“They didn’t like my dreads,” Tiana Parker, a 7-year-old black girl said. “They” are her former school, Deborah Brown Community School. Officials told Parker’s dad, Terrence, that she wasn’t presentable because of her hair. According to the community school, “hairstyles such as dreadlocks, afros, mohawks, and other faddish styles are unacceptable.” And chastising little girls… Continue reading On Dreads & Why You Can’t Send a Girl Who Knows Who She is Home
Tag: school
Putting the BIG in bigotry
A routine sufferer of insomnia and social media addiction, I perused my laptop and phone before stumbling across several online references to an op-ed from Louisiana Tech University’s newspaper, The Tech Talk. Allow me to first say that I am unopposed to this publication. I do not harbor ill will toward Lousiana Tech as an… Continue reading Putting the BIG in bigotry
Ego Trips, epiphanies and intellectualism with Nikki Giovanni
When public figures present their humanity to crowds it is that much easier to understand why people love them. This could not have been more apparent than when Nikki Giovanni made an appearance in my hometown, Jacksonville, Fla., last night. It was an honor not only to see her encourage and empower a mostly Black… Continue reading Ego Trips, epiphanies and intellectualism with Nikki Giovanni
Learning from the Penn State allegations
Joe Paterno’s recent death caused many to wonder if he succumbed to lung cancer or stress stemming from the larger than life Penn State fall from grace. When multiple sexual abuse allegations surfaced, many Eddie Robinson fans believed that Paterno’s record was invalidated by his inaction. Regardless of where people stand on interrelated issues of… Continue reading Learning from the Penn State allegations
President Obama ministered to my spirit in last night’s State of the Union address when he said, “Higher education cannot be a luxury.”
Despite education’s liberating properties, it struggles to endure.
It gets gutted in budgets. In the face of unsettling economic times, it is undermined.
In an age of overly relying on standardized tests and normative assessments, it is confined to a box that many would rather skip altogether in pursuit of scant odds at becoming a star.
When knee-high to a grasshopper, many of us were taught that knowledge is power.
While pedagogical progress is hardly limited to classrooms, desks, chalkboards and Smart Boards, “book smarts” frequently contribute to the lives of people across the globe.
Education orders thoughts, increases knowledge, and illuminates cultural similarities and dissimilarities. But, it also swags out pockets, opportunities and lifestyles—when done properly.
Recent Census Bureau data reports that a master’s degree renders $1.3 million more during a lifetime than a high school diploma. A bachelor’s degree tends to add nearly $1 million more in lifetime earnings for an individual.
Certainly people nab high paying jobs without additional degrees. Some build fruitful lives for themselves and their families.
But, the president would not have ascended to his position of power without the world-class education that he received. Numerous others have similar stories.
As a recent graduate in a funky economy I am aware of pessimistic reports, and unfavorable odds; however, I come from long lines of educated people on both sides of my family.
Plus, we grind. Challenging work is often more exhilarating than exhausting.
It will be interesting to see how the political season inspires more conversations about the validity of degrees and the need for knowing.
I am ready to take notes.
