Ebony's Post

[pbnesbit at msn.com]

Ebony,

Your post made me cry--it also made me angry (again!) that some kids, 
who are probably just as smart as other kids, have to play catch-up 
all their lives, simply because of where they were born or the colour 
of their skin. It also made me proud that you (and other teachers) 
are trying their darndest to make up the difference. 

I see similar things in Charleston.  Yes, we're a tourist town.  But 
there are also *extremely* poor folk here, a lot of them living on 
America Street, which is in the run-down part of town.  There *has* 
been some work done on the dilapitated houses *without* making them 
unaffordable to the very people they were meant to house. (another 
Charleston problem.  Refurbish the houses, then price them out of 
reach for the 'masses') I The tourists never see that part of 
Charleston, of course.

I see kids who come to Middleton Place on field trips very skeptical 
about the whole experience.  Then I start talking about the enslaved 
Africans and African-Americans who *made* this place--I speak about 
their strength, their belief in magic, their very real belief 
that 'you can enslave my body, but you can't enslave my mind.'  I've 
had kids go from utter mistrust and total skepticism that I, as a 
white person, can teach them anything.  By the end of their time with 
me, we're talking together like old friends. I hope I can give them 
hope, I hope I can give them magic.  I'm not in class with them day 
after day, so I don't know if I do.  But I do see the kids when they 
come in, some of them hunched into themselves.  I see them when they 
leave, walking just a little taller.  I like to think I've helped 
them in some small way to do that.  

Parker