Racially Divisive Press Mars Discussion of South Philadelphia High School

And, most of all, no one cares about poor kids, housed in what my friend Elizabeth Mendez Berry would call “schools of last resort” based on her work with gangs and school penetration. The demographic shift at South Philly High tells the story. The percentage of low-income kids tells the story. Unless the narrative being told about these kids serves in some way to prop up the idea of the American Dream, no one wants to hear it.

No one wants to talk about the struggle, only the triumph.

What’s most infuriating about articles like Fay and Thernstrom’s is that it effectively takes the focus from South Philadelphia High and places it on reinforcing racist beliefs. Articles like this rob the kids of their agency, their organizing, and courage, and instead ask “What’s the matter with black people?” – which, in this situation, is really the wrong thing to ask.*

The picture illustrating this post is the same one illustrating Angry Asian Man’s post from yesterday, for a reason: because these kids need answers, not racist bullshit.

They need accountability.

They need community support.

They need a safe school to attend, even if none of their parents can afford to wave around money or privilege to make it so.

What they do not need are some fuckers trying to piggyback on their suffering to justify racist beliefs.

*I also find it fascinating in an article about the situation at South Philadelphia High School, the statistics offered for consumption aren’t on Asian Americans being bullied at school, or instances of violence toward APIA kids in the communities they call home, or the specific targeting of new immigrants to the US, but discussions on black suspension rates and how to read that metric.

Earlier: How Do We Solve a Problem Like South Philadelphia High?

South Philly High Asian Students Testify On Assaults

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