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re: Mc Whorter excerpt
Written by Valerie Wilkins, on 17-05-2001 21:23
At the end of last year, December 2000, I happened on a C-SPAN "Book Notes", and that is where I saw Mr. Mc Whorter for the first time, discussing his book with an audience at a local California book store. I listened closely as I must've come in during the middle of the discussion. But, what I learned was quite enlightening. Although, I had some suspicions that there was a grave problem in the "black" community in the educational arena, I wasn't sure if I wanted to listen to a lopsided debate. It was very balanced. Henceforth, I was saddened to see some become extremely disturbed and even insulted by what Mc Whorter shared with them that afternoon.

I attended an all girls prestigious private parochial high school for several years. My parents removed me from a local public high school after some "rioting" with local teenagers after an interracial liaison was discovered by a gang of "white" teens that didn't approve of the "black" boy and "white" girl relationship. There were clear wrongs on both sides of the aisle. Everyone lost in this relatively peaceful quaint village in Upstate New York. It lasted for a couple of days. We even had a curfew during those unsettling days. Unfortunately, the fisticuffs broke out in the cafeteria. Shortly after, I was out! At first, I "hated" being there. All girls, to boot! There were 136 students w/ 15 "black" girls. Plus, I was, and still am, a Protestant. But, I was always an open-minded girl, and never looked at learning the way I saw it begin to take on a stench among a few of my fellow classmates, that I left behind.

It didn't take me long to begin to understand to achieve excellence was an admirable thing to pursue. And, I saw how staunch the sisters were in that you had to apply yourself, there were no excuses. There were no "teachers pets", which surprised me. And, this, too, helped greatly. RACE was not an excuse! They loved us all equally. It warmed my heart. And, it was a segue into the universe of my mind. I will be forever indebted to the sisters. Not allowing anyone to make you feel nor think that learning was for the "white" society. There were a few students from around the world. This, too, enriched my life. Education became a pleasureable thing. To feel my mind being massaged was a high that continues with me today.

Also, coming from a diverse tri-ethnic heritage encouraged me to look positively at my "new" school. And, my parents' decision was the best thing that ever happened to me. They put a high premium on education, although, in later years they allowed me the freedom to decide on higher education. Early childhood education in the publc system was so much more fun! So, no disrespect to the publc school system. But, higher learning was disappointing, looking back today. I still see the difference this has been in my life on a daily bases. Those experiences spill over into ones adult life. And, for so many who ended up in classroom settings that where riddled with peers that believed to underachieve was a 'badge of honor' and a strike against so-called "white intellectualism" is dreadful.

I hear such beauty in the phrase: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." I would hope that more "black" children, all children of the rainbow, find a hunger and thirst for knowledge. It is the only thing that is yours to keep, truly.

What Mc Whorter shares is timely. The three phases, from Victimization, to Separatism that leads inevitably to Anti-intellectualism is a masterpiece!

As ever,

Valerie A. Wilkins-Godbee
founding president of the
AMEUROFIAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION,
created name in 1989, group formed
in 1994. Addressing those no.americans
w/ native/european/w.african heritages.
And, past dep. chief nat. dir of
A PLACE FOR US/NATIONAL, est 1984
advocacy for interracial community.

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