Official Umar Johnson Thread

[gry60]

"Most of what we learn in college is not economically relevant in the Black community."

What do yall think of think of him saying he would send every Black kid to trade school to make enough money to pay for some higher education as well as having skills to be useful to society.

College doesn't teach you how to work at a job. College teaches you how to think, how to approach problems, how to research and evaluate possible solutions, and all of that is what prepares you to tackle any situation you'll face in the professional world. I'd argue that critical thinking is very much economically relevant in the Black community.

If that means they need to pick up a trade because they are reading on a 3rd grade level @ the age of 18, that might be the lane for them considering the hand they have been dealt.

I don't agree with this vision of trade school as the panacea for the problem of poor education. It shouldn't be an escape valve for those who can't read. You do realize that they will get instructions, drawings, schematics from engineers and designers and architects, right? How do you expect them to do a good, reliable, and safe job if they lack the ability to interpret those documents?

Trades are necessary, but not because they provide a path to earn money for those who can't read, write, or count at a decent enough level (even that assumption is wrong because they typically don't last on the job). Trades are necessary because we still need people to build stuff/move stuff around, and kids should follow that path because they like the idea of turning abstract ideas into actual, tangible things.

 

[trynafeelmink]

This part is crazy to me. They don't even wanna talk about it and will run away from the conversation. On some this aint the right time or place . I understand the lesser of two evils argument but damn

I Don't even wanna get to deep into politics because I seen where that goes , I ain't even seen people get that riled up over religion.

It's just the mindset behind it intrigues me, knowing how racist politics is, knowing how many policies have been made to hold back black people, how are people so eager to dismiss all of that & move forward for the "overall betterment" but when it comes to people in our own community we refuse to give them an ounce of that.

Anytime a black person comes around that isn't sanctioned by white liberal publications & networks, the SECOND they say anything the masses don't agree with they're discredited & "cancelled". As if they can't use the same logic they do with politicians with their own.

Umar should be questioned about the school, he should be questioned about his views on women etc etc...... but just because you don't like his views on certain subjects doesn't mean you have to block out everything else he says & treat it as if he's someone who has no idea what he's talking about overall.

Farrakhan for all his flaws has legitimately created a nation for his people, perfect example of running an org with structure & doing for self. BLACK people demonize him like he's Hitler .

 

[RustyShackleford]

 

[wavycrocket]

This isn't specific to Dr. Umar but does anyone else find it kind of odd that some black people will forgive & forget every lie, racist remark & policy some of these politicians have been behind. somehow regain enough trust to elect them into political office.

However when it's someone black who's ideology they may not agree with, or if that person has made untrue/controversial statements in the past, suddenly the ability to look big picture is lost. they can no longer highlight the good & suppress the disagreements for the betterment , when the disagreements come with our own we must completely disregard the person & their ideologies as a whole.

Is this really a thing tho? . I promise you, if Friday comes on TV or Ice Cube does a versuz....those Twitter folks you love to paint as the thought masses will tune in too. Nobody is throwing these folks away the way you claim and make it seem.

Step out the reactionary Twitter noise for a second my guy. You casting a crazy large net on ppl.

 

[wavycrocket]

Farrakhan for all his flaws has legitimately created a nation for his people, perfect example of running an org with structure & doing for self. BLACK people demonize him like he's Hitler .

Now you straight up lying . Cmon my guy.

 

[trynafeelmink]

Is this really a thing tho? . I promise you, if Friday comes on TV or Ice Cube does a versuz....those Twitter folks you love to paint as the thought masses will tune in too. Nobody is throwing these folks away the way you claim and make it seem.

Step out the reactionary Twitter noise for a second my guy. You casting a crazy large net on ppl.

I'm not sure why cube was the first to come to mind he's a legit entertainer, but just using him as an example..... Everyone pretty much told him to **** and stop embarrassing himself because they didn't like the optics of it.

Again this isn't really about Cube & celebs..... there are plenty of people in the "conscious" community, many people who don't fall on the democratic or republican side who also go about spreading their ideologies around the black community.

But because their ideas don't matchup with those of the masses they're immediately called hotep, ****s, fake smart & a bunch of other derogatory **** because their ethics don't match up with those who got their knowledge on blackness from white institutions.

This goes way further than Twitter & you know that, black people who don't suck liberal/republican **** ain't getting no shine. You either gonna be Candace Owens or Deray but your gonna choose a side, & if you don't kiss those platforms, book deals, university speaking arrangements etc etc goodbye.

The masses are looking 1000% looking at anyone who even remotely falls under that "Hotep" umbrella as if they are some group of conspiracy theorist with no actual knowledge.

 

[trynafeelmink]

Now you straight up lying . Cmon my guy.

enough with the derailing my G, you know i didn't mean that in a literal sense.

This is quite literally the first two things you see when you google Farrakhan

Louis Farrakhan heads the Nation of Islam, a group he has led since 1977 and that is based on a somewhat bizarre and fundamentally anti-white theology.

Louis Farrakhan is an American religious leader, political activist, and anti-Semite who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI).

Are you going to sit here with a straight face & tell me Farrakhan is viewed in a positive light in the black community? ESPECIALLY in today's climate

The man who is ISLAMIC, The man who is described as homophobic constantly, the man who's middle name may as well be antisemetic the way the media ensures to throw that in every time, we're going to act like this dude is heavily accepted by the masses

Look at BLM & their coverage & then the NOI & their coverage

 

[wavycrocket]

enough with the derailing my G, you know i didn't mean that in a literal sense.

This is quite literally the first sentence you see when you google Farrakhan

Louis Farrakhan heads the Nation of Islam, a group he has led since 1977 and that is based on a somewhat bizarre and fundamentally anti-white theology.

Are you going to sit here with a straight face & tell me Farrakhan is viewed in a positive light in the black community? ESPECIALLY in today's climate

The man who is ISLAMIC, The man who is described as homophobic constantly, the man who's middle name may as well be antisemetic the way the media ensures to throw that in every time, we're going to act like this dude is heavily accepted by the masses

Look at BLM & their coverage & then the NOI & their coverage

What country have you been living in, where the idea of an NOI guy would be accepted by “the masses”. Shoot, Malcolm was vilified until like 2010 . That is not my argument. But you said and made it seem like BLACK PEOPLE.....don’t rock with Farrakhan as a whole because of “liberal white people”. And that just isn’t true.

The last million man March was in late 2015. I was there. It was legit a million or close to it black folks in there. The folks you really don’t care for (BLM, gay folks, Shea butter Twitter etc) were there too.

That does not mean those ppl cannot be critical of some of his views or voice their concerns. He isn’t and never will be “cancelled” by black folks. Even if some think he had something to do with Malcolm death, and feel rightful in their views on him.

Sometimes, we just gotta sit back and look at people as flawed...that say and do ***** we either agree or don’t agree with.

I think you will find that more and more people....especially black people take this approach. And have been taking this approach.

I can immediately see how some of what the minister says is indeed anti-semetic. That does not stop me from listening to him when he’s on point tho.

You acting like the majority of black Folks need white “liberal guidance” with obvious choices. And that is patronizing as hell.

 

[trynafeelmink]

What country have you been living in, where the idea of an NOI guy would be accepted by “the masses”. Shoot, Malcolm was vilified until like 2010 . That is not my argument. But you said and made it seem like BLACK PEOPLE.....don’t rock with Farrakhan as a whole because of “liberal white people”. And that just isn’t true.

The last million man March was in late 2015. I was there. It was legit a million or close to it black folks in there. The folks you really don’t care for (BLM, gay folks, Shea butter Twitter etc) were there too.

That does not mean those ppl cannot be critical of some of his views or voice their concerns. He isn’t and never will be “cancelled” by black folks. Even if some think he had something to do with Malcolm death, and feel rightful in their views on him.

Sometimes, we just gotta sit back and look at people as flawed...that say and do ***** we either agree or don’t agree with.

I think you will find that more and more people....especially black people take this approach. And have been taking this approach.

I can immediately see how some of what the minister says is indeed anti-semetic. That does not stop me from listening to him when he’s on point tho.

You acting like the majority of black Folks need white “liberal guidance” with obvious choices. And that is patronizing as hell.

The post aren't meant to be patronizing but it is what it is

You view the world & what's going on through your lens cool, my experiences & how I view the world is just different from yours.

I've watched how **** has moved over the past 10 and i think black people as a majority are leaning towards whatever ideologies have been adopted on a large scale, those ideologies have been shaped by white liberal media & BLM is a Shining sign of it.

If you disagree cool, but you have got to stop trying to tell me how I view something ,

****** been getting Viral lynchings for damn near a decade now & seen no improvement excuse me for not trusting the process.

 

[frankmatthews]

Education in general is all messed up. It’s really just a numbers game to see how many kids can pass and move on. Old head teacher I work with passes everyone because he says if you fail a kid the admin will hound u for proof that you reached out to the kids parents every week, allowed make up work m/extra credit, reached out to guidance counselors a whole bunch of stuff. But if you pass them no one will bother you for anything. And when teachers are given those options what do you think is going to happen, just pass em along. It all starts at the top (even tho I’m sure some teachers don’t give a Damb about kids that look different then them) but majority of the failures is due to the numbers game

Im not trying to paint the picture that teachers are generally racist or prejudice but that does exist. In any event, its a systemic failure that disproportionately affects children of color and the fact they CHOOSE to take the path of least resistence is absolutely unacceptable and we need to hold them to a higher standard imo. Whether its coming from the top, bottom or anywhere inbetween, simply directing their failures into the lower classes of society because its safer for them personally is disgusting. If their students are failing/falling behind it is a direct result of their capability as a teacher. If they dont want to do the extra legwork to bring their students up to speed nor do they want the extra legwork associated with failing them then they need to find a different career.

 

[wavycrocket]

The post aren't meant to be patronizing but it is what it is

You view the world & what's going on through your lens cool, my experiences & how I view the world is just different from yours.

I've watched how **** has moved over the past 10 and i think black people as a majority are leaning towards whatever ideologies have been adopted on a large scale, those ideologies have been shaped by white liberal media & BLM is a Shining sign of it.

If you disagree cool, but you have got to stop trying to tell me how I view something ,

****** been getting Viral lynchings for damn near a decade now & seen no improvement excuse me for not trusting the process.

I think you have it backwards.

What actually happens is white liberals sloppily and very late to the party.... co-opt the message and liberation of black people for what they now view as progress.....while the reactionary white conservatives co opt the language to weaponize it and demonize black liberation. They all then reduce the discussion to culture wars on their large platforms and shift corporate interest depending on which side of history is going in the right direction.

And also...more and more black people who don’t fall into the standard, conventional, norms of old...now have a platform and voice. And a medium to connect/spread those thoughts and ideas. So it may come as a shock to you since 2010, for other types of people to tell you....this is how they felt. You can acknowledge it as a lived experience of others and keep it moving. Instead of casting it as a catchall for all black people in their “thinking”. ******s weren’t always on one accord too btw. Various levels of this. Of course, this country has always been at its “best” when it came to the realization that its core and moral North Star was always rooted in black liberation. And in turn, human rights/world liberation in response to colonialism. That’s even another topic.

But Man.......you’re not going to tell me this.....

Farrakhan for all his flaws has legitimately created a nation for his people, perfect example of running an org with structure & doing for self. BLACK people demonize him like he's Hitler .

and expect me to let that train of thought even rock. Patronizing as hell. At the end of the day, what I get from you is you’re a conservative black dude...that ultimately has principles and cares about the liberation of our people. I respect it.

But when bs like this rocks....I can’t just see it and not call bs on it. It’s lies.

 

[frankmatthews]

A few things here

1) we can't compare the children Umar was talking about to those from affluent neighborhoods for several reasons. It wouldn't be peddled there because in an affluent neighborhood you usually don't have to worry about being in crippling debt because your family covers it, Your more likely to get into better schools, your more likely to end up in circles that will land you a high paying job straight out of college..... so for someone with that many options, picking up a trade would be less appealing

2) We agree that a better curriculum is needed & public schools have performed horribly in inner cities. but a better curriculum doesn't = better college prep for me. my entire generation was fed this notion of college being this life changing accomplishment, when in reality it hasn't made much of a dent in the wealth gap despite record numbers of graduates. Obviously there are some majors that do come with some sort of almost guaranteed pay grade (Doctors, architects, engineers etc etc) but realistically that is the minority (for everyone not just black students)

3) Everyone doesn't want to do a four year degree, some may get into a trade & decide to turn that into a business, i don't see how your behind the 8-ball on someone who did four years, got a bachelors in education, social work, communications (all vital jobs in the black community in their own right) & has anywhere between 10-50K in student loans to pay off while HOPEFULLY cracking 60K yearly.

Unless you believe we can realistically turn a big majority of our youth towards stem, law, engineering etc etc I cannot knock the path of trade schools

1.) Well thats my point, affluent communities have all the resources and opportunities and less hurdles to the upper echelons of society. Why can't we aspire to create those conditions in the black community? Why should we be relegated to trade work? Its about equal opportunity for ALL. In my mind, emphasizing trade schools is like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. What you're advocating is not going to change the conditions you highlighted which should be the number 1 priority if we are talking about reforming education.

2.) I hear you and I agree that any ol college degree isnt necessarily the end all and be all. At the end of the day college is a business and its becoming more so by the year. I just dont agree that LESS emphasis on stem learning and more emphasis on trades is going to close those gaps either. If we can invest in trade learning we can invest in stem learning. While stem careers may be rare in general, it is even more so in the black community which is where I'm taking issue. Thats where the gap closes for me. Make it equal. Realistically, some sort of push toward an emphasis on trades in public school will mainly target inner city, minority communities for the reasons you highlighted in your first point. The world is changing rapidly and not in the direction in which tradework offers upward mobility like it may once have. What you're advocating is just going to preserve the status quo in the decades to come imo.

3.) When i said you're behind the 8ball I meant in the educational setting going off the presumption that tradework after HS would be a precursor to being able to better choose and afford an eventual 4 year degree. I just think its tougher to navigate college after being out of the setting for a number of years and your peers are already however many years into a career by the time you graduate. Look, I'm not saying we need 100% participation in stem learning, if someone wants to pursue a trade thats fine. But by the same token, if someone wants to pursue a higher degree its X times more difficult than it is for their white counterparts. Black folks are not and never have been under represented in labor fields. Where does the under representation lay and why? If it was a situation where one realistically had the option to choose a trade or stem field then let the cards fall where they may. Unfortunately thats not the situation.

It may seem unrealistic to you that we can turn more minorities toward stem learning but when have we tried? Hell, how many generations have even been allowed that opportunity? Im not knocking a path to trade schools I'm just saying with finite resources and time when need to prioritize the things that will allow us to close these gaps in a rapidly advancing digital, technological age.

 

[frankmatthews]

Just remember TEACHERS aren't the ones making these decisions.

They are culpable. Its literally their job. Bad cops arent making decisions on how they are trained or departmental policies but we still want them to be accountable when they are failing our community. Im not trying to place blame solely on the teachers but if you are passing a child through high school who cant even ******* read simply because its less work to do so you need to reconsider your career choice. These policies dont seem to be an issue in districts with the funding to attract a particular level of competency.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

This isn't specific to Dr. Umar but does anyone else find it kind of odd that some black people will forgive & forget every lie, racist remark & policy some of these politicians have been behind. somehow regain enough trust to elect them into political office.

However when it's someone black who's ideology they may not agree with, or if that person has made untrue/controversial statements in the past, suddenly the ability to look big picture is lost. they can no longer highlight the good & suppress the disagreements for the betterment , when the disagreements come with our own we must completely disregard the person & their ideologies as a whole.

layziegunts has been saying this since day 1

 

[DCAllAfrican]

They are culpable. Its literally their job. Bad cops arent making decisions on how they are trained or departmental policies but we still want them to be accountable when they are failing our community. Im not trying to place blame solely on the teachers but if you are passing a child through high school who cant even ****ing read simply because its less work to do so you need to reconsider your career choice. These policies dont seem to be an issue in districts with the funding to attract a particular level of competency.

It isn't that simple man, I wish it were but it is nowhere near as simple as, "Teach them how to read."

Every minute of a Lesson is accounted for before the class even starts. Once a child leaves Elementary school, there isn't time to "Help them Learn how to read." There isn't "reading time" outside of squeezing in 5-7 minutes of "Independent Reading Time" at the start of an ENGLISH class as a Warm Up. Other than that, teachers are EXPECTED to follow the Common Core, which "Teaching Kids How to Read" is not part of after Elementary School.

That isn't on the teachers. Teachers are evaluated on the Quality of the Lesson they are conducting. They are evaluated based on how they are essentially sticking to the "Script." There is no time to help kids learn how to read. (During the school day).

On Top of THAT, the number of curricular documents that have to be created, objective calendars, grading, and any other seemingly pointless busy work the school/district gives folks to do, there is simply a limited amount of time available.

Then you have to remember people have to live their personal lives.


So nah man, it isn't as simple as, "It is literally their job" because you are neglecting every other thing than comes along with the job.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

College doesn't teach you how to work at a job. College teaches you how to think, how to approach problems, how to research and evaluate possible solutions, and all of that is what prepares you to tackle any situation you'll face in the professional world. I'd argue that critical thinking is very much economically relevant in the Black community.

I don't agree with this vision of trade school as the panacea for the problem of poor education. It shouldn't be an escape valve for those who can't read. You do realize that they will get instructions, drawings, schematics from engineers and designers and architects, right? How do you expect them to do a good, reliable, and safe job if they lack the ability to interpret those documents?

Trades are necessary, but not because they provide a path to earn money for those who can't read, write, or count at a decent enough level (even that assumption is wrong because they typically don't last on the job). Trades are necessary because we still need people to build stuff/move stuff around, and kids should follow that path because they like the idea of turning abstract ideas into actual, tangible things.

Of course you have to be able to have a certain level of compentency to perform on the job but again, what is the alternative?

Hundreds of kids in this city graduate reading FAR below grade level for various reasons. That will continue to happen. So many of these kids don't have many redeemable skills by time they graduate.

What do you suggest they do after HS?

I am not looking at trades as this magic bandaid that fixes ANY problem but I know kids need to eventually make money.

So again I ask, what should kids do after HS if they clearly don't have the skills to fend for themselves in this world since offering/pushing them towards trades is a practice that you aren't in favor of.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

I don't agree with this vision of trade school as the panacea for the problem of poor education. It shouldn't be an escape valve for those who can't read. You do realize that they will get instructions, drawings, schematics from engineers and designers and architects, right? How do you expect them to do a good, reliable, and safe job if they lack the ability to interpret those documents?

What do you think children of the 70s/80s/90s/00s that couldn't read on grade level and/or didn't know the English language did to make it work in professions that were based in Manual Labor?

This isn't a new problem and there are fully functioning adults currently working in those fields that can't read "On Grade Level."

Also, diagrams exist. Blueprints exist. Visual images of tasks that need to be completed exist. Not being able to read on grade level doesn't mean you aren't able to interpret drawings/floor plans or follow, replicate directions/tasks or READ basic instructions.

Again, we have DECADES of evidence that suggest otherwise. You honestly believe there aren't THOUSANDS of carpenter/plumber/HVAC Technician/Auto Mechanics that can't "read on grade level"?

Hands on training involves having skills other than being able to read at a high ACADEMIC level.

It is ideal that kids are able to read and write ON GRADE LEVEL by time they leave Grade 12 but this will continue being an issue especially when you are talking about folks from less-fortunate environments.

 

[gry60]

Of course you have to be able to have a certain level of compentency to perform on the job but again, what is the alternative?

Hundreds of kids in this city graduate reading FAR below grade level for various reasons. That will continue to happen. So many of these kids don't have many redeemable skills by time they graduate.

What do you suggest they do after HS?

I am not looking at trades as this magic bandaid that fixes ANY problem but I know kids need to eventually make money.

So again I ask, what should kids do after HS if they clearly don't have the skills to fend for themselves in this world since offering/pushing them towards trades is a practice that you aren't in favor of.

They are culpable. Its literally their job. Bad cops arent making decisions on how they are trained or departmental policies but we still want them to be accountable when they are failing our community. Im not trying to place blame solely on the teachers but if you are passing a child through high school who cant even ****ing read simply because its less work to do so you need to reconsider your career choice. These policies dont seem to be an issue in districts with the funding to attract a particular level of competency.

This.

Don't pass them until they show they are proficient in the material taught. We already do this, to an extent, at the college level.

I won't put much of the blame on individual teachers; I will put it on a system that pressures the most well-meaning teachers to go along with the charade; I'll put the blame on the fact that as a society, we put very little emphasis on the role and function of teachers, and the poor level of K-12 education in this country is a reflection of that.

Obviously, we can't do this for those who are no longer in high school, but we can promote continuing education courses to that crowd.

What do you think children of the 70s/80s/90s/00s that couldn't read on grade level and/or didn't know the English language did to make it work in professionals that were based in Manual Labor?

This isn't a new problem and there are fully functioning adults currently working in those fields that can't read "On Grade Level."

A lot of those adults hit their professional ceiling because they lack those skills. There's also the fact that the wear and tear on the body is real, and few people in the trades can outlast people whose ability to be productive come from their intellectual skills. Finally, the US is moving in a direction where manual labor is being automated out of the workplace everyday, and it's happening a lot faster than people realize.

If you're going to school to be a mechanic, what do you do when they swap the gas engine for the electric motor, and your math level is not even at algebra?

As a tradesperson, how do you expect manage a team of workers when your ability to understand or write corporate/technical emails is subpar? How can you expect to move up the ranks if you can't communicate effectively?

There's no going around reading, counting, adding, and analyzing, especially if you want to have a long career in any field.

 

[Arthur Shelby]

 

[trynafeelmink]

At this point cities are giving us coming attractions for police murders

 

[DCAllAfrican]

The opportunities are definitely there. Whether or not we feel it is IDEAL to push kids in this direction, we have to face the reality that they need money to survive in this world. Most of us don't work jobs that we particular care to do but are content because of the $. If parents or the people that get paid to observe/guide children think there might be some potential earnings in manual labor, let it happen. If they don't like it, cool. Go work somewhere else.

Seventy-percent of construction companies nationwide are having trouble finding qualified workers, according to the Associated General Contractors of America; in Washington, the proportion is 80 percent.

There are already more trade jobs like carpentry, electrical, plumbing, sheet-metal work and pipe-fitting than Washingtonians to fill them, the state auditor reports. Many pay more than the state's average annual wage of $54,000.

Construction, along with health care and personal care, will account for one-third of all new jobs through 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There will also be a need for new plumbers and new electricians. And, as politicians debate a massive overhaul of the nation's roads, bridges and airports, the U.S. Department of Education reports that there will be 68 percent more job openings in infrastructure-related fields in the next five years than there are people training to fill them.

High-Paying Trade Jobs Sit Empty, While High School Grads Line Up For University : NPR Ed : NPR

 

[trynafeelmink]

1.) Well thats my point, affluent communities have all the resources and opportunities and less hurdles to the upper echelons of society. Why can't we aspire to create those conditions in the black community? Why should we be relegated to trade work? Its about equal opportunity for ALL. In my mind, emphasizing trade schools is like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. What you're advocating is not going to change the conditions you highlighted which should be the number 1 priority if we are talking about reforming education.

2.) I hear you and I agree that any ol college degree isnt necessarily the end all and be all. At the end of the day college is a business and its becoming more so by the year. I just dont agree that LESS emphasis on stem learning and more emphasis on trades is going to close those gaps either. If we can invest in trade learning we can invest in stem learning. While stem careers may be rare in general, it is even more so in the black community which is where I'm taking issue. Thats where the gap closes for me. Make it equal. Realistically, some sort of push toward an emphasis on trades in public school will mainly target inner city, minority communities for the reasons you highlighted in your first point. The world is changing rapidly and not in the direction in which tradework offers upward mobility like it may once have. What you're advocating is just going to preserve the status quo in the decades to come imo.

3.) When i said you're behind the 8ball I meant in the educational setting going off the presumption that tradework after HS would be a precursor to being able to better choose and afford an eventual 4 year degree. I just think its tougher to navigate college after being out of the setting for a number of years and your peers are already however many years into a career by the time you graduate. Look, I'm not saying we need 100% participation in stem learning, if someone wants to pursue a trade thats fine. But by the same token, if someone wants to pursue a higher degree its X times more difficult than it is for their white counterparts. Black folks are not and never have been under represented in labor fields. Where does the under representation lay and why? If it was a situation where one realistically had the option to choose a trade or stem field then let the cards fall where they may. Unfortunately thats not the situation.

It may seem unrealistic to you that we can turn more minorities toward stem learning but when have we tried? Hell, how many generations have even been allowed that opportunity? Im not knocking a path to trade schools I'm just saying with finite resources and time when need to prioritize the things that will allow us to close these gaps in a rapidly advancing digital, technological age.

We can agree to disagree over some of these, out of fear of breaking out into an entire essay i'll just leave these two short comments

1) I agree that higher education should be pushed as well, but even if we're looking outside of black people the majority of work forces aren't working in these high yielding fields.... for a variety of reasons

2) Sure with equal resources we can rapidly close the gap, but reality of the matter is our schools barely have a budget for new textbook, we are clearly not getting any equal opportunity in these neighborhoods. And a system catered to white people is NEVER going to make changes to that.

 

[krider31]

I think Dr Umar owes Naomi Osaka a public apology.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

A lot of those adults hit their professional ceiling because they lack those skills. There's also the fact that the wear and tear on the body is real, and few people in the trades can outlast people whose ability to be productive come from their intellectual skills. Finally, the US is moving in a direction where manual labor is being automated out of the workplace everyday, and it's happening a lot faster than people realize.

If you're going to school to be a mechanic, what do you do when they swap the gas engine for the electric motor, and your math level is not even at algebra?

As a tradesperson, how do you expect manage a team of workers when your ability to understand or write corporate/technical emails is subpar? How can you expect to move up the ranks if you can't communicate effectively?

There's no going around reading, counting, adding, and analyzing, especially if you want to have a long career in any field.

1. Yes they hit professional ceilings but at least get get an opportunity to have a profession. Again I ask, what do you suggest we do with HS Kids that leave 12th grade that can't read on grade level?

2. Managing a team isn't in the works for all tradesmen and I am pretty sure many GOOD mechanics would fail an Algebra 1 exam TODAY if they were to be given one. Again, you are severely underestimating the SKILL of these individuals that didn't make the cut academically.

3. There are levels to being able to reading, counting, adding, and analyzing. Not doing well in school doing automatically mean you have no concept of these skills and/or are unable to perform them in a different (non-academic) setting.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

2) Sure with equal resources we can rapidly close the gap, but reality of the matter is our schools barely have a budget for new textbook, we are clearly not getting any equal opportunity in these neighborhoods. And a system catered to white people is NEVER going to make changes to that.

In DC, Librarians have been getting cut from school budgets over the last 5 years.

Guess where these schools are that librarians are being removed? It ain't the schools that need them the least.

That is why it isn't as simple as, "Teachers need to teach students how to read."

Not being able to read is more of an environmental issue than a, "Bad Teacher" issue. So to blame a HS Teacher for not "doing their job" is a wild claim.

Study says reading aloud to children, more than talking, builds literacy

Picture books are more likely than speech to include uncommon words.

edsource.org

A 'million word gap' for children who aren't read to at home

Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to, a new study found. This 'million word gap' could be one key in explaining differences in vocabulary and reading development.

www.sciencedaily.com

Exposure to Language is Key to Early Literacy and Language Learning

How a child learns to speak and understand the spoken word is still somewhat of a mystery. However, early literacy begins as a child is exposed to language.

www.whitbyschool.org