The Problem we all live with podcast, with Ira Glass and Nikole Hannah Jones.

Wow.  What a changes from last weeks assignment.  I will begin by saying that I truly enjoyed listening to this podcast, as well as reading along.  It opened my eyes to the fact that there is still serious racism and segregation happening, even in 2017.  I mean I don't live under a rock, I realize that there is still an abundance of racism, but I was not aware that in this day and age there was still segregation in school and people fighting to keep it that way.  There were parts while listening to this that I wanted to reach through my computer and slap people.  How dare they make those kids from Normandy feel like they aren't good enough to attend Frances Howell.  Who are they, judge, jury and executioner?  Like Nikole stated, how do they know that one of those trouble makers from the other side of town won't be the one in ten years to save your life?  It amazed me that ere are people out there who still posses the audacity to think that they are better than someone else because of the color of their skin.  It brings me back to Johnson's mention of the Watermelon Man.  These are the people who need to wake up one day with a different skin tone.  These are the people who need to walk a mile in another's shoes so that maybe they would be less judgmental.  This also made me totally rethink those teachers that I judged so harshly in Delpit's article.  It's because of the white people that were present in that town hall meeting that black teacher's feel like they need to just smile and ignore what white people are saying.  I can honestly say I am appalled and mortified by the way those people were speaking.  Sorry Armstrong and Wildman, but colorblindness is not an issue here.  These people have no qualms about expressing their racism.  

This is probably my favorite assignment so far.  I found this podcast to be heart wrenching and real and honest.   Before I get into the quotes that really stood out to me I am copying the link for the . TAL, which I have to be honest I am not entirely sure if I did that correctly.  

The first portion that struck me was the discussion on how basically bad schools, in the poverty portions of town, stay bad, while the good schools stay good.  Looking at this and thinking about Rhode Island you can see how this statement rings true.  Compare Providence or Pawtucket schools to Barrington or East Greenwich.  The poverty areas, which are mostly black and Latino, Providence for example, cannot keep up with a fluent school district like Barrington, which is predominately white.   And I can only imagine what a town meeting in Barrington or East Greenwich would sound like if they were told that South Providence was going to be busing their kids into the schools.  I would probably be just as appalled as I was with the parents of Frances Howell.  But in doing so it would be doing what Nikole was talking about, integrating and getting those black kids what the white kids already have, access to quality teachers and quality instructors.   I truly did not realize the extent of segregation that is still affecting our society until I listened to this and sat back and looked around. 

It truly does need to end.  All of our students should be given the same opportunities no matter where they live, or what color their skin is.  Look at Mah'Ria.  She was an excellent student, and once she was attending Francis Howell, she was making the honor roll, on the volleyball team, and had friends.  Yet her mother had to fight to keep her there as opposed to sending her to a school with non-accredidation.  Really??  So instead of offering this bright child everything we can, we are going to send her to a district that is destined to fail because of the color of her skin.  It's just despicable. 

The other quote that truly pulled at me was Nedra saying " I literally, mentally, had a vision of a herd of cattle being pushed back on a truck, being herded back to where they came from".  That is just awful.  It's awful that it is being done and it's awful that a parent has to feel that her child is part of an unwanted "herd".    Life is hard enough, let's give these kids a fighting chance, and let's make school a place where they feel equal and safe and all can learn.  I keep going back to Rodney King's " Can't we all just get along?" .  How many times will that question be asked before it starts to sink in and mean something.

The next thing I am enclosing is the link to Michael Brown , being that they mentioned his name often throughout the interview.   The shooting and death of Michael Brown is believed to have been one of the reasons that the Black Lives Matter movement was started.  

Lastly, I am also adding in a song that can be considered a response to Nikole stating that she feels like no noe is even trying anymore.  Some of us still are.  And if enough of us can keep trying, then we shall be free.....If you have the 3 minutes seriously, watch this...it's worth it.

We Shall Be Free