Children are the Future


Children see the entire world in a different way than adults. The innocence of discovery is something we all enjoyed. I often wonder, had people not interjected certain ideas into my mind at certain times, where would my childlike mind had lead me? So here's to nostalgia, to innocence, and the people that will become our future.


An Apple A Day


Living a healthy life is important, and many people take their concerns with eating right or losing weight to unhealthy extremes. This month, I'll be talking about eating habits, sharing some of my favorite recipes, and focusing on healthy choices.

Legends of Africa


One thing I've noticed during my years attending predominately white schools and having circles of friends that are more diverse, is that the major factor in racism and prejudice is ignorance. There is a lot about black culture that many non-blacks just don't know. Often this lack of awareness rears its head in the form of ignorant assumptions and awkward questions. The Legends of Africa series touches on topics that may be extremely familiar to blacks, but may not be familiar to non-blacks.

Religion & Theology


I've always been interested in Religion & Theology. As I child, I questioned everything. I wanted to know why this denomination was different from that denomination. I wanted to know how Christianity differed from Islam, and how they differed from Buddhism, etc. I found that as I studied with the faith of a believer and the open mind of scientist, the world of religion started to make more sense and I was able to form beliefs that I don't question. April 2015 is dedicated to my journey to those beliefs.

Circus of Words Difference:

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Difference:

Difference:

Spotlight on the Current State of Race in Public Schools




Differences are the definition of each
And without those subtle and overt changes
We are mere clones of one entity--
Boring and without value...
There's nothing wrong here.
This makes me, me and you, you
So what is it that drives us apart
Consciously and subconsciously--
Is this a remnant of old traditions
Buried deep in our culture
And rooted in intangible filth
We can't seem to clean?
A scientific wiring of our brains
Or a Biblical curse we can't escape?
Yet some are comfortable anywhere...
And you wonder, what happened there?
Our differences, so subtle and small
Why do they control us so?
Will it ever change,
Will we ever just get along?
2014 marks the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education; though in my hometown, desegregation didn't begin until 1968. That's 14 years after the landmark ruling, and I wondered "When was the last school in the US desegregated? Has the last school in the US been desegregated?" A timeline of events concerning Brown v. Board of Education says that laws to prevent work arounds (such as private/religious schools discriminating) had to be made even in the early '80s. Shortly after, in 1986, the Supreme Court declared that once a school meets the Green factors it could be released from its desegregation plan and control could be restored to local authorities. Just 2 years later, the "peak" of desegregation--described as 45% of blacks attending a majority white school--occurred (I personally would considered a school desegregated as blacks, whites, and any other ethnicity/races attending it regardless of the make up). The '90s would see the end of most desegregation plans and in 2002, The Harvard Civil Rights Project concluded that US schools are re-segregating [1]. One reason given for this is the fact that Brown v. Board of Education prevents schools from banning a student based on race within his/her school district; yet, 60 years later and many cities are in fact still made up of segregated communities (see America's 10 most segregated cities here) [2]. The right that was fought for was the opportunity to coexist and not to be banned from this or that neighborhood or school because of skin color. From here, the question is not if this segregation is a problem (there should be nothing wrong with a black person living by a black person, a white person living by a white person, or a black person living by a white person), but what will be the ramifications of this segregation? How will it effect our society going further?


[1] Brown v. Board of Education Timeline
[2] Harvard's Civil Rights Project Misses the Mark
[3] The Green Decision of 1968
[4] Race In American Public Schools: Rapidly Resegregating School Districts
[5] America's 10 Most Segregated Cities
Shiree Hughes
Eillya-Marí Kocumba

I love to write. Sometimes its graceful and classic--like a trapeze act--or bold and brave--like a lion tamer--perhaps a little humorous--like a clown. This is my circus of words.

Right now, my blog is mostly poetry (which naturally covers a wide range of topics). Everyone says great blogs have a niche, a specific topic they hone in to write about. I'm still working that out, I guess. In the mean time, you can use the menu in archive page to narrow down the topics you wish to see.

Welcome to the site. Feel free to comment and I hope you enjoy.

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