Understand the Variable Value of a Masters Degree

 

As the economy slowly recovers from a recession that has crippled the job market for the last four years, American employers are preparing to hire more college graduates. While job growth is being reported across employment sectors, some fields stand to increase their hiring more than others – and as a result, academic experts are urging students to choose their majors wisely.


According to Job Outlook 2013, a report compiled by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), companies and organizations plan to hire 13 percent more graduates from the Class of 2013 than students who earned their degrees one year earlier. According to Marilyn Mackes, the executive director of NACE, industries projected to increase their hiring most substantially include STEM-related fields like chemical/pharmaceutical manufacturing and computer and electronics manufacturing, and business-oriented fields like retail trade, finance and management consulting. “While employers are seeking graduates from a broad range of disciplines, this fall they expressed particular interest in hiring new graduates with business, computer science, and engineering-related degrees and are looking to college campuses to supply their hiring needs,” she said.


In addition, Christopher Matthews of TIME recently wrote about several burgeoning fields that show strong projected growth over the next five years. One of these fields is 3D printing, which grew less than 9 percent between 2002 and 2012, but is now expected to increase employment opportunities by 17 percent over the next five years. Another burgeoning sector is sustainable construction; fueled by the recent “green movement,” green homebuilding is expected to grow 22.8 percent by 2017, while solar panel manufacturing projects a five-year growth rate of 8.2 percent. Another recent trend, online technology, indicates strong growth over the next five years – particularly the field of social network game development, which expanded by 128 percent over the last decade and is expected to grow 22 percent by 2017.


In order to capitalize on the hiring boom in these sectors, Forbes contributor Jacquelyn Smith urges graduate students to select a master’s degree program that will make them attractive to prospective employers. Computer science, for instance, boasts a median mid-level salary of $109,000 and a projected growth rate of 22.9 percent. Other science - and
technology - related fields of study dominate her “best majors” list, such as electrical engineering, mathematics, information systems and physics.

However, she notes that a master’s degree is not necessary to thrive in other STEM-oriented sectors. Graduate-level degrees in biology and chemistry are not always sound investments, she argues, because the cost of tuition often outweighs the potential income gains students stand to earn. Another problematic major for grad students is business; while MBA
earners stand to make a six-figure income after just a few years in the field, the corporate sector does not exhibit strong levels of projected job growth. There are usually more qualified candidates than there are available jobs, which leads to frustration and, often, debt.

Despite the expected hiring boom, one long-standing problem still lingers: minority groups are underrepresented at the post-undergraduate studies level. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), roughly 611,700 Americans earned a master’s degree (or its equivalent) during the 2009-10 academic year. Of these recipients, approximately 73 percent were white, 12.5 percent were black, 7 percent were Hispanic, 6.9 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander and less than 1 percent were Native American. An even stronger disparity could be seen at the doctoral studies level. Of the 140,505 American students who earned a Ph.D. in 2009-10, 74 percent were white, 7 percent were black, 5.8
percent were Hispanic, 11.8 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander and less than 1 percent were Native American. While these most recent figures reflect a gradual shift toward on-campus diversity over the last decade, experts argue that minority groups still comprise an insufficient percentage of today’s collegiate population.


Josh Oppenheimer of The Daily Princetonian recently noted some of the reasons behind the graduate-level racial imbalance. Many students belonging to underrepresented minority groups (such as African-Americans or Hispanics) grow up in low-income neighborhoods with inadequate schools, and deficient education hinders their academic progress. These individuals are also less likely to have relatives or close friends who have earned master’s or doctoral degrees, and lack of information about these programs may cause many to forego graduate studies. Eddie Glaude, a professor of African-American Studies at Princeton, told Oppenheimer that graduate schools should emphasize their diverse campus communities and programs in order to attract multi-racial applicants. “If the department is committed to diversity, then the graduate students will come,” he said.
As hiring increases across the national job market, college recruiters now face the task of improving diversity in American graduate programs. In order for the economy to fully recover, U.S. students belonging to all minority groups must receive an advanced education in equal number and positively contribute to the country’s workforce.

Unemployment continues to be a major national problem, as this blog and others have covered extensively in recent months. In the article below, writer Sophia Foster looks at how modern college and graduate school students may be able to beat the odds by being strategic in their choice of major and degree program. Ms. Foster has published extensively on how masters education can help students in hard economic times, and her advice should be beneficial to a range of readers.  Ms. Foster is a writer and researcher for MastersDegreeOnline.org. Feel free to check more of her writing!

Guest Post: Will the 9/11 First Responders Law Do the Job?

Please give a warm welcome to fellow Blogger Barbara O’ Brien. She is dropping by to increase awareness on the 9/11 First Responders Bill. And you know how much America loves Health Care. So without further ado -

In the final days of the 111th Congress, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health And Compensation Act, also called the "9/11 First Responders bill," finally passed. The Act will provide medical monitoring and care for those who worked on the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks, as well as for many who lived and worked nearby.


However, at the insistence of some senators, the final bill was considerably watered down from what it had been originally. More than $3 billion in funding was cut from the previous version of the bill, for example. Will the revised bill still do the job?


When the Senate passed the bill, initial news reports said that the monitoring and health care program would end after five years. However, the actual language of the bill provides for funding limitations for monitoring and health care after fiscal year 2016, which suggests the program might continue if Congress authorizes funding for it.


The monitoring issue is particularly critical. The collapse of the mammoth World Trade Center towers released thousands of tons of toxic particles into the air. For many weeks after the attacks, people who lived and worked in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn suffered burning eyes and hacking coughs from the foul air. Yet at the time, the federal government and the city of New York assured people the stinging fumes were not dangerous, just unpleasant.


Several days after the terrorist attacks, some independent researchers slipped past the police barricades to take samples. They found the air contained more than twice the number of asbestos fibers considered “safe,” as well as deadly levels of benzene, dioxin, and other toxins.

Why should people exposed to the toxins continue to be monitored? Asbestos in particular is a very slow killer. It has been well documented that the first symptoms of the deadly lung cancer mesothelioma may not show up for 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. But early detection should prolong lives and make mesothelioma treatment and other medical care more effective.


The final bill does close the Victims Compensation Fund in five years, which is separate from the health monitoring and care part of the bill. It also provides for more stringent monitoring of benefits, which might make it harder for people to get into the program.


Today — more than nine years after the attacks — many rescue and recovery workers are
suffering deteriorating health. A study published in April 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that New York City firefighters and emergency workers continue to suffer from severe and persistent lung problems because of their exposure to the World Trade Center debris. Some of these 9/11 heroes already have died.


Firefighters, police officers, and other responders who had been begging Congress for help for nine years called the passage of the bill a “Christmas miracle.” Let us hope the final version of the bill will do the job.

I was blogging over at Black Conscious Thought yesterday.

The Subject: Why do black men believe money (and only money) will bring them love, women and happiness? Enjoy!!!!

Guest Post: Calling Bullsh** on BET

Today’s Guest Blogger is an accomplished Author and Journalist. She is also a fellow Johnson C. Smith University Alumnus. Without Further Ado……….Cheris F. Hodges.

Long ago, I gave up on BET and this was before Nelly's credit card swipe.

I had such hate for this network that as a teenager I watched everyday, that when Bob Johnson bought the Charlotte Bobcats, I was so disappointed. And I live in Charlotte and enjoyed the Hornets.As I grew up, I saw that BET was not for me. Black women on this network were portrayed as objects. Big booty girls, breasts and thighs.

I was more than that. My friends were more than that. And I had a young niece that needed to grow up knowing she was more than that. So, I said f**k BET. That's not my black. That's not entertaining either. Teen Summit had disappeared, BET News was gone and then they fired Tavis Smiley.

Bob Johnson sold BET for $3 billion and Viacom didn't come in and overhaul things. The network simply got worse. Even with a woman at the top. Deborah Lee didn't do anything to change BET. Now she's hosting black women leadership talks? Bullshit.

The network has long come under fire for its music videos that critics say perpetuate racial stereotypes of African Americans and demean women. In 2008, a group called "Enough Is Enough" protested outside of Lee's home for more than five months.

"I just still feel like, as much as we've tried, it's still a heavily male dominated music genre," Lee said, describing her feeling after the 2009 awards show.

She said her thoughts turned from the show to the scene in Washington, where Lee has mingled with first lady Michelle Obama, presidential senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, domestic policy chief Melody Barnes and other African American women at the center of power. Then, Lee said, she took out her Rolodex of successful black women and phoned Essence's Beauty and Cover Director Mikki Taylor, political commentator Donna Brazile, journalist and author Gwen Ifill, actresses Tatyana Ali and Tasha Smith, and others.

This is like the Klu Klux Klan hosting a forum on race relations. For damned near 20 years, BET has fed society the worse images of black women. Now, you want to talk about what's wrong? Too little, too late.

The network's most vociferous detractors, such as lawyer and blogger Gina McCauley, found the entire thing ironic, and called it a PR stunt. "What are they leading? Black girls to a life of objectification?" asked McCauley, who was not at the event.

Nothing more needs to be said. BET, give it up. No one is falling for this. Obviously, your ad revenue is the only thing that's falling.

Guest Post: Would our generation stand and deliver?

Next up for Black History Month is OneChele from Black & Bougie. Don't be suprised that I know people from the bourgeois set!! OneChele is an author, entrepreneur and internet radio talk show host. If there is a hustle to be found, she is working the Hell out of it. I will warn you though. If you stay around her too long, your inner bougie will come out. Without further ado - OneChele.


We are smack in the middle of Black History Month. It’s a month where I go out of my way to find interesting articles, books, TV shows and movies to re-educate myself on how I got here. You see, I recognize that I did not arrive here on my own or by my parents’ efforts alone. I am a free black woman with house, car and credit rating because people came before me, my parents, their parents and their parents’ parents made sacrifices, pushed for change, stood up, walked miles, shed tears, spilled blood, prayed and fought tooth and nail to get me here. Working in fields, sitting in the back of busses, being spit on, mopping floors, cleaning toilets on the other side of town, called all out our names, marching in rain (sleet, slow), being willing to catch a case (or a bullet) for the cause… is this someone “our” generation is willing to do?


Our generation is pampered, protected and pretentious. Slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, even the Sexual Revolution are a little before our time. We can bear witness to the history and appreciate the end results but let’s face it: We are a media-centric group. We are well-versed in talking the talk and spreading the news but would we (could we) walk the walk? We (people of color) united for the election of President Obama but in less than one year’s time we have fallen back into finger-pointing and partitioning as if the dream has been realized and there’s nothing left but the post-game commentary. It’s almost as if we are passengers in the “post-racism” car and we are looking at the driver saying, “Are we there yet?”


I can’t imagine that this society where words are twisted, talent is more concept than reality and people are famous for no good reason at all is the imagined realization of all the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before us. The dreams of our forefathers are not realized until each and every person of color is fed, clothed, secure and educated (if they so choose), until “no child left behind” is more than a catchy t-shirt slogan and our young people quit killing each other in the street over stupidity. That’s quite a list of goals. Just typing it lets me know how far we still have to go. As far as we’ve come, there are still miles to go before we sleep… and no unified effort to get us there. We are a little bit adrift of black leadership a la Malcolm or Martin right now. Years of infighting and skepticism have us divided over what the next step should be let alone who should lead us there. I believe it’s going to come down to what President Obama said while on the campaign trail, “The change you seek begins with you.”


Admittedly, I’m a checkbook activist. The role that I play is armchair quarterback and cheerleader. When I see an injustice, I write about it, pass the word and find out where to send a check. I’ve been contemplating joining a mentoring program for a while but haven’t quite pulled the trigger. Spending time in the blogosphere and around social media allows me to witness a lot of “virtual activists”. I see a lot of people railing at the system and pointing out inequities. It’s a rare few who are actually up, out and doing something about it. So I wonder, if it was up to us… our generation… to answer the call to advance equality and freedoms for the race… do we have it in us to do?


I’d like to think yes when push came to shove and shove came to the young, black blogosphere we would rise up to do what needed to be done… I still think we can overcome… unless someone offers us a reality show on VH1, a really amusing awards show is on, or gmail goes down. Then the revolution would have to wait. Because we do have our priorities.

Guest Post: If We don't remember History.. we're doomed to repeat it.

My next Black History guest blogger is a Freelance Writer/Blogger. She also is currently working on her first children’s book. Two of her passions are promoting literacy education and the prevention of abused and neglected children. Without further ado - I would like to introduce Literary Nobody.

Side Note: Please do not be fooled by the title “Nobody.” This lady is getting ready to be bigger than Buffalo Wings.



February marks innovations and progress in African-American culture. We all know very well the many black men and women who took firm stands to fight for God given freedoms. We have also have learned of those whose inventions revolutionized the world.

However, according to Webster's Dictionary history is defined as:

The branch of knowledge dealing with past events. A continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, or person Many feel history can only be equated with events that happened long ago by well known people. But, history is what we accomplished yesterday, last week, last month, last year, and so on.

Thinking about our present history what has been accomplished recently? To take it even to a more organic level what have we done to affect our individual history in our own family, our relationships, our viewpoints and attitudes about other people? What kind of history are we creating in our own lives?

The beauty of learning about history is that it is an iron clad reminder. Sometimes of successes, but other times failures. Point being, unless we understand our own individual histories of our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them.

We remember history so as to not forget the good times and the bad. Now is the time to create a new history. Collectively and individually. As a race. The human race. Let's build upon our history by working to not repeat our own mistakes or the mistakes of those who have gone before us, past and present. Let's make history that others will be proud to recount about us and that will set an example for years to come.

Guest Post: A guide to knowing your Beige People.

My next guest blogger for Black History Month represents the West Coast. She has one of the funniest blogs on the web. She also has her own Self-Rental business. If you need an extra light bright person to hang in your crew, give her a call @ 1-800-IM-BEIGE. Without further ado - Tokenbeigechick



I was in San Francisco a couple weeks ago and I met this guy, (we’ll call him Luke), who was from Philadelphia. In the midst of our conversation, I made a joke about somebody once telling me I resembled Prince. Luke then claimed that he had never heard of Prince prior to watching select episodes of the Dave Chappelle Show. He also didn’t get my joke :(


I was stunned and refused to believe this nonsense. Who are you and what planet do you live on where short mystical beige people with musical talent elude your existence? How shameful. However, not too soon after my shock wore off, he rebutted me with, “We’ll have you ever heard of Jim Morrison?” The name sounded familiar, but I’m not going to lie, I had to Google him before I was like, “Oh yeah, THAT white guy.” And of course, this launched a debate. For a brief moment it was very important for the both of us to justify why the other person’s idol was so elusive.


Yes, Luke is white and I’m half black. And although it shouldn’t matter it still remains relevant. I wondered could the only common ground among the races as far as entertainment be Michael Jackson and the rap genre. Are Idols among races only relevant when they are doing something ignorant? Or is race not important and I’m making a similar Kanye West-like bold statement, about how black people don’t know white music and white people just don’t care?


[Insert Kanye shrug here]


Anyway, the state of music over the last decade, as it suffers to deliver quality and inspire, is one thing people of all races could potentially agree on. Therefore, I think that it's important that everyone knows who the artists were before all this musical coonery. In honor of Black History Month I am going to dedicate the rest of this post to a short tutorial of who Prince is...

Meet Prince aka The artist formerly known as Prince: singer, song singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Favorite color: Purple. Controversial: Yes. Famous for: Purple Rain, ruffles, deep intriguing voice, playa status and permy goodness. Awards: 7 Grammys, A Golden Globe and an Academy Award. Songs you may know: “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss” or go figure, “Purple Rain.”

For other random facts regarding Black History Month go here: http://littleknownblackhistoryfacts.tumblr.com/

Guest Post: THE INTERNET HAS RUINED BLACK HISTORY.

To kick off Black History Month I’ve invited a special guest to The Desultory Life and Times. He is one of the most entertaining bloggers in the game. He also was a 2009 nominee in the category of Best Political/News Blog for the BLACK WEBLOG AWARDS. When he is not fighting the power he is blogging over @ The Intersection of Madness and Reality. Ladies and Gentlemen without further ado - Rippa.

The cool thing to me about black history is the pictures. Everywhere you go you'll find pictures of black people at their most majestic. Black history month photos are always so serious. The black person never looks into the camera. They're always looking off to the side with this look of pain and struggle in their face. Don't get me wrong, they're very inspiring photos but I'm kind of tired of the same photos every February. You're telling me out of all the photos you have of Malcolm X the only ones you can find are when he's pissed and ready to punch people in the face?


That's why I love Barak Obama. You can find serious pics of Obama if you dig deep enough on the Internet but you'll find an equal amount of happy pics. I'm sure that If I dig deep enough on the Internet I could find a pic of Barak Obama at someone's family reunion playing spades and drinking a 40oz and eating pork rhines. One could argue that the times are different and that Obama has a lot more to smile about than his predecessors but either way it's great to see pictures of a man who's out to change the world without looking like he's carrying the weight of it on his shoulders.

But for every picture we see of black people at their best…somewhere on the Internet is a pic of black people at their worst. It's unfortunate but these pics exists, trust me. I've seen plenty of them during my time spent online. They sad part is that so many of these pictures involve black women.

Have you seen how black women of the civil rights movement are portrayed? Emotional pillars upon which their men could rely for support during the struggle. Women not afraid to step up when history came-a-knocking. You see pictures of great black women like that and it makes you not want to let them down. It makes you want to continue what it was they started. It makes you realize that the black woman is beautiful and not meant to be demeaned or disrespected.


And then you come across this....

To the naked eye this seems like a harmless pic of some chick from Myspace taking a picture of herself right?

Look again.

Look closer.


Did you look in the toilet?

Now I've written blogs before about how people on the internet take pictures of themselves and their house is all junky in the background. This pic takes that to another level. You might think that I'm a hater because she's cute, but I'm sorry, people like this should be exposed. Here's the truly troubling part of this picture…there's no toilet tissue in the bowl. What picture is so important that you can't wipe your stankin ass before taking the pic?


This chick jumped up off the toilet to take this pic. I guess the dude wanted to see her that bad. Maybe it's a pic from a turd fetish website, who knows. It kinda makes you wonder about all these chicks with sexy pics online. I can't help it, but from now everytime I see a sexy pic of a lady online, I'll have to wonder if she wiped her ass. This pic is so hilarious I'm tempted to start a fake MySpace profile with this girl's pic just to see how many men would be willing to holla at Sheila McShitstain. After all, she is a black history month legend right?

THIS WOMAN COULD BE ON A STAMP IN THE FUTURE

SIDENOTE: The Black woman is a strong woman that dont need no man to do shit for her and even during the Civil Rights movements black women stood alone and led the fight for justice whithout the help of a man and if they were present then they walked side by side with their male counterparts. Black women in the civil rights movement could pay their own bills, buy their own house and drive their own car and they don't need no sorry ass man who uses Jim Crow laws, German Shepard bites, and fire hoses as an excuse to not bring home some money. For me to suggest that black women were only present in the civil rights movement when black men need a back rub or a warm pot of gumbo is wrong and chauvenistic. How dare I suggest that they were no different than the independent Black woman of today.

P.S. - If any of you are offended or pissed because of this post its because you've failed to see the sincerity in my sarcasm. Please go home sip on a warm cup of bleach...with a lemon.

Guest Commentary: Lessons from the crisis in Haiti

Many of the people that follow my blog love to give their perspective on issues. I love the feedback (positive or negative) and want it as much as possible. One of my followers (a real life person that swore me to secrecy about their identity) had to get some things off their chest regarding Haiti. So straight out of the Chocolate City here is an Anonymous Follower (It really is an actual person).


There are other articles on Haiti like the ones below. But these are a good start for the more deeply interested reader. They really put into context the issues at hand – deeper than CNN will ever choose to divulge and investigate.


Impoverished Haiti pins hopes for future on a very old debt


Haiti Is Cursed by Our Ignorance


To make it very plain - my personal reflections - contrary to what we are led to believe, descendants of slaves on this continent are not poor by choice. We (in this country and other countries/islands on this side of the Middle Passage) don't struggle with crime and criminal justice, the worst health rates, the poorest economics, and lowest education rates because we "can't do any better" nor because "that's just what it means to be Black in America"... NO! Instead, it is because for 15 generations, for 400 years, we worked on this continent with no pay - and that pay has YET to be provided.


You know, there's something funny about money that we often fail to recall - even after the death of its owner, it lives on. Herein, for 15 generations (400 years), income would have been generated, but it never was... and therefore, it was never passed down. Therefore, the wealth that would have been had is now absent. The lessons about wealth management and resource management that would have been had have never been learned (of course until very recently - though now, we are 400 years behind!). The armies we would have built... The well capitalized investment banks we would have owned and successfully operated... The productive [food bearing and real estate property bearing] land we would have owned... The vertically integrated systems that we would have created to ensure our independence and dominance as an ethnicity in this country based around the 7 needs of life (food, clothing, shelter, transportation, communication, relaxation, and education)... The organized social networks that allow us to leverage our human capital, social capital, financial capital and political capital.... NONE OF THESE have been created [yet], and it is for these reasons that we as descendants of slaves continue to suffer, and quite visibly.


So in essence, even we here in USA, are STILL all in the same boat as our neighbors who we see suffering daily in Haiti - veritably, a slave boat. Never forget this. This means that regardless of how many doctorates we earn and billions we generate in this 'new post slavery world' - realize that your ancestors worked (just as Haiti's ancestors did), and they were never rewarded for their efforts. And further, to this day, we live in a prosperous country that chooses to give $800 Billion to bankers, but never thought once about a start to a meaningful retributive action towards the descendants of those who were never given their fair share. Of course, we shouldn't expect such 'retributive' actions from a half African-half White man who is NOT a descendant of slaves - his allegiance isn't to descendants of slaves - none of his ancestors were sold, shipped, raped, beaten, worked for free, antagonized and suppressed for 15 generations, and then offered 'affirmative action and welfare' as a proposed means for advancement... Meanwhile, there are families and corporations and governments, who, to this day, are still "living well" off of the money and estates and shares that 'never died' even after the slave masters have died. Now going into the 3rd and 4th century, they are still investing their profits, with centuries of compounded interest that were initially procured hundreds of years ago. They are still being afforded better lifestyles, and continue to pass those profits (protected) to their descendants.


President Jean-Bertrand Aristide recognized this perplexing disadvantage that European-enforced and -endorsed slavery put upon its African descendants. But he chose to take some action -and did so with great support from his people, as a DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED official. Yet, our government (led by Bush) deemed it appropriate to remove Aristide from office and place him into a remote location (reportedly Congo). Such an egregious sin and injustice that we allowed to happen...


If we do not forget this history, one day, unified and organized, we will rise. We will and can be the strongest people again. We will begin to take meaningful steps towards seizing and procuring what was owed to each of our ancestors, plus compounded interest, and it will be distributed back to us for generations. But for now, I'll stop this little letter, and I will resort to a more passive call to action (for now). Tell your children to tell their children: we should never forget the debt that is owed to descendants of slaves... never forget.


(Anonymously submitted)

I'm Guest Blogging over @ BlacknBougie this week.

My cyber cousin OneChele is giving a shout out to the Brotha's on her blog with "I Love Black Men Week." Check me out while I drop knowledge this week for the ladies.

I’m Guest Blogging over at The Intersection of Madness & Reality.

The Subject: Black People are working off old paradigms in a 21st Century World. Enjoy!!!!

I'm Guest Blogging over at Black Conscious Thought today.

The Subject: Black Hero-Worship In The Age Of Obama Politics. And while you are there please take a look at the comments section. Enjoy!!!!

My second day of hanging out with Black 'n Bougie. Checking out how the other half lives and giving Relationship advice while I'm there.

Three men and a bougie chick answer Relationship questions Part II.

Hanging out over at Black 'n Bougie today. Checking out how the other half lives and giving Relationship advice while I'm there.

Three men and a bougie chick answer some Relationship questions!!!!

I will be on BlogTalkRadio this Saturday 9/12/09. Check out sistagirltalks at 10am.

blogtalkradio/sistagirltalks
Call-in Number: (646) 200-4053

Check me out on The Average Brother Roundtable

AverageBro.com

Guest Post by Maxwell Reddick: Black Children/White World: How Do I Make the Journey Easier?

Please welcome fellow blogger and Fraternity Brother Max Reddick from the blog soulbrother v.2 I hope you enjoy this post because it’s a deep one.



“For not only must the black man be black; he must be black in relation to the white man.” ~ Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks



Please forgive me if this runs long. I composed it months ago, and have since revised it to the bare bones. But I really need your help on this one. Please stay with me until the end.

The questions began very early, even before I was prepared to deal with them.

At the time, my son was one of only a few African American children in his school and the only African American child in his kindergarten class. I accompanied his school on a trip to the zoo during a week set aside for the local schools.

His school, with its long line of white children with only a few specks of color here and there, stood in line next to an all black school. My son looked down the long line of white children in front of him and behind him, and then looked over at the long line of African American children.

Then he turned to me and asked me, “Why are all the white kids over here and all the little brown kids over there? And why am I not over there with the little brown kids?”

I was not prepared to deal with that question, and can’t recall exactly what I said. However, I do remember rattling off some abstruse, recondite theory that he would have never been able to understand at the time and then trying to redirect his attention elsewhere. But for the rest of the day, he was uncharacteristically reticent, and often I found him gazing wistfully and curiously at the little brown kids whenever a group of them came near.

Now, both he and my daughter have grown accustomed to either being the only African American child or one of only a few African American children in almost every setting they find themselves. But as they grow older and the relationships and social situations become more complex, I find myself having to revisit the racial question with them all over again.


In a World Surrounded by Whiteness


In their world surrounded by whiteness, I am more worried for my daughter than I am my son. My son is more than secure in his blackness. He is almost arrogant in his blackness even. He wields his blackness like a club, beating those who underestimate his ability, his mental acumen, about the head and shoulders with it.

His friends represent numerous races and ethnic groups. In fact, his current crew is made up of a Jew, a mixed race black/Hispanic, and a mixed race white/Hispanic. However, it is important to note that his crew occupies the middle and upper middle class economic stratum.

But my daughter is not so confident. Often she downplays her abilities. And all of her friends are white. She has had black friends, but they have never been long term friends. She says that the young black girls that she comes into contact with are simply too loud and boisterous, their behavior too outrageous. They are, in a word, too ghetto.

Her last friendship with a young black girl ended abruptly when that friend got into a rift of some kind, and she expected my daughter to assist her in fighting. When my daughter refused, she turned on my daughter and ridiculed her for some time. My daughter was heartbroken.

And I am just being honest when I tell you I am troubled every time I enter her room and practically all the faces staring back at me from the many posters on her wall are white. At this point, she seems to have immersed herself in whiteness. And from my own experience, it may come back to bite her.

I, too, grew up surrounded by whiteness. Most of my friends were white. And it was all fine until we grew older and began to compete for educational opportunities and jobs. Then they grew resentful of my blackness. Then they felt my blackness gave me some unfair advantage.

The first time I was ever directly called a nigger was by my white best friend at the time. Not only did he call me nigger, he moved to attack me in a violent, drunken rage. While he was being restrained, I promptly hit him in the head with a desk lamp.

I learned a lesson that day. I responded by adjusting my world view accordingly. But I was always aware of my blackness and my precarious footing in the white world, and I was confident, almost arrogant in my abilities. However, my daughter seems to be not so aware, not so confident. How will she react if she is ever confronted by a similar situation?


Coming to Terms with So-Called Black Culture


My children and I were out about town recently, when we witnessed a group of black teenagers acting a complete fool. They were loud. They were boisterous. They were profane. So much so that a security guard backed up by the local police had to escort them from the premises.

My son and daughter looked on mildly amused, and when the ruckus had subsided, I heard them joking to one another about the scene that they had just witnessed. I became very upset, however, when I heard them referring to the group of black teenagers as coons and spooks and “ignant knee-grows”.

I was perhaps more upset with myself than with them. I immediately recognized where the pejoratives coons and spooks and “ignant knee-grows” came from. That came straight out of my mouth. If you are ever curious about the faults in your children, examine yourself first.

But at that moment it became plain that my children have created a dichotomy between themselves and their social circle of acceptable African Americans and African Americans of questionable mental acumen, social graces, and moral and ethical standards. They have divided African America into good negroes and bad negroes.

But in all fairness to them, the so-called “bad negroes” have rejected them as well. So many times and for so long they have been ridiculed, sometimes by close family members, for being “too white.” They have been ridiculed for “talking white.” They have been ridiculed for “acting white.” They have been ridiculed for “having white tastes.” They have even been ridiculed for getting good grades and loving to read which incidentally falls under “acting white.”

How do they then reconcile themselves with a culture that rejects them? How do they respect a culture with values that seem to run so contrary to their own?


The Summation


I have attempted to teach my children who they are, what they. I have attempted to instill in them pride in who they are, what they are. But often I cannot find the right words. Often I am faltering in my speech. And too often I contradict myself in words and deeds.

But in the meantime, I fear they and other African American children like them are sinking gradually into the frigid depths of a cold naked abyss, and I am unable to find a rope long enough or strong enough to throw down to them and pull them to a place of safety.

What advice do you have for me?