Opinion

By PAT WATSON
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If you want to generate heat in a cold northern climate, just lay a Black issue on the mainstream. Last week's sub-zero temperatures got a boost when, during a well publicized town-hall meeting held at the St. Lawrence Centre called, "Making the Grade: Are We Failing Our Black Youth?", Prof. George Dei, chair of equity in education for the Ontario Institute for Studies In Education at the University of Toronto, renewed the call for Black-focused schools. The Centre has regular town-hall meetings on any number of current and relevant issues but few have heated up the city air as this latest one. The issue of racism is such a sensitive one on both sides of its border that any time we charge into the barricade there is heightened noise. And not everyone agrees uniformly with their particular community. There are voices both within and outside the Black community that strongly object to the notion of Black-focused schools, calling them a bad idea that should not happen and raising the spectre of segregation. There are others, like Prof. Dei, who say: 'Let's give this a try.' Why all the uproar? Black parents, students and former students who have, or had, dealings with the Ontario school systems know why. Our education needs do not get adequate support from a system funded by our tax dollars. It is not a level playing field when it comes to our community and we do not get our money's worth. You could argue that what any child reaps from his or her education is the direct result of how much he or she puts into it, but that suggests that every child is mature enough and has enough foresight to understand what acquiring a formal education really means. As many adults know, it is only in hindsight that we understand its value. And, it is only in hindsight that some of us really feel the after effect of the covert racism that disabled us in schools. Not all of us who went through this education system dropped out, but I would venture to say that every Black person who went through the education system here has had some experience with racism in the schools whether from teachers, students or worse - the curriculum. It is encouraging to note that the province is (at least) considering experimenting with Black-focused schools. In finding the way forward there is no shortage of resources and experienced people who can show how it is done. The province can consult with those who have already been successful in running Black-focused centres of learning such as Yaa Shange who heads It Takes A Village in Ajax and Brenda Pierre who runs the Children First program in St. James Town, and academics such as Dei and York University professor Carl James, an expert in education. In fact, there is no shortage of informed people. The high dropout rate has to be remedied. The consequences - including higher unemployment rates, higher rates of employment in low paying jobs and under-employment and all the resulting handicaps that come from living in poverty is already evident. Let's face it, for the Black community having a higher education does not guarantee a secure future, but not having it at all does guarantee an unsure one. A teacher once told me that public school education is tailored to meet the needs and aptitude of the middle of the spectrum of the school-going population; that kids who are outside that 'mainstream', whether they possess a higher or lower capability for learning, are left out. She suggested that the main education system has a more or less one-size-fits-all approach. There are schools that operate outside the mainstream, including alternative schools. Parents, mostly middle-class and well educated, fought for those schools and if the Black community wants Black-focused schools then we too have to fight for this. It is interesting to note that a study done some years ago on dropouts found that among Black high-school dropouts there was significant evidence of relatively higher self-esteem. Maybe some of these kids are dropping out, not because they are not interested in an education, but because they have the wherewithal to say they will not tolerate the irrelevant education to which they are exposed. Unfortunately, they are then left with limited alternatives. A Black-focused curriculum would offer them that alternative. At least then they would have better choices. For now, there seems to be little choice and a narrow future.