The Problem With Suspension in Schools

By: Rafeeat Bishi

          Mrs. Lozano recently came in and told us that our school had removed ISS. I was really pleased to hear this. Mainly because throughout middle school and high school I found it to be ineffective. It rarely prompted students to "reflect on their actions". 

          I remember one day in middle school, a girl in my grade was begging the administrator to put her in ISS with her friends who were there. My brothers have gotten it multiple times for minor infractions, and all it did was put them behind in their schoolwork. They were not given any forms of counseling to work through what put them in ISS in the first place.

          More often due to implicit bias, Black, disabled, and Latino students will be suspended, instead of given chances or warnings. Many teachers view having those students as "extra work" and are more likely to penalize and ostracize them, seeing them as "problem students". 

          Moreover, unless the student has proven themselves to be harmful to other students, out of school suspension for minor offenses I think can be very detrimental. Educators and administrators claim it gives students time to "think about their wrongdoing with their parents". But what happens if the student is sent to a home without an adequate support system? For example, a child is told to stay at home, but their guardian works for most of the day. An entire day is spent at home alone,and most of the time young kids will not take that time to "reflect on their actions". If no one helped them understand what was wrong with their actions and how to fix them, what will stop them from doing them again? 


          Studies also show that suspension promotes the school-to-prison pipeline, which is the disproportionate tendency of minors/young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to become incarcerated, because of increasingly harsh school and municipal policies. Kids who have been suspended are more likely to repeat a grade, dropout, or be arrested. 

          I think administrators and educators should receive training for minority students so that their behaviors are not met immediately with aggressive punishments. And while suspension may not be completely eradicated, it can be reformed so that the time spent during suspension is productive. Counseling, tutoring, meditation, and interactive activities are some suggestions. 



I read that a Baltimore school replaced detention with meditation and counseling. I think that's a good idea.
https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/04/health/meditation-in-schools-baltimore/index.html 

Speaking "Proper English"

By: Rafeeat Bishi

Me and a lot of black people I noticed who spoke by definition, Standard American English, would be considered "white" by our peers. Their reasoning would be because we did not speak like "common Black people". By definition, that is African-American Vernacular English, or AAVE, and it is a recognized dialect of English. It varies regionally in places like the South and the Midwest, or even in different cities, like Philly, New York or Baltimore.
I'm not a native speaker of AAVE because my parents didn't grow up speaking it, since they're Nigerian. We have our own form of English dialect separate from the native language. But there have been times where I've picked it up after being in certain surroundings.

You can't speak a color because language isn't bound by race. So how can all people of one race sound alike? Especially if we come from different places?

When I'm at a place where I'm not surrounded by people who look like me, I'll be more likely to adapt to that situation and speak differently. I think it's very harmful for all people, including Black people, to employ that stereotype.

Whiteness should not be equated with properness (is that a word). Just because something is Western or European, does not mean its higher mannered. Proximity to Whiteness is too often seen as the goal and positive.

A lot of people also equate speaking "white" with intelligence.  I'll sometimes see Black people make claims against AAVE, saying things like "don't speak to me in Ebonics, I speak proper English. I'm educated"

Using different words or terms must mean you're not smart? Make it make sense.

That statement can be so irritating. So many people speak AAVE because it's simply what they're around. Speaking a different dialect, whether or not it's grammatically "correct" does not make someone more or less intelligent. In fact, Those who speak AAVE and/or have the ability to code-switch apparently have higher brain functions. Bilingualism is never a negative.

When I'm talking to my sister, or with other Black peers, or my African friends at the mosque, it sometimes can seem as if I'm a different person. I still hold my same sentiments, I just convey them differently. And speaking one or the other doesn't make me any less intelligent or any less Black.

Here's a few links:
https://www.languagejones.com/blog-1/2014/6/8/what-is-aave
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/04/04/code-switching-sophisticated-linguistic-tool/

Beauty Supply Stores Cause for Divide

By: Rafeeat Bishi

Recently, a tweet surfaced on social media. To summarize a black girl wrote that she had opened her own beauty supply and stated that people should stop going to "them Asians". 

A beauty supply store is where people, but most of the time Black women, find products to use for their hair and other personal needs.

Many people found the tweet to be racist towards Asians. A lot of the people replying were not Black women, so I understand why at the surface the tweets sounds bad. What I found funny was how this was the time people would preach about equality and POC solidarity ,but never showed that same energy when Black women were being oppressed.

I think the woman's feelings were 100% valid. She could've worded her tweet differently, but context matters. And the context was that we should support Black beauty businesses and not ones run by non-Black people who hold racist sentiments.

People failed to recognize that for years, black women in particular have been harassed by Asian beauty-supply store owners. They've been followed, accused of stealing, and called the n-word.  No one should have to walk in to a store, meant specifically for THEIR hair and other cosmetic needs, and be treated badly.

A Black owned beauty supply was forced to close down because they were barred from purchasing their stock from the Korean manufacturers and distributors.  This is the case for many others. Because they are so rare, people are going to do what they can to promote their businesses as much as possible.

An argument can be made, that the Asian owners  are just making their money. It's one thing to make the money in a respectable manner. To treat people like normal customers is basic decency. But to exploit the people that are the base of your business, and to disrespect them in unwarranted. And their profits are not going back into the communities they serve.

There is anti-Blackness prevalent all throughout Asia and many Black people have an implicit bias towards Asians. I think it's up to younger generations to have the discourse as a lot of older shop owners don't understand the nuance of their actions (or they understand and simply don't care)

Here's a link that explains it better: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/04/25/black-beauty-shops-korean-suppliers-roots-of-tension-mn

The Importance of Voting as Minorities 

By: Rafeeat Bishi

Today the Contemporary Studies class ran a voter registration drive. It made me think of the importance of going to the polls if you're a woman or minority. 

One of my pet peeves is people complaining about the current state of wherever they are (America, their town), despite the fact that they did not exercise their right to vote. Obviously we can be mad about general issues, but to complain on legislation that had the opportunity to be different when you chose to ignore it, is a bit ridiculous. 

All women of color did not receive the right to vote until decades after. Native people weren't even considered citizens until the 1920s. You can see more on the table →

To hear people say their vote doesn't count, or to hear people of dominant groups (white, male), talk about how they'll vote for Harambe or not vote at all is a major pet peeve. I think it's a privilege to be able to use your voting right as a joke, despite the fact that you're decision is going to affect the lives of millions

It's a privilege to know that you voting for a joke, will have no adverse affects on your life if you are a man, straight, white, and cisgendered.

Minorities should do their best to mobilize not to only honor the struggle that people died for, but to insure we can change the system that keeps people from progress. 

And for those who say they're vote doesn't count: -_-. Last year there were so many recounts because the elections were "too close to call" people in states with millions of registered voters had races that were between 3,000 votes in difference.  Pls vote. Pls. 

Analyzing The Response To Black Women's Pain

By: Rafeeat Bishi

         When I was hurt this week, I went to the doctor's office and hospital where I was able to receive care. One of the first things medical professionals ask is for you to rate your pain on a scale from 1-10. I was lucky enough to have people take my claims seriously and was helped accordingly. I could not help but think of the Black Women who are not afforded the same opportunities.

          In a memoir I recently read, the author makes a statement about how Black women were historically (and still are) denied the right to express pain and suffering. Most of them avoid, believing it to be a sign of weakness. We are told that we're supposed to be strong and resilient always. Considering the burden of decades of abuse and suffering, the perseverance of those before, Black American Women in particular are often given the title of "Strong". Usually, they are just disrespected or not considered worthy of care. 

         I remember seeing a study in which some doctors revealed that they are sometimes trained to disregard the symptoms of Black patients. Another studied showed that medical students and residents believed inaccurate information regarding the anatomy of Black people. 

As a result, they're pain can be downplayed or ignored. These include examples of medical racism. 

        A good example is Serena Williams. She almost died after her pregnancy because she was not given adequate attention for her pain.  Black women are 3x more likely to die from childbirth or complications during pregnancy. 

        I've seen countless times on twitter that Black women were turned away by doctors, their symptoms being linked to life-threatening conditions. Many females can relate to having the pain of their periods dismissed. It makes me very lucky to think I was able to have my issues addressed and treated right away.