course, balanced. Race preference is morally objectionable, but they tried to cover that up as best as they could.”
Richard Carter, “U-M’s associate director of state outreach and the man who schedules the exhibit’s showings,” generously allowed that Cohen and others have a right to their opinion — presumably even those unbrainwashed students who are ornery enough to “want to make it on their own,” with no special privileges based on their race.
BAMN fraud charge:
25% of MCRI petitions were signed by individuals in predominantly black cities, therefore, because no black could have conceivably signed this if they knew the truth about the initiative, they must have defrauded all the blacks that signed it. [seriously, I have quotes from BAMN that say almost exactly this]
MCRI counter-exhibit #84:
Evan Ford and Angela Loomis are best friends, both seniors at Pontiac Northern High School. Evan is an African American with dark skin….
Referring to affirmative action, she added, “I guess maybe we could do away with it.”
Oh god, the Ford Foundation. They’re giving a lot of funding to universities to have classes on “contentious issues”. They’re supposed provide students a chance to debate hot button issues like affirmative action and Islam in America. Reading a description of the program though, one of the goals is to combat “Islamophobia” and “other forms of bigotry”. Meaning those classes are going to be nothing but exercises in indoctrination, where the sanctimonious professor– who, I’m sure, was carefully selected–will tell students what to think.
I’ll bet this display is related to that specific Ford Foundation program, and I’ll bet they’re targeting states like Michigan where there have been major battles over affirmative action.
Anyway, it’s called “Difficult Dialogues”, and here is a link: http://www.fordfound.org/news/more/dialogues/
The problem for these professors is that most of their students haven’t grown up with the sort of blatant racism that they might have. In turn, these students do not assume that every obstacle in front of them is caused by their skin color. I thought this was the point of the civil rights movement?
But at the same time, many minority students have learned they can get somewhere with scared white liberals (and more than a few scared white consevatives) by saying “It’s because I’m {FILL IN YOUR VICTIM GROUP HERE}!” when faced with a negative outcome or consequence.
My response? “Yeah, you’re right. Say it again. Say it every time something doesn’t go your way. Say it even — especially — when you know you are wrong and the statement is untrue. By the time you are 40, you will believe it in every situation — and you will be an angry, bitter, rage-filled failure in life. But it won’t be your fault — ‘It’s because you’re {FILL IN YOUR VICTIM GROUP HERE}!'”
This invariably results in some great discussion with my (80% minority) 10th grade students. I’d like to think it reaches many of them.It certainly cuts down on the frivilous use of that accusation in my classroom.
“It certainly cuts down on the frivilous use of that accusation in my classroom.”
I remember in middle school the black girl in the advanced math class was always screaming racism (“I got a C because…”). Everyone knew she got that from her parents and that it was a fraudulent charge, and if she was doing that at 12, just think of what she is like now.
In sports, so many of the black parents would sit in the stands, openly complaining that their kids weren’t playing enough, that their kids were better than their white and Asian teammates. This was in front of the families of those whites and Asians, mind you. It apparently didn’t matter, either, that their kids didn’t always show up for practice.
Way to teach your kid to be a team player and to work hard–scream racism if you don’t play as much as you want.
Just once I wanted one of the white or Asian families to tell the black parents to shut it. Just once I wanted the teachers to tell the black girl to shut it, but no one ever did. Good for you, Rhymes with Right.
So I suppose that the moral to this thread is that if you eliminate Affirmative Action in America, everybody will be treated fairly and without discrimination.
LOL–I guess if you repeat mythology enough times, even generally REASONABLE people start to believe it.
–Cobra
“LOL–I guess if you repeat mythology enough times, even generally REASONABLE people start to believe it.”
Apparently you believed the affirmative action mythology.
So I suppose that the moral to this thread is that if you eliminate Affirmative Action in America, everybody will be treated fairly and without discrimination.
–Cobra
You can be sure that it would end all the direct and indirect racism and sexism caused by AA. But as AA discriminates against people whom Cobra hates, he’s a solid supporter of it.
Only a fool thinks that one can end discrimination by requiring it. Then again, perhaps it’s foolish to think that Cobra wants to end discrimination.