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"A Time to Kill" in Our Classrooms
by A.R. Linder
http://youthplay-org.blogspot.com/
In John Grisham's novel "A Time to Kill," a jury of eight
white women and two white men are asked to imagine this was
their daughter~a young white girl being raped, beaten and
left for dead by two drunken and remorseless black men.
The jury is tasked with delivering a verdict for a black
man, Carl Lee Hailey, who burst out of the courthouse
basement and killed his daughter's accused attackers with
an assault rifle.
Certainly, this lends itself to lively argument with regard
to Carl Lee's being guilty of murder, execution, revenge,
or justice. But there is no argument, amongst sane and
humane people, that this was a horrendous act that would
cripple this child forever.
It is baffling to me how some can look at a violent rape
such as the one of little Tonya Hailey described in "A Time
to Kill," and clearly see it as the horror that it is, yet
not be able to fathom that failing or refusing to educate
capable children and rendering them emotionally, socially,
and economically crippled for the rest of their lives as at
best an equal horror.
Education may be the only thing~beyond faith~from which
African Americans have been able to see tangible economic
progress. Without an adequate and fair education system
the fate of a large segment of African Americans and others
minorities trapped in its grips seems hopeless. Without an
adequate education how does one improve their economic
situation in today's workforce? The answer is only by
chance itself, for the majority will stay poor~an economic
condition that some will use as an excuse for not educating
their children. How do we tackle the many problems
facing our young people today and in the future if we
cannot count on our school systems to provide an adequate
education? Recent court decisions have made it easier to
resegregate schools and seemingly accept the provision of a
less than adequate education as lawful. Regrettably, in
many cases parents and students may not possess the
knowledge to identify a less than adequate education until
the young person's self-esteem is permanently damaged along
with her dreams when he or she discovers she cannot pass a
high school graduation test or a college entrance exam.
The urgency of dealing with such issues became unmistakably
apparent in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court rendered
decisions limiting how much a factor race can play in the
selection of students and struck down a point system giving
minority preference in college admissions. Those rulings
were expected to affect admissions practices at public
colleges nationwide, as well as scholarship, tutoring,
internships and fellowship programs reserved for blacks,
Latinos and Native Americans. The court's rationale was
also expected to influence private colleges and
universities, other government decision-making and the
business world. Therefore, it is imperative that all
children be fully prepared to compete on a fair playing
field in the future, for the Supreme Court clearly
expressed that the days of affirmative action are
numbered.
In an ideal world, we could all come from the same level
and competitive playing field in our home environment but
we know that it is not feasible~mostly due to the history
and economic culture of these United States. But it is
foreseeable that with laws insisting upon an adequate
education system that includes proper funding, and training
for school system personnel, there could be a level playing
field for the resources and expectations we should have for
each child when they step into a classroom.
A.R. Linder is the editor of SisterPlay.com. The site
features discussion forums and blogs on multicultural
issues. A cornerstone of the website is a wonderful area
called YouthPlay.org --a compilation of many of the
websites she has used in educating herself and her child.
Ms. Linder is also the editor of the popular Sisterly
Advice and Best Educational Websites blogs. Ms. Linder is a
graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa,
FL.
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