A recent report about the income of Black Minnesotans going down in one year's time does not address the bigger picture and so places the blame for this (presumably) on racism and inequality. Such a short-sighted view is destructive not only to racial harmony, but also to the
African-American community—who is led to believe that they are not required to take any responsibility for their own situation.
First of all, we should consider that the Black population in Minnesota is growing rapidly! Many of these new comers are immigrants from Somalia (and elsewhere in Africa) and others leaving places like Chicago and Indiana. These are not, in general, affluent people. In fact, the opportunities in Minnesota are the reason they are coming to the state—unless you choose to believe that people from Africa enjoy the subzero winter temperatures.
Also missing from the report is the number of single-parent families represented in this data. Having worked in both social services and in education during my varied career, I still believe that parenting and attitudes play a much larger role in the success of children than the color of their skin. While working at a Jr. high, I recall an African-American student who hung around with a group of white students because the other black students did not appreciate his enthusiasm for studying and doing well in school as well as the white students did. So like the recent report about black income going down, the continuous reports about the racial achievement gap are likewise not considering the reasons for the gap beyond placing the blame on a presumably racist education system. One thing that could be done, is to figure out why if you remove white students from the reports, that Asian students are outperforming other students of color. As my extended family includes Asians, I can appreciate their dedication to family and children. I still believe that strong families are crucial to directing young people away from gangs and criminal activity—and pointing them toward academic success and ultimately good jobs and increased incomes.
If you prefer to continue on the same course, where people point at others from another group and say "it's your fault," then you will likely read this as a racist commentary instead of an attempt to help people to see beyond the short-sighted views that continue to prevent young people from getting the chance to live better lives.
First of all, we should consider that the Black population in Minnesota is growing rapidly! Many of these new comers are immigrants from Somalia (and elsewhere in Africa) and others leaving places like Chicago and Indiana. These are not, in general, affluent people. In fact, the opportunities in Minnesota are the reason they are coming to the state—unless you choose to believe that people from Africa enjoy the subzero winter temperatures.
Also missing from the report is the number of single-parent families represented in this data. Having worked in both social services and in education during my varied career, I still believe that parenting and attitudes play a much larger role in the success of children than the color of their skin. While working at a Jr. high, I recall an African-American student who hung around with a group of white students because the other black students did not appreciate his enthusiasm for studying and doing well in school as well as the white students did. So like the recent report about black income going down, the continuous reports about the racial achievement gap are likewise not considering the reasons for the gap beyond placing the blame on a presumably racist education system. One thing that could be done, is to figure out why if you remove white students from the reports, that Asian students are outperforming other students of color. As my extended family includes Asians, I can appreciate their dedication to family and children. I still believe that strong families are crucial to directing young people away from gangs and criminal activity—and pointing them toward academic success and ultimately good jobs and increased incomes.
If you prefer to continue on the same course, where people point at others from another group and say "it's your fault," then you will likely read this as a racist commentary instead of an attempt to help people to see beyond the short-sighted views that continue to prevent young people from getting the chance to live better lives.
Comments