The Jena Six

If you haven't heard, you should read this article about another unfortunate incident involving black youth. Also, sign the petition for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice to have the case thoroughly investigated.


Excerpt: Six black students at Jena High School in Central Louisiana were arrested last December
after a school fight in which a white student was beaten and suffered a concussion and multiple bruises. The six black students were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy. They face up to 100 years in prison without parole. The fight took place amid mounting racial tension after a black student sat under a tree in the schoolyard where only white students sat. The next day three nooses were hanging from the tree.

Jailhouse Thriller

Is this for real? I don't know what to think.

Fallen Angels

I recently finished reading Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. It was one of the options for my students to read as part of our literature circles. I hadn't read the book and thought that I should. It's about a young African American male, Richie Perry, who decided to join the Vietnam War upon high school graduation since his single mother didn't have enough money to send him to college. Rather than waste away on the streets of Harlem like so many of his predecessors, he decided to join the army.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It opened up my eyes to experiences to which our soldiers are currently having. While the book is fictional, I'm sure some of the events that take place are not too far from the truth. For example, in the book, the young soldiers are scared to death and operate in a self preservation mode, often making them a little over zealous when it comes to firing their weapons. On one occasion, a soldier started firing because he heard something and then the other soldiers, naturally, followed suit. Come to find out, they were firing on other U.S. soldiers, killing several of their own men.

On another occasion, a captain set off a flare that lit up the night air, revealing the position of the troops. Unfortunately, Charlie (a Vietnam soldier) shot and killed one of the soldiers. The captain felt extremely guilty and decided to write a letter to the deceased soldier's family, explaining how he was responsible for their loved one's death. A general read the letter, tore it up, and instructed Richie (the main character) to rewrite the letter, telling the family how the soldier had died as a hero, saving other's lives. Sound familiar?

Remember the NFL football player who left the league to defend his country? Pat Tillman, a former safety for the Arizona Cardinals, died while fighting in Afghanistan. His family, along with the rest of the country, was led to believe that Tillman's killing was "the result of a heroic firefight with enemy fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan;" however, his brother Kevin revealed that Pat had actually been killed by a fellow soldier. He chastised the army for the cover-up and challenged to the country to seek-out the individuals responsible for the lies.

And let us not forget Jessica Lynch who revealed that she was far from the hero she was portrayed to be. Who knows what other lies we are being fed? We only know what we're being told.

Again, Fallen Angels is a good read and I can definitely see parallels between the Vietnam War and the War on Terror. I have a new appreciation for our troops and I plan to have my students write letters in the fall

HBCU vs PWU . . . Can't We All Just Get an Education?

Recently I was having a conversation with my cousin Brandi about the state of today's educational system. Somehow the conversation switched to comparing and contrasting an HBCU vs a Predominately White University (PWU). Brandi attended NC A&T State University and I attended UNC-Chapel Hill. We were going back and forth about the black experience at both institutions and which one was better. Actually, I think I was mostly defending my experience at UNC as a valid one. However, at the end of the conversation she said that she would not trade her experience at A&T for anything and I certainly would not trade mine. We both received a good education; we both grew as women; we understand ourselves and the world better. Bottom line, why can't Black people agree that regardless of whether or not you decide to attend an HBCU or a PWU, you can still receive a good education and a quality Black experience. I am so tired of battling which is better. Can't we just be happy that more and more Black people are attending college and call it a day?