Harlem Children's Zone

A colleague of mine recently shared a book with me about the founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, Geoffrey Canada, whose vision of social equity is reshaping Harlem and the lives of those who live there. The concept is as follows: to fix the problems of a community, you need to need to take a comprehensive, holistic approach. Communities that work together are successful, and thus provide ways of addressing all of the communities needs. Education, public health, social welfare, safety, and economics are all entwined.

Canada's vision has grown to over 100 blocks of comprehensive services in the Harlem area known as the Harlem Children's Zone. There are charter schools, a "baby college" which offers classes to parents on the importance of reading to children from an early age, a pre-school program, and asthma and obesity initiatives to inform community members about controlling the diseases.

The Harlem Children's Zone seems to have had considerable success already. 100% of their pre-K students are ready for kindergarten. 81% of parents who took classes are increasing their rate of reading to their children (a friend of mine in Harlem also remarked that he constantly sees parents reading to their children on the subway from similar looking books, perhaps provided by the HCZ?) 98% of 3rd graders are on grade level in mathematics.

All of this begs the question: can something similar work in Baltimore? If so, how? Where? How can such a program be created and organized?

Do such programs already exist in the city, and if so, how can they be better supported?

white like me...response to 'activists' and beyond

The Persistence of White Privilege
From Wikipedia

In her personal account of experiencing white privilege, Heidi A. Zetzer, the Director of the Hosford Counseling & Psychological Services Clinic in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, & School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara explains why white privilege is such a persistent problem. She categorizes it as an “institutional and individual manifestation of racism, however indirectly or unintentionally.” This indirectness of white privilege is what makes it so prevalent. If people are not educated on the matter, it is unlikely that they will take note of it. Secondly, those that are aware of it suffer under the stigma of benefiting from an unfair system. Zetzer asks “How can I see myself as a just person when I willingly participate in a system that is inherently unfair?” The guilt formed by this opinion creates a spirit of inactivity in solving the problem. “White guilt,” as Zetzer deems it, is an impediment to change. Consequently, even if people become educated on white privilege it is unlikely that they will take action to change it and instead allow the problem to persist.
Zetzer also specifies the type of changes necessary to make progressive steps in dealing with white privilege and its implications. She notes that most people who become educated on white privilege undergo a first-order change in which they gain increased awareness, knowledge and skills. However, for progress to be made in equalizing problems such as white privilege, individuals need to undergo second-order change. Second-order change is characterized by a paradigm shift in which people use their awareness, knowledge and skills to take action. Zetzer believes the first, and easiest, way to initiate this transformation is through dialogue. Honest and multicultural dialogue is the first way to build alliances which can then “transform people and systems and turn intention into action,” thus slowly changing the persistence of white privilege.
-from Wikipedia's article on White Privilege

While I agree with Zetzer's argument, those few white folks who are aware of their privileges, don't know what action looks like. White guilt often places 'well intentioned' white people in teaching positions in urban schools, most of whom ultimately leave after a few years to return to the 'civilized' world of non-profits, law firms, etc. and who speak of their 'white knight' teaching experiences like military heros returning from war with purple hearts for valor and bravery.

Ultimately, those white people who are aware of their privileges, and who have seen the effects of such privileges (and lack thereof) on certain communities of people of color need to RETURN to their communities and EDUCATE white people not aware of their privileges, but especially those white folks who see themselves as the 'white knights.' I consider them to be the most dangerous, the wolves in sheep's clothing. They are individuals who have dipped their toes into some of these issues, and consider themselves authority figures on what 'poor children need.' They are not open-minded to their own racism and flaws. But then again, how could they be? I know firsthand that the education of white children in most predominately white schools promotes a sense of white superiority and faultlessness.

white folks need models of direct action against white privilege. But do such models of direct action against white privilege exist within white america? Yes, the intention might be there, but white people don't know how to act. Some direct their action towards people of color, and while I clearly understand the importance of understanding the 'other america,' the logic of this action makes little sense . As I try to better myself as a human being, I seek to find other such individuals to learn from, and sadly, I can't seem to find them. This only confirms to me how deeply white privilege and power is ingrained in our national consciousness. I think a lot of my frustrations come from the disconnection of american society due to residual effects of segregation. When there is a lack of understanding, there is distrust. Of course, many white people would deny any distrust. My approach to these issues is considred so radical that even 'progressive' whites accuse me of being racist against white people.

So I realize such tactics of anger and TRUTH will not work on the vast majority of white people. The rules of the game need to change. But...I AM ANGRY. And yes, I question if I, too, am a wolf in sheep's clothing, unknowingly. And until I can get rid of some of this anger and find productive ways of action and dealing with white people of all kinds, I cannot return. I am young and learning. I am passing. Insider/Outsider. Looking for strength because yes, this is a battle.

What Social Justice Means to Me OR The Myth of Choosing a Career

My mother recently asked me what I would like to do with my life. What my plans are for the future, so to speak. My mother’s question is not a new one. It is a question that has been repeated over and over again with varying answers for years. This is a difficult question for me on one had because there are many things I see myself doing happily. I am still young and inexperienced and these ‘careers’ that appeal to me in theory might wind up being a whole different story in reality. From my experiences so far, this is how everything turns out. You’re attracted to something (in my case many, many somethings), you build them up in your mind, place it at the center of a fantasy, and if you’re lucky, you get a taste of that fantasy. And because the mind is such a powerful force of nature, holiness, and wonder, the reality never lives up to the fantasy. And that’s OK. Maybe it’s even a good thing. I thought nothing in the world could touch public radio until I spent a summer interning at a local station and realized that many of my hours were spent on a phone or in front of a computer screen, not at all concerned about who was listening to our program. So much for my dream of working at a ‘community’ radio station.
On the other hand, this is a very easy question to answer. The question is only difficult based on how we are expected to respond. As an educated, privileged child of a 2nd/3rd wave feminist, I’m expected to channel all of my hopes, desires, goals, dreams of greatness into a ‘career,’ to be a ‘career woman.’ But this too is its own fantasy or myth. It falls into the wife, mother, daughter, sister, lover, friend, ‘career professional’ myth of American femininity. That women can be all of these things happily, with an exceptional sense of poise and balance, all while parading down the street in 6-inch heels, not a trace of B.O., flawless skin, and not a gray hair in sight.
I tell my mom that I ultimately want to work towards my life’s passion of social justice. This passion truly began as a high school students thanks to some exceptional teachers and continued through college, and beyond to Baltimore, where I see my job as a political act, almost. My aim is to confront the forces that work to segregate, separate, and maintain inequalities based on differences such as race, class, gender, religion, sexuality, age, etc. Many people have blindfolds over their eyes based on ignorance, or the discomfort associated with confronting the realities of our unequal society. I have seen firsthand the differences that power and privilege make in education, and since education forms the basis of our civilization, inequalities in education lead to disparities elsewhere.
So when I am asked what I want to do with my life, and I say that I want to work to eliminate inequalities based on differences and the response is, ‘well, how does that fit into a career?’ it seems to be a fitting evidence in support of the myth of the career. We should be guided in our lives by principals and values, not by a cookie-cutter idea of a ‘career.’ My values and beliefs are above a job description. I do not work for an individual. I work for my students, and the higher purpose of social justice. Like anything meaningful, being good at this will take years of practice, but the ultimate goal is to confront people with the reality that many choose to ignore or feel that they cannot change. We all have an obligation to challenge, discuss, debate, question, remedy, and transcend the status quo.

So that is my plan. I think it will keep me busy for some time.