Prudence Carter: Keepin’ It Real

 

“Schools are more than institutions where teachers impart skills and lessons;

they are places where teachers transmit cultural knowledge. As a

child growing up in Mississippi and attending de facto segregated schools,

I did not realize that education is as much about being inculcated with

the ways of the "culture of power" as much as it is about learning to

read, count, and think critically. This culture of power, as scholar and

educator Lisa Delpit (1997) calls it, encompasses a body of rules, tastes,

appreciations and styles for success that are fashioned by the dominant

social classes whose members are mainly White, middle- and upper-class” (47).

This quote connects to many of the other texts we have read in class. The idea of race and culture as a factor in education; how one is educated, how one is perceived, and how one may be valued, is very powerful.  In this quote Carter suggests that the “culture of power” is integrated into the curriculum in our schools, as is learning our ABC’s. This “hidden curriculum” was not apparent to her growing up in Mississippi as it is to her now as an adult.  She did learn at a very early age, in sixth-grade when her teacher needed to instruct her on a specific cultural awareness when she stated “Always remember to look someone in the eye, especially Whites, when you are speaking to them’ (48). Why was this so important for a sixth-grader? Why is “Whites” capitalized in this sentence? Why are things still “Separate but equal?” I can’ t help but think about how far we have come as a nation of freedom and equality but also it is apparent how much we are not a nation of freedom and equality. Kozol really dives into this in his text when he discusses the segregated schools which are quite simply, de facto segregated schools today in America.  When Carter was in school in Mississippi I wonder if she realized at the time about the segregation. After all, segregation was illegal. To think about education as a privilege for those who grow up in the right neighborhood is absurd in itself.  But to think about creating schools in neighborhoods for the sole purpose of integrating different cultures only to have those schools become segregated, proves that the country has not come very far in its fight against racial equality. 

This is the trailer for the film Freedom Writers. In this clip we can see the racial divides that many schools have and the privileged education or in this case, the unprivileged education.

Identity: This word is very important to Carter’s “Keepin’ it Real.” In her text she discusses the point of “acting white and “acting black” as staying, or not staying true to ones cultural identity. Since most everything revolves around the dominant culture, it is important to understand what influences this. What or whom influences our identity? Carter discusses the use of cultural markers to help with ones identity. It is important to understand that “Keepin’” not “keeping” it real is vital to ones identity. Since the black race is not the dominant culture there needs to be a dominant culture within the race.  Carter refers to this as the “black cultural capital.” Although “keepin it real” is important for the culture of the race, we do live in a world where the dominant culture may be seen as a threat to those who are not in that culture, therefore, for one’s own race to “act white” is going against the core of keeping a “black cultural l capital.” 

NY Time article.
"For Children of Same-Sex Couples, a Student Aid Maze" Ny York times article. Will applications and other sort of documents be same sex marriage friendly?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/your-money/for-children-of-same-sex-couples-a-student-aid-maze.html?_r=1&ref=education