Decades After The Black Panthers Caused A Shutdown Of The NYC Schools - The NY Times Publishes An Article Of The Question Asked Today "Where Are The White Kids In The NYC Schools?"

Demonstration Outside Of  The "Panther 21" Trial In New York City 1969

The irony could not escape me.
On Mother's Day Sunday - I went to Starbucks to purchase a copy of the Sunday New York Times - which I am monitoring as a key source for "Progressive Thought".

Just a few hours later as I went to the grocery store I was listening to a recording of WRFG's ("The Progressive Information Station")  "Friday Night Drum" program I heard a Black Panther / Political Prisoner Dhoruba Bin Wahad detailing their struggle in the New York City Schools.

• WRFG Atlanta - "What Good Is A Song" - "The Friday Night Drum"
• Excellent source of Black Community cultural events within the Metro Atlanta Area
• Excellent source for "What The Black Community Must Do For Self" type of information
• Poor Execution per their Strategic Flaws
• Excellent source of Non-Democratic Progressive Critique Of The Federal Government Regardless Of The Fact That President Obama Is At The Helm
• Fatally Flawed In That All Solutions That They Come Up With Are PROGRESSIVE Even When They Are Faced With The Fact That THE STRUGGLE Is The Force That Got The People Who They Are Complaining About INTO POWER

The History Of The Black Panthers In The New York Public Schools

• The Panther 21 Trial - New York City 1969

In the context of "The Friday Night Drum's" recognition of "Black Political Prisoners" who are victims of oppression from the US government - they invited a series of political prisoners to tell their story on the show.  (This in addition to the standard weekly communique from Mumia "Killa Mu" Jamal)

NOTE: Do not mistake my criticism and scrutiny as an all out rejection of their notations of history or their beliefs.   My argument is that there is often an unexplainable gap between what a person who believes as they do is now acting in the way of politics and the governance of their own community today.

According to Bin Wahad - in the 1960's the key institutions in New York City were RACIST.  The police were targeting and attacking Black people.


As parts of NYC transformed from "White to Black" the White dominated teachers unions (Italians and Irish) that remained in power were opposed to the educational reforms that were on the table which initiated a change in curriculum and control over the schools.  An experimental district was apparently set up to educate Black people in a manner that was customized to their needs.  The "White Liberal" teachers unions were opposed to this plan and they shut down the schools with their strike.

• The New York City Schools Strike Of 1968

From Wikipedia

The New York City teachers' strike of 1968 was a months-long confrontation between the new community-controlled school board in the largely black Ocean-Hill Brownsville section of Brooklyn and New York City’s United Federation of Teachers. The strike dragged on from May 1968 to November 1968, shutting down the public schools for a total of 36 days and increasing racial tensions between Blacks and Jews.

During the void of education that was created by the teacher's strike - the Black Panthers went into the schools in the Black community and started to EDUCATE BLACK CHILDREN themselves.   They wanted to ensure that the children did not suffer while the adults squabbled among themselves.  

Side Note:  Please note that the plan of 1968 of COMMUNITY CONTROL sounds a lot like the Charter School Movement of today.    Sadly - while back in 1968 it was the "White Controlled" teachers unions that opposed the community control plan - TODAY - the proof that the Black Racial Services Machine is now CONSCIOUSLY INTEGRATED into the SYSTEM is borne out by their opposition to COMMUNITY CONTROLLED SCHOOLS - just like the White Establishment was back in the 1960's.   Some of you can't bear to believe that BLACK PEOPLE ARE 100% EQUAL - able to assume the role of the antagonist to Black Development - just like the ENEMY who identifies himself by his ideology and skin color - per the version of events that you have been conditioned to believe. 

The key takeaway from the audio report from Dhorba Bin Wahad is his statement:

• "IF elections could really change things THEY WOULD BE ILLEGAL"
• He was making the case that the Black community needs MORE than just the act of voting to make effective change within the Black community
• As a preemptive rebuttal to all who dare to make the case that the attempted "theft of the Black vote" via photo id is proof of this - I make the case that the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED CITIES in which the Black vote is not molested  as only favorable people are in power are a better example of the frivolity of JUST VOTING.  The Embedded Confidence Men that channel the Black vote have no intention what so ever to regulate the favorable people in power once they are in control over the key institutions.  They go outward to find more institutions to obtain progressive control over - bringing the people's attention along with them.
• "White folks are not going to give up their right to bear arms in protection of their own communities"
• Bin Wahad - with full knowledge of the Trayvon Martin case in mind indicated that Black people need to protect ourselves today FROM THE POLICE.   
• While this point, ironically, is in line with the views of the authors of the Bill Of Rights - protection from GOVERNMENT................Within The Black Community today - the truth is that the weapons that are used to terrorize the people in our community comes from OTHER PEOPLE within our community.
• There is a need for a greater consciousness about the community before we get to the issue of gun possession.

New York City Public Schools 2012:  Where Are The White Kids In Our Schools?


Why Don't We Have Any White Kids In Our School?

I am not going to go through the article to do a blow by blow analysis of the presentation.

MY ONLY QUESTION IS:    If a student at an all WHITE school asks "Why Don't We Have Any Black Kids In Our School?" - under what context would he be asking the question?

• Would he or his parents believe that Black students augment the ACADEMIC standing of the school - pushing their kids to achieve greater results?
• Would the parents argue that since their children will ultimately be in a diverse workplace that their children need to expand their world view by having non-Whites as classmates?
• Are they looking at their sports teams getting beaten by more competitive schools and making the case that more Black athletes are needed to allow them to compete?

I get the sense that this question is asked in the context of Black people needing affirmation from the presence of White children in our schools.  The subconscious thought is that IF White people believe that a school is worthy to send their kids to then this must be a good school.   Get a group of Black people together in an institution and it appears to lose its luster - IN THE MINDS OF BLACK PEOPLE.

The thread between these two stories is this:

• In the first story the Black community in New York demanded a bit of SELF DETERMINATION where the people would control the schools in their community, customizing the experience to be in line with the needs of the people.
• In the second story (today's schools) after a bee line was made over time to get to the present point - NOW - the question is asked "Where are the White kids in our schools?"

The initial struggle was about crafting the environment that was best for Black students to learn about themselves and to receive access to instructional styles that worked best for them.   WHY is it that now there needs to be some external affirmation to these community schools?

Superior to any notion of DIVERSITY is the need for a people to have a consciousness about themselves and to be clear about what they need.  Failing to develop and retain this consciousness - we turn out to be what we have today:  "a consciousness that is fused into the prevailing winds" - ultimately unmoored from any particular grounding concepts that would tend to have the masses tell their leaders: "NO!!  You will NOT do this in OUR name".   

Instead they have the "Malcolm X Political Football Game" in which anything that advances their team cause is a worthy pursuit for Black people.