In his book, “Kill Them Before They Grow: The Misdiagnosis of African American Boys in American Classrooms”, Michael Porter exposes and confronts the institutionalized horrific practices that are destroying our African American males within the public school setting.
The book is described as a “resource for parents, teachers, administrators, and students of education, psychology, and Black Studies. Porter explores factors impacting the education of Black boys based on seven years of experience working with children labeled “behavior disordered.” Chapter topics include:
1) “A Curriculum of Genocide”
The present curriculum, as it exists, allows for students to graduate without being able to read and they are taught algebra without having learned basic math facts. They use a calculator for two digit addition and many of them have never used a dictionary. In Henrico County, students have access to their own computers but would rather fill it up with music videos, pictures, and proxies than reading materials, and math facts.
2) “Pre-Jail”
Many districts like Henrico County Public Schools profess their commitment to “preparing our children for the 21st century.” What they are really preparing them for is a life of failure, frustration, and futility…all traits that will earn a child a trip straight to jail. It is amazing to us that in jail, the same children that required accommodations, modifications, and all types of “fications” have access to none of these things, but are subjected to extreme forms of discipline and either conform or are consequenced. The disheartening part about all of this is that people like Royal, Jepson, Armstrong, Rokenbrod, and Ellis are working hard to ensure that our children go to jail because they have no discipline. The fact is if you do not love a child, you will not discipline a child. Henrico has its own personal pipeline from the cradle to the prison.
3) “Behavior Management Through Self-Knowledge”
One of our parents shared how he felt that Henrico County Public Schools is systematically depriving our children of role models that they can identify with that promote a healthy self-image and encourage the pursuit of self-knowledge. Once a child knows their history, the sacrifices that were made by their ancestors to get them to this point, they cannot help but value their lives and their opportunities to succeed. When our children are deprived of this, they act out and have no roots upon which to build their identities or a point of reference from which to build their character.
4) “Medicated to Learn, Medicated to Act Right: The Slaughter of African Boys”
Back in the day, there was no ritalin, concerta, prozac, or time out. We had a belt, a switch, and sometimes good pinch on the arm that was our “medication”. It was a lot cheaper, a doctor did not have to prescribe it, it had fewer side effects, and we never got addicted to those interventions. We all received a good “beat down” once in a while from our parents and did not die. Many ignorant people say that spanking a child results in a child being physically violent. The truth of the matter is that if you “spare the rod, you spoil the child” and when corporal punishment was removed from school, violence, disruption, disrespect, and defiance went rampant. Many have said that corporal punishment was removed when intergration was mandated and white parents did not want black teachers disciplining their children. In the process, our black children lost out. For many of them, specifically our black boys, a good old fashion “whoop’in” now, would spare them the humiliation of a policeman’s “beat down” later.
5) Public Law 94-142 and the Creation of Black Monsters
This federal mandate legitimized a system of “dependence” within public schools. Black monsters were created similar to the Frankenstein story. The creators have developed our black children into dependent, addicted, immature, retarded and incapable monsters that can only respond to the basic instincts of their nature. They live to satisfy their appetites, which is the lowest form of existence, similar to that of animals. To eat, to sleep, to..well, you know the rest. They are never encouraged, challenged, or even taught to rise up and live out their own potential to the fullest. The oppressor has them completely fooled into thinking that they are their friends, but the oppressors become upset when these same children grow up and bang them over the head on a street corner because they need to satisfy a desire to get money or some other need.
6) The Conning of African American Parents
We can’t tell you how many times school officials have lied to, manipulated, hidden, and even falsified information to parents regarding the education of their students. The reality is that African American parents participating in the conning game when they do not educate themselves on their rights and the rights of their children. An educated parent is a “nightmare” for school administrators. And NO! Parents should NEVA’, NEVA’, NEVA’ trust the future of their child to someone who is getting “paid” to care.
7) Paycheck Slavery and the African American Professional
African Americans that receive college degrees and obtain professional jobs should help elevate the race, but instead the Brothers and Sisters sell out. Instead of fighting against public education’s institutionalized racism against our boys, they see an opportunity to make money in the system; thereby choosing “GREEN” over “BLACK”. I can give examples of this just by pointing to Henrico’s Director of Middle Schools, Rolfe’s Director of Counseling, and several of its African-American educators that choose to be silent so that they can keep their jobs and in the good graces of the system’s tyrants than to stand up against a system that is killing our children.
Porter’s book is eye-opening and validates what many school boards, administrators, and school officials dare not part their lips to admit. Well, the truth of the matter is that they do not have to admit that there is a big pink elephant in the classroom of every public school where a black child (or any child for that manner) is deprived of their right to learn without prejudice.
WE DEMAND THAT HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS “STOP KILLING OUR CHILDREN BEFORE THEY GROW!” Now that we know their crime, it is time to hold them accountable for this atrocity and remove the murderers and their partners in crime.
They kill are children’s spirits, esteem, minds, bodies, and souls and remain indifferent and uncaring in the process.
They kill the promise of our seed, the seed that they committed to nurturing, protecting, defending, and growing; then have the nerve to become indignant when we expose them for the murderers that they really are.
Well, UGOTNERVE is right in the heat of this struggle and will do all that we can to support the war effort against districts like Henrico and leaders, (and we loose the term loosely), like Morton, Royal, Montgomery, Jepson, Armstrong, Rokenbrod, and Ellis.
We will make it our job to make their lives the living hell that they have created and permitted to exist within the lives of our children. How? It is easy, we will keep shining “light” on their “darkness.” For them, that is the ultimate hell!
KEEP UP THE NERVE!
Michael Porter… He is the racist that great African-American mind James Baldwin wrote to his nephew about how to avoid. In a twist, Michael Porter is an African-American racist who even Baldwin would be ashamed of.
“God gave Noah the rainbow sign/ No more water, the Fire Next Time!” It seems Porter has not learned from the mistakes of those with whom he places all the blame. Follow Porter’s road and for sure, “The Fire Next Time!”
I hope you are brave enough to post my comment. Come out from behind your straw man and show the world you are brave enough to challenge Dewey’s Ghost!
Dewey,
No need to challenge your views or Baldwin’s comments, we respect them both. The reality is that Porter has described the reality that we live on a daily basis within the educational system. Is destruction by fire a bad thing, heck no! If the fire comes to purify and get rid of all that is false; resulting in pure gold for our children, I’ll take the fire! Besides, we don’t need courage to confront each other, we need courage to advocate for the voiceless…..that’s where the real guts are!