December 13, 2013

From Immigrants Traveling on the Orphan Trains to Children of Color Lingering in the Foster Care System

What happened to the African American children during the Orphan Train tragedy timeline?  Of course most Blacks were denied all social services.   However, unbeknownst to this newly freed community of people, this may have been a blessing considering what was about to happen to their community and family structure to replace organized slavery. Up until the 1930's or so, the African American community cared for their own children whether they were blood related or not.

Newly arrived immigrants and Native Americans were impacted by the English Poor Laws and workhouses in the United States. Charles Brace the founder of the Children’s Aid Society had well-meaning intentions when he thought of a new idea to save poor children. From the mid 1800’s to approximately the 1930’s, as many as 200,000 destitute, white immigrant children were taken from the streets of New York or from over crowed orphanages and brought to Midwestern towns by train in order to find farm families  for the now orphaned children.  Although some children found good homes, others were placed into indentured servant status. Many were victims of severe abuse and/or neglect. Finally all of the children’s ties to their biological families were torn and severed, records were not maintained and their heritage was lost in time. The Orphan Train phenomenon evolved into the development of the formal adoption, foster care laws and child welfare practices in the United States.

Throughout history it appears that a family’s socioeconomic status has been one of many variables that has impacted and is factored into the decision making process regarding risk for abuse and/or neglect of minor children.   During the Roosevelt era the Federal government began funding the states to enlarge the child welfare system.

Now that Federal dollars were being used, the US Constitution needed to be adhered to and states could not discriminate based on you got it…Race.

So now the states had to be inclusive of the African American Community and their children when delivering foster care services. In addition, AFDC benefits which were originally legislated for white mothers whose husbands were serving in the military during war time, was built on the foundation of male exclusion in the home in order to be eligible, collect and maintain these government benefits.  

AFDC benefits/requirements coupled with the child welfare system's service inclusion of the African American community, resulted in the current disproportionate numbers of children of color, most notably African American and Native American children, lingering in the foster care system.  

Similar to Charles Brace, contemporary child welfare assessment decisions are made based on the caseworkers and social workers intentions whether positive or negative. These decisions are supported based on laws and policies which created institutional structures in this country, where racism is embedded in the cemented foundation.

So how do we derail this runaway train???

November 5, 2013

Part 3

Backlash continues against Coatesville school board

By KRISTINA SCALA and MICHAEL N. PRICE ,kscala@dailylocal.com , mprice@dailylocal.com

POSTED: 10/24/13, 12:30 AM EDT |

The Coatesville Area School Board continued to face public backlash after its members appointed independent legal counsel Tuesday to represent the district in an ongoing criminal investigation and to review the actions of the school board members and those of the district’s embattled solicitor.
 Read more.. http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20131024/backlash-continues-against-coatesville-school-board

I have been wondering what the status is regarding the Coatesville School board and their culpability in keeping  the reasons for the former Superintendent Richard Como and Jim Donato's  resignation under wraps. I have some major concerns regarding the school boards actions when appointing an independent counsel to review their own actions in the texting scandal. To my mind,  there is something  very wrong with this picture. Most importantly I have some major legal and ethical questions regarding the employment contracts which  allows the display of racially inappropriate and negative behaviors to be rewarded by allowing folks to resign and keep their retirement and benefits as oppose to being fired. 

 Sadly, part of the problem in this country is that we don't even know the proper definitions of the words that we use.  Because we choose not to apply definitions to be used across all sectors,  this provides society with multiple loop holes for the oppressors to justify NOT  filing criminal or civil charges against racist predators., allowing them to maintain or the ability to resign from their positions. 

How many definitions have you read regarding the following words? 

Structural Racism

 The many factors that work to produce and maintain racial hierarchies and inequities in America today which includes:

• National history, values and culture;
• Public policies, institutional practices and cultural stereotypes 

Racism

A doctrine or belief in racial superiority, including the idea that race determines intelligence, cultural characteristics and moral attributes

Racism thus makes an association between physical psychological and moral attributes and these are used to justify discrimination and prejudice.

Racial Inquity

A social outcome measure that occurs when the distribution of society’s resources, opportunities, and burdens are predictable by race 

Racist language: " language that denigrates a person because of race".

Prejudice involves having negative attitudes and stereotyped beliefs about members of a group. 

1. While I agree that we cannot do anything in the legal sense to those who possess a  prejudice mind-set against minority groups, we can address the actual behaviors that are displayed as racist however, we as a society choose NOT to develop CONSISTENT and appropriate protocols and laws.
2. 
   

“. . . there are few things in the world as dangerous as sleepwalkers.”          

                         Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

October  1, 2013

Radnor High School Retires Mascot As Sign Of Respect To Native Americans

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/06/23/radnor-high-school-retires-mascot-as-sign-of-respect-to-native-americans/#comment-943356813

 The NFL should in all good conscious not allow Washington’s football team to continue with the use of the word “redskins” as part of the teams name.  

 I came across this article where we now have high schools, administrators and parents who are fighting to maintain a racist name of a mascot under the pretense that it is honoring and a sign of respect for the Native American community. As a White American I am speechless at the contemporary ignorance of some professionals regarding this issue.  There is massive research on the subject and the outcomes reflect the negative impact upon all children when using cultural symbols as school mascots.

More importantly, have you asked a Native American tribe their thoughts on the subject lately? The unspoken message being sent to our children is that it is acceptable to perpetuate inaccurate misconceptions about this culture in the educational setting as well as, continuing to support the media’s bias depiction of “our” country’s first people. Superintendent Sanville I am sure you are not deliberately attempting to be culturally insensitive and of course most folks in the community might not find this issue offensive because the fact of the matter is sir, most folks are viewing the world through their own cultural lens therefore, it is the responsibility of others to model appropriate behavior.

I keep reading that we are honoring the Native Americans. Is it to makes us (white people) feel better? How do we know that they feel honored? Or is it our belief that “they” should feel honored…and what if they don’t? Would the Native Americans be labeled as ungrateful? 

When are “we the people” going to begin to allow all groups and cultures the right to self -determination?

September 25, 2013

Part 2

CASD School Board Meeting         

                                        

I had decided that I would be in attendance at the Coatesville School Districts school board meeting Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. in the 9/10 Center auditorium on the high school campus. The Coatesville area was not only a home to me in the past, but several associates and good friends currently live in Coatesville. I made sure that no one knew that I would be attending the meeting because this was not my intent and would take away from the purpose.

The first issue was the decision not to move the meeting to one of the many other district buildings on site that could hold additional Coatesville parents and residents. The school board members and administrators declined the earlier request made which appears to communicate a continuation of white dominate control over the masses! 

 When I arrived wearing my double sided sign, there were two other white women with children caring signs. During our conversation they stated that they were there to support the teachers. It became abundantly clear rather quickly, that the real issues were not being acknowledged and the needed support from the white community  was not being provided. 

The eyes of the children who were accompanying their parents appeared to be wounded and filled with confusion. Those arriving who appeared to be of the Baby Boomer generation, read my sign and gave a gentle nod of their acknowledgement and approval. It appeared that a large majority of the Baby Boomer generation, displayed similar facial expressions. After a further conversation with my AA/Black associates, validation was provided that what I was witnessing was a sense of sadness yet a semblance of toleration as if this incident was nothing more than a reoccurring echo of the past, a reality of the present, a way of life as only experienced and known by the AA/Black community.

I was asked by the two white women I first encountered, if I wanted to save a seat in the auditorium. Due to the limited seating, I decline based on the belief that those who were directly impacted by these vile texts, should be seen and heard by the school board members that were voted in by the AA/Black Coatesville parents/citizens. 

As I was standing and chatting  with an African American mother, parents and citizens continued to arrive however, they could not enter the building but rather stood by and with the back door open in an attempt to hear the proceedings. It is this picture that is etched in my mind and I  cannot erase the feelings this evoked within me. You ask why, I will tell you my opinion. 

Ever single white parent and citizen should have stood outside by the front and back doors in solidarity to support the African American/Black community. In turn, the AA/Black individuals standing by the back door, should have been the individuals seated in the auditorium. 

I am not discounting the probability that the white people inside did not have good intentions on a conscious level however, to my mind, these "good intentions" are not good enough anymore!! This is just another prime example of white privilege/entitlement at work. 

White privilege is what America and the US Constitution was founded on and continues to be the cement which fortifies every state and institution. I don't care who you are including myself, if your skin is white, you have and live your life drenched in white privilege. 

Last but certainly not least...yessss I realize that the white parents seated in the auditorium are citizens and tax payers too and they also have a right to be heard however, that was not and is not the issue at hand and I will not belabor the subject any further in this post...so if you are not in agreement, stop trying to justify your position!

It is what it is...end of story my white privileged friends!

September 22, 2013

Part 1

Daily Local News:

CASD in crisis after racially-charged text messages surface

I understand that Redemption is necessary, however, part of the change process as well as mourning the loss  of more children who have had their innocence stolen once again, is anger. My heart is heavy for the children and families who have been injured by these animals...so please bear with me through this process

Let me say that the Black community possess such steadfast patience and  grace and by no means am I attempting to inflame conflict within your community. What my goal is, is to provoke white people to "man-up" and  address these issues head on!

One of the newspaper  responses that I posted is as follows:

First let me clarify, I am white as white can be. Attention all Coateville Pa. school officials who were part of or justified the actions of Como & Danto...your hateful, racist ignorance, (which by the way ignorance means uneducated if you did not already know), and deplorable conduct is unconscionable to say the very least!! It is so very obvious that your level of general intelligence, cognitive thought processing, and your ability to acquire and apply knowledge has not yet evolved in your lineage for the last thousand years!

There is no doubt that all of the arrogant, hateful, white racist people (you are no professional) need to be more than just re-educated because it is also obvious, that the neocortex of your brain has yet to develop therefore, it will take harsher consequences for the mere idea of your hatefulness to penetrate any part of your unevolved brain, and definitely not your heart or soul because you possess neither one!

The character assignation that all of you perpetrated against the African American/Black community and against our African American/Black children was not simply through text messages or a one-time event, this is how you live your life and respond either overtly or covertly to any person of color. Your hatefulness has done more than just injured the African American/Black children and youth in the Coatesville community but has impacted this nation. 

This act is piled onto all of the other hateful, murderous, vile and inhumane acts that have been committed throughout history against the African American/Black community. 

Ohhhh but wait...I keep forgetting, you keep telling me that racism happened hundreds of years ago and that “they” should just get over it, OH WELL STUPID ME what the hell was I thinking!!??#@$%...NOT!

I'll take a guess and say that more than 1/2 of the white people in this country are pathetic and I am ashamed that you have the same color skin as I do! For example, read the Washington Post or the New York Times on-line opinion posts when there is a controversial racial article, then folks will see how this country operates!

You are teaching and raising another generation of white racist hate mongers! I respect educators but not those whose moral self- righteousness and indignation fertilizes the soil with poison. I have seen this first hand in the smallest of ways, how you react to a child of color as oppose to a white child and Nooo it is not my imagination. News Flash, my brain did evolve! 

Anyone who justifies this behavior with the old constitutional right bullshit, you can join these idiots and Get out of Chester County and Head Straight to Hell…do not pass "Go" because if you do, you will meet up with all of the white people who are against you, because we will be standing there waiting!
AMEN!

Tim Wise on CNN with Don Lemon 

"The 5 things white people should 

do to improve race relations" (video clip)