Fact or Myth

“We need to push against the mischaracterization of our community,” was a statement that stuck with me after the lecture by Dr. Finwick. She introduced the topic in a creative way: a quiz. It was surprising to me, how many I got wrong. We let society persuade us that we as a race score lower on standardized test, and are not intelligent. The fact is that data is out there that proves the conceptions wrong. We are not taught the data that teaches us how to overcome and making a better way. Dr. Finwick talked about how African-Americans are underrepresented in education. There are very few African-American teachers even in inner-city areas. Some of these low numbers are due to desegregation when, “some black teachers were replaced by lesser qualified whites” (Dr. Finwick). Even though desegregation was in effect, whites tried to separate the white and black teachers. This included replacing some blacks with whites. During segregation, black teachers were well educated and the best teachers for African-American students. Dr. Finwick also discussed the misconceptions of black males and African-American students. She told us that black males scored higher than black females, white people and other races on standardized test. African-American students are more likely to be against drugs in high school than any other race (Dr. Finwick). We as the Black community must define our self and gather the data to find the truth. If we do not gather the information, we might be influenced to believe the myths that characterize us in society.