Class Reflection - Chuks

As a recipient of a private high school education, I was not personally affected by the broken state of America’s public school system. Nevertheless, through the experiences of friends who attended Boston Public Schools, mentors who work in or closely with outreach programs and non-profit organizations for children in urban settings, and even documentaries like Waiting for “Superman,” I received a heavy dose of this reality. Although I attended a private high school, I could directly relate to the experience(s) of the students at Northern High School (as characterized in the Gorski article). I could relate to them in regards to feeling like the "token black guy," recruited only to help win athletic contests and satisfy a status quo. This, sadly, is opposed to being valued by the school community for my unique heritage, culture, and prior life experiences. Diversity days at the school felt like "Celebrate Your Oppression" days and Black History Month was usually honored in a day where teachers would dedicate a whole hour to watch a video on Martin Luther King, for example, without any post discussion or premise. Because of people who believed in my potential for success, I, a poor, chubby boy from Roxbury, Massachusetts, was fortunate to attend a private high school and receive a private high school education. However, I did not truly feel valued for my "blackness" - my identity - until I reached college YEARS later.