AARM – Activists Against Racism Movement

Readers may recall that in Part 1 of this treatise — I briefly discussed the fact that “it has become an annual ritual for the U.S. Department of Education, states’ Education Departments, local boards of education, and various educational research groups to issue reports and frequently put forth unrealistic, shallow, suggestions for change and improvement. As part of that which resembles an annual sideshow, we can routinely count on simplistic, and sometimes outright silly suggestions and “answers” to the critical question: “With regard to academic performance and achievement, why do African American students (in the main) continue to lag so far behind their white counterparts?”

As it relates to timing, it is most interesting that (according to the July 14, 2009 edition of EDUCATION WEEK magazine), on the same date, i.e. July 14, 2009 — the National Center For Education Statistics (a federal government agency, which “is the main statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Education”) released the results of a recent study regarding the so-called black – white achievement gap (visit www.edweek.org). With regard to the possibility of closing the gap — the bottom line of the study is that (for the most part) — no real, substantial progress has occurred (surprise, surprise)!

Concerning this critical issue, and the EDUCATION WEEK article, I thought that it might be important to point out the following concrete example of “outright silly suggestions,”"which I referenced above: Mr. Patrick Gasper, “a spokesman for Wisconsin’s education department (reportedly, a state in which the “achievement gap is significantly larger than the national average”) — was quoted as having said: “it’s ertainly something we’ve known we need to work on, and it’s not going to change overnight.”

In my humble view, African Americans, and anyone else who has a sense of justice and urgency, should be nauseated by such lackadaisical statements. “Overnight”?! The spokesperson can’t possibly be serious. The humanly engineered, historic, so-called achievement “gap” within the U.S. is clearly and literally centuries old. Thus, in the final analysis, statements such as Mr. Gasper’s represent nothing more or less than a robotic, thoroughly political, gradualistic, rationalization, and feeble attempt to justify, if not dismiss, the acutely unreasonable lack of adequate progress. Close examination and critique of the above referenced article, reveals additional, clear examples of “simplistic, and / or outright silly suggestions and answers.” However, I won’t belabor the point. Let’s get back to discussion of vitally important, historical factors and explanations concerning development, maintenance and continued perpetuation of the current reality.

Typically, a critical, missing factor within simplistic analyses put forth by governmental agencies and others, who claim to be concerned about eliminating the academic achievement “gap”"between African American and white students, is the inclusion of historical “backdrop.”"In other words, as it relates to any objective analysis of this deep-seated, socioeconomic, political, cultural issue and problem, there are many very important historical factors which must be given serious consideration. This is especially true with regard to the real (as opposed to imagined or fabricated) impact that institutionalized racism, including four-hundred years of systemic, chattel slavery — has had, and is having relative to the continued existence and perpetuation of the problem. Like any other deep-seated socioeconomic and / or political issue or problem, unless the true nature of the achievement “gap” is fully and clearly understood, and acknowledged — it is not likely that realistic and effective solutions will be forthcoming anytime soon.

Relative to widespread change and improvement, it is my hope that this critical analysis will help bring about clarity regarding the true nature of the so-called achievement “gap,”"and therefore greater clarity regarding development of effective solutions. Hopefully, this work will contribute to debunking the continued big lies and implied allegations that 1) everything that can possibly be done to help close the “gap, “which really is more comparable to a ‘valley’ or ‘island,’ is being done; 2) this problem is so complex that an effective solutions might not exist; 3) in accordance with the nation’s undergirding philosophy of white supremacy — African Americans are intellectually inferior to whites. Most importantly, it is my sincere hope that this work will aid in inspiring African American people to take a serious stand on behalf of our children, and our collective future.

Many scholars pretend, and then there are those who probably actually believe, that all vestiges of institutionalized slavery within the U.S. were long ago eradicated. It is a thoroughly erroneous idea that current, overall socioeconomic, political, cultural conditions and realities, including despicable, educational conditions for huge numbers of African American students within the elementary and secondary public education system, are not to a large extent, the results of historical, systemic, structural discrimination, deprivation, brutalization, and dehumanization, which occurred during the period of more than four hundred (400) years of instutionalized slavery within this land that is today known as the United States of America. There is no denying the fact that the impact and real effects of the most wicked institution in the history of humanity, still exists today in numerous sophisticated ways. It is of utmost importance for African American people to never downplay, ignore, dismiss or gloss over the significance and importance of the real and serious impact that institutionalized slavery has had, and is having on their individual and collective lives. In no area of life is this impact more obvious and / or profound than in education.

(To be continued…)

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