Former NYC Public School Graduates Weigh in on GL Educator's Perspective on Diversity

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank our community for the overwhelming amount of support, kind words, and thoughtful messages after our latest article, Responding to a GL Educator's Perspective on Diversity as "Regressive" in Schools. It has been so great to see our community come together and share reflective thoughts and exchanges, and has made us sincerely optimistic for the future of our town and country.

With that being said, we have received several insightful reactions to Mr. Polce's article, Diversity: A Lesson from NYC Public Schools, and thought we'd share these reactions as all of the following local residents attended the NYC Public Schools that Mr. Polce references throughout his article.

Thank you, Rupa, Sia, and Jewel, for sharing with us your personal thoughts and reactions.

Rupa Kale: New Providence Resident

“The NYC school system is a very complex and a very large system with its own challenges.”

White suburban people who've had the privilege of the school systems here have absolutely no idea what it's like. Kids come from rough home situations, poverty, cultural challenges, hunger, so many issues never experienced here on the scale they are in NYC.

I graduated from the NYC school system. Anyone who hasn't taught or schooled through the system will not be able to understand the complexities of the demographics & numbers. I got into Bronx Science but my father did not want me traveling to the Bronx from Woodside Queens daily for an hour+ each way. For one we were new immigrants and he was fearful of my safety. Secondly, I was a caretaker for my younger brother and had to manage dinner at home. 2 hours of daily travel time would cut into me being able to do those things. For immigrants, minorities, and people from lower-income households, this is a common dilemma and one of many reasons why specialized schools don't reflect the makeup of the city. The race might appear the same to many but the starting points are staggered by one’s socioeconomic situation and one often dominated by race. The thing is, living in a predominantly white, predominantly affluent community the challenges minorities face here are substantially different from NYC. For one, the lack of representation in the teacher body is very much like the lack of representation in the governing body. Representation matters! I remember a year I was jammed with AP classes and overwhelmed because I had an after school job and I was taking care of my brother and household (cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry)...every single one of my AP teachers worked with me, gave me grace and supported me to succeed. Every single one was a minority (except one Mrs. Posluszny who was Polish) who understood my struggle. The letter leaves so much to unpack and was disappointing to read.

Sia Khalfani: West Orange Resident

“As someone who went to Gift & Talented schools in New York City I found the author's article a bit disturbing.”

This is just a quick note about my experiences in NYC public schools. My elementary school was quite diverse. I was part of a gifted and talented program there. In my class, all 25 of us were from different places. We represented various countries, religions, and even different socioeconomic statuses. We all thrived together and some of us still keep in touch to this day. I actually thought the whole world was this beautiful utopia of different cultures and religions growing and learning together until I ran across people with similar views as the author of this letter.

After elementary school, I went to a gifted and talented Junior High School called Mark Twain in Brooklyn. I was one of only 3 students from my school who was accepted. At that time, our neighborhood had started to become unaffordable. We were forced to move an hour away to another Borough in the middle of the semester. That was my first time going to school with only people that looked like me. The school was right across the street from The Projects, and it was obvious to me upon arrival that it lacked the same resources as my previous schools. I felt that many of the students would have benefited from the experiences I had in a diverse environment, as well as better resources.

In New York, Junior HS ended at 9th grade. When the opportunity came to take a test in the 8th grade for one of the specialized schools, I applied. I didn't want to stay in that depressing environment anymore.

My best friend went to Stuyvesant, some of my other friends went to Bronx Science and I went to Brooklyn Tech. Though I had friends that were Asian in elementary school, when I went to Tech, I had the opportunity to really explore the diversity within the Asian community. I had cohorts from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, etc. and I learned to understand the differences in their individual cultures and religions. When I attended the school there may have been about 40% of Asian descent, 30% of European descent, 20% of African descent, and 10% of other groups.

When I went to college I was faced with another culture shock. The college I attended was about 85% of European descent. Because of their experiences and lack of exposure to other cultures, I found that some of them were misinformed about certain subjects. I felt they too would have benefited from a more diverse environment.

Regarding the article…

While reading this we might want to analyze the cloak and dagger approach of those fighting to maintain the status quo, their entitlements, and stranglehold on privilege and power.

We often see the trick of blaming the victim and usage of obfuscating words like "multiculturalist" to cloud the true meaning of their intentions to keep their privilege from being threatened. In fact, those in power often manipulate people and ideas from the opposing group to argue their positions for them.

This article is like the work of a magician. It sounds pretty, but watch the sleight of hand. In this case, the slight of the keyboard. Do not be fooled by misdirection and shallow analysis. There are no "multiculturalists." There are those who want equity and those who want things to stay just the way they are. They want you to believe that there is some nefarious plan behind advocating for diversity - and that there have been no structural and systemic measures maintaining segregated populations in schools throughout NY, NJ, CT, and the rest of the country.

Jewel Douglas: Berkeley Heights Resident

“I'm a Product of New York City's Specialized High School.”

In the article Diversity: A Lesson from NYC Public Schools, a math teacher in the suburban high school for the town in which I reside argues against the need to diversify New York City's elite public schools to admit more Black students. The following are a few excerpts from the article. He stated, ...Disparities exist across New York City, and have persisted for years, with no particular group at fault. He cited that against the backdrop of a metropolis that is 26 percent Black, at Stuyvesant High School, the second-ranked public school in the city, the student body is one percent Black. Referring to Stuyvesant as a successful monotony, he opines "...why change what has worked for decades? He concludes with the assertion that those who want to attend highly ranked schools should work hard and pass the admissions test. He offers that "..it's not the tests that are unfair; life is unfair." He adds cavalierly, "The tests are simply measuring the results."

I submit the following post to the BH Unfiltered website not to refute his beliefs. The young people of BH Unfiltered did a masterful job of debunking the ignorance of his claims. My interest is in supporting young people of color, as they navigate through this "unfair" life, where they are routinely at the receiving end of systemic inequities that are designed to keep the majority at an advantage and people of color at a disadvantage. I am so proud of the young people of BH Unfiltered who have chosen to use their voices as privileged people of color to make the case for how this country could progress towards racial equity “simply” by providing a leveled playing field where children of color from the earliest age could obtain the same well-resourced education to which the majority group feels entitled. This approach would go a long way to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty faced by a large percentage of people of color, and reduce the sizeable amounts of taxpayers’ resources directed to supporting welfare and criminal justice systems to which people of color are often subject.

Let me provide you a personal account of someone who had the privilege of attending one of New York City's elite public high schools several decades ago. I took an entrance exam and was admitted to Brooklyn Technical High School for the tenth grade. I had excelled academically in the low-income Black community in which I was a member. It was evident, however, that I was subject to an inferior education in my community. For example, I took the Algebra Regions in ninth grade and scored 60 out of 100, which was the highest mark in my local school. I attained a perfect 60 on the multiple-choice, but could not answer any of the open-ended questions because the topics were never covered in my school. I was provided the opportunity to attend a three-week academic support program the summer before entering Brooklyn Tech. At the end of the three-week program, I retook the algebra exam and scored a 97. Over the three years that I attended Brooklyn Tech, I not only caught up to my peers, but graduated with honors. I went on to earn a graduate degree after completing a bachelor's degree with honors.

Fast forward, my husband and I moved to our suburban community, where Black people have represented roughly one percent of the population over the years. My older daughter graduated from the public high school as the Union County Scholar, the title awarded to the town student with the highest academic grade point average. Additionally, my younger daughter graduated from high school as one of the top track and field college recruits in the nation, as much for her potential to increase a team’s academic grade point average as for her athleticism.

I offer the above as an anecdote behind numbers spewed out by a math teacher to argue against diversity and inclusion. My story illustrates the glaring inequities in the educational system that have persisted throughout American history, where well-resourced public education is lacking in many communities of color. It also demonstrates that the opportunity to obtain a superior education at a New York City elite high school put me on a path to end intergenerational poverty and provided my children the ability to successfully compete at the highest academic level, with absolutely no extra accommodations. Equally important, my husband and I take pride in paying our fair share of taxes, instead of being a “burden” on society, as some people are invested in imputing to Black people.

The math teacher stated that life is unfair. He could say that cavalierly because Black people are the ones who are systemically disadvantaged, with widespread resistance to righting that wrong at any level. Indeed, we see daily examples where racist people lie, cheat, and steal to maintain positions of power and promulgate the notion of racial superiority. If these people truly believe in their superiority, I challenge them to allow the playing field to be leveled.

In the meantime, I thank the young people of BH Unfiltered for your advocacy of racial equity and inclusion. It’s unfortunate that you have to divert your attention away from pursuing your academic success to refute the claims made by a teacher who is entrusted to the vital task of educating the young people in the town. But clearly, you understand that you are your brothers’ and sisters’ keeper, and until all of you are free to be all that you can be, none of you are free. Be vigilant and, as always, we have your back!