Educating Students of Color in Higher Education Opens Doors for
Fairness, equality, and Global Economic Opportunities
James Mbuva
National University
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to examine the fact that “Educating Students of Color in Higher Education Opens Doors for Fairness, equality, and Global Economic Opportunities.” The study investigates about the theoretical basis for: 1) the meaning of equality and fairness; 2) the symbolic meaning of the studies echoing Animal Farm, Things Fall Apart, and Survival for the Fittest; 3) the key factors, which demonstrate where the people of color fit in the globe’s educational systems; 4) the ways education enhances equality and fairness; and 5) the implications of the study on the competitive 21st century job market. The goal of the study is to demonstrate that equality and fairness means that all people must have the same plain field of operation and that there is goodness in people and that we can treat them well. All people can never be equal if the gap that some people are more equal than others continues to widen up. Although the implications of the study are clear that education for students of the poor communities has fallen, and that the survival for the students of the wealthy and the strong is assured in our capitalistic education, educating students of color remains as the only instrument of successfully conquering poverty, enhancing equality, and fairness.
The themes that “Still Not Equal” merits high degree of consideration today because surely “All animals are Equal but some are more equal than others;” “Things Fall Apart” every day; and the ideology of the “Survival for the Fittest” still reigns in our everyday educational, cultural, professional and political contexts (Achebe, 1958; Orwel, 1945; Darwin).
It is then the purpose of this study to look into the following key questions:
- What is equality and fairness?
- What is the symbolic meaning of Animal Firm, Things Fall Apart, and Survival for the Fittest?
- What are the key factors, which demonstrate where the people of color fit in the globe’s Educational Systems?
- What are the key factors, which demonstrate where the people of color fit in the globe’s Educational Systems?
- What are conclusions the implications of the study on the competitive 21st century job market?
Equal and Fair
Equal
Key question. What is equal? Equal means, “same in number, size, merit; fit, or qualified; [and] evenly balanced” (Webster’s New Dictionary, 1994, p.133). Hence, black people are equal to the white people. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1997) adds to the meaning of equal by demonstrating that equal means “of the same measure, quantity, value, quality, number, degree, or status as another; impartial, [and] free from extremes (p.257). However, all must be equal if they have the same footing. The plain field of operation must be the same to claim to be equal.
Equal opportunity. What do we mean when we speak of equal opportunity? Equal opportunity is a “theory and practice of employment opportunity unbiased because of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, or mental or physical handicap” (Webster’s New Dictionary, 1994, p.133). If some of the people of the society are more privileged in acquiring jobs and resources, the equal opportunity is not for all but for some.
Fair
Key question. What is fair? Fair means “beautiful; ample; unblemished; of moderate quality or amount; just, honest; [and] favorable” (Webster’s New Dictionary, 1994, p.143; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1997). The meaning of fair suggests that there is goodness in people and that we can treat all people well. Hence, equality and fairness could only mean what they stand for if we treat all people justly, evenly, honestly because all people are beautiful and merit equal treatment which is free from guile and malice. What then is the symbolic meaning of Animal Firm, Things Fall Apart, and Survival for the fittest?
The Symbolic Meaning of Animal Firm, Things Fall Apart,
and Survival for the Fittest
Animal Firm
New commandment by the animals that ‘All animals are created equal.’ The key question is, is our society past “Animal Firm” Syndrome? George Orwell wrote about “this classic allegory in 1945, his portrait of Mr. Jones' humble farm that becomes paradise when the animals overthrow the humans and establish the commandment 'All animals are created equal' struck a vibrant chord in a world sick of war" (Jones, 2004, para. 5)
Some world leaders today still believe that “some animals are more equal than others.” Certainly, George Orwell “had Russian leaders in mind with his depiction of the conniving pigs Snowball, Squealer and Napoleon. But his exciting tale stands the test of time because still today in some civilizations leaders believe 'some animals are more equal than others' and get away with it” (para. 6).
Symbolic meaning of Animal Farm. If the pigs of the animal world represent the governed people who are considered not equal, then the leaders, the privileged, the rich, the elite, and the affluent (just but mention a few) are the ‘more equal’ of the animal world. Unfortunately, this divide has permeated everyday human life and like pigs, it is the responsibility of the people to speak against the evil of inequality. It was thought that democracy by the people, of the people and for the people would do it, but it has failed drastically. The crack is widening everyday and the remedy is not known yet because instead of leaders and policy makers providing a way out, they perpetuate the inequality in the distribution of resources for all children in the nation’s school districts, thus, limiting poor children’s right to learn (Hammond-Linda Darling, 1997). The poor school districts’ unfavorable educational policies and the unfounded school programs aimed at helping all children to learn equitably are signs of the widening gap of inequality and unfairness in our educational system.
Things Fall Apart
Missionaries, Christianity, and the British colonialism disrupted the IboCulture. Things Fall Apart was written by Chenua Achebe in 1958. Born of a Nigerian family in Ogidi village in 1930, Achebe was acquainted with Anglican missionary work.
The story of Things Fall Apart. Through the exposure to the work of missionary, the start and the growth of Christianity, and the colonization of the British government, Achebe had a lot to say about how his world changed all at sudden! Hence,
The story of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart takes place in the Nigerian village of Umuofia in the late 1880s, before missionaries and other outsiders have arrived. The Ibo clan practices common tribal traditions-worship of gods, sacrifice, communal living, war, and magic. Leadership is based on a man’s personal worth and his contribution to the good of the tribe. Okonkwo stands out as a great leader of the Ibo tribe. Tribesmen respect Okonkwo for his many achievements. (Perino, 2004)
However, Okonkwo had to face “punishment for his accidental shooting of young tribesman,” and due to this, “The Ibo banned Okonkwo from the clan for seven years. Upon his return to the village, Okonkwo finds a tribe divided by the influence of missionaries and English bureaucrats who have interrupted the routine of tradition” (Perino, 2004; Brian, 2002).
Symbolic meaning of Things Fall Apart. Unquestionably, Chenua Achebe “uses his characters and their unique language to portray the double tragedies that occur in the story.” The readers of his novel do not only “identify with Okonkwo and his personal hardships but also with the Ibo culture and its disintegration.” For this reason, Achebe wrote “not for his fellow Nigerians, but for people beyond his native country…. He wanted to explain the truth about the effects of losing one’s culture” (Perino, 2004; Brian, 2002). Hence, Chenua Achebe was stripped off his culture and the world he knew so well by the invasion of the missionaries and the British colonialists. When people are ruled and oppressed by foreign forces and dominant culture, they can only feel out of place and like Achebe they can say indeed things have fallen apart.
Survival for the Fittest
Survival for the fittest is based on Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution (Evolution, 2004; Hanes, 2004). While Darwins’ Theory of Evolution is “a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greeks philosophers such a Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary descent of man from animal” (Evolution, 2004).
Natural selection. Unlike the Greek philosophy of the origin of life, “Charles Darwin simply brought something new to the old philosophy – a plausible mechanism called ‘natural selection.’”(Evolution, 2004)
Key Question. The key questions concerning Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is that, how does natural selection work? What are the long lasting implications of natural selection?
Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly). Its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior (disadvantaged) members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantage) members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild. Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time. (Evolution, 2004)
Symbolic meaning of the Survival for the Fittest. The very fact that in natural selection stronger species might have supremacy over the weaker ones, and that their chances of survival are greater than that of the feeble, suggests that there is uneven distribution of power, resources, and authority in the world order of things. Therefore, this might mean that no matter how much we speak of equality and fairness in education, and justice for all, there will always be injustice for the economically and socially weak of the society. Consequently, the rhetoric for justice becomes, “a mask for injustice and leaves those who are weak to be preyed upon, those who are defeated to be abused and those in a position of disadvantage in fear that their disadvantage will be exploited to their destruction” (Keys, 2001). The symbolic meaning of this theory might also mean that the poor will always be poor and the rich will always be rich, as it is; and that the low socioeconomic students might suffer learning opportunities and their successful job opportunities diminishes everyday they wake up.
Where Students of Color Fit in the Globe’s Educational System
The Factors Contributing to the Poor Academic Achievement of Black Children
Across the United States schools, African American students are not experiencing academic success due to various factors such as low income, poor preschool programs, lack of engaging the African American parents in the school life of their children, mothers are raising school children alone because their fathers are in prison, low self-esteem, lack of motivation, and absenteeism, etc. While it is very easy to blame “the enemy out there” due to “a propensity to find someone or something outside ourselves to blame when things go wrong” or for our failures, it is very important to be involved in the search for solutions and especially trying to do what we can afford (Senge, 1990, p.19).
Remedy
The key questions are: what is the remedy for the African American students’ low academic achievement? What is that we should do to enhance academic and personal success of the African American male students? It is true that “The shortage of positive African American male role models, the perceptions of societal racism and victimization, and existing African American male subculture [of absence] work against academic achievement” (Reglin, 2004). However, Reglin’s recommendations to schools in the search of remedy for the problem are worthy of consideration. Schools should have the following in mind.
- High but realistic expectations.
- Parent and family involvement.
- Parent centers.
- Emphasis on the whole child.
- Building self-esteem
- Cooperative learning.
- Cross age and peer tutoring.
- Learning styles instructions.
- Prevention and assessment of unfavorable classroom environments.
- Integration of African males in the classroom activities.
- African American role models (Reglin, 2004).
Moreover, schools, curriculum developers, and policy makers should think on how to teach all children by taking “antiracist education seriously,” “rethinking the curriculum” to reflect students of color, examining the significance of standardized testing, and creating contextual learning environments where teachers, students and parents can work together for the common good of students’ academic achievement (Reeves, 1996-1998; Levine, et al., 1995; Greenfield & Cocking, 1994).
African American and African Meet at Marriott
Clarence Mason Weaver. I went to San Diego for the National University Faculty Spring Symposium, and to my surprise and blessing, I got to meet and know Mr. Weaver who was residing at the Mission Valley Marriott, San Diego. Mr. Weaver’s eyes were fixated on me when I dropped off of the Marriott’s elevator. As I approached I asked myself, “I wonder why this black man is looking at me so intently.” He asked me why I was at the Marriott and I told him that the faculty of National University meet during Spring Symposium to enhance our educational mission and to dialogue on educational issues, especially how we teach and make a difference in our varied communities.
Mutual interest. Mr. Weaver seemed interested in the story and after asking if I had a minute I responded, “Yes;” hence we started a long dialogue on black culture and education, slavery, and the master’s farm. Mr. Weaver through his witty stories about black people on the plantations touched my heart and mind when he delivered a uppercut punch, “I want you to know that I am concerned about my black people’s well-being; and for that matter, I have written a book It’s Ok to Leave the Plantation: The New Underground Railroad. Being a black man from Africa, Kenya, myself I said to Mr. Weaver, “That is interesting. I have been looking for a Blackman to share about the situations for the African brothers who came here involuntarily by way of slavery.” Mr. Weaver immediately said, “I will give you my book tomorrow morning.” With a deep appreciation of his offer, I went to bed that night happy because I finally met my fellow African to share about our plight as black people. Little did I know that Mr. Weaver had written immensely on how African Americans should leave the master’s plantation?
Lessons Learned from Mr. Weaver
The more I read Mr. Weaver’s book, the more I discerned that for students of color to succeed in the global education and economy, they need to take responsibility. Certainly people may lack resources and support from without, but it takes personal initiative to come out of life’s inequality and unfair predicaments. Therefore, it is from reading from Mr. Weaver’s book It’s Ok To Leave The Plantation: The New Underground Railroad (2000) that I will advance the following things suggested by Mr. Weaver in order to help our African American men and women, African American youth, and those in the Diaspora to succeed in the global educational systems.
Avoid being enemies of one another. It is generally stereotyped that black people wherever they are do not support each other as they should. While any stereotyping is not always true and is dangerous in its interpretation, it is equally important to support one another instead of being enemies of one another. Whether we become actors, actressES, comedians, professors, doctors, CEOs, or family technicians, we must support one another for our very survival academically, socially, and economically.
Forgive one another at all times. Forgiveness is the remedy to hatred, fear, and despondency. When we forgive one another, we provide therapy to adults and children alike.
Accept thyself. It is vital that you carry yourselves a real humans, who are confident, creative, resourceful, able, strong, leader not follower, designer, free, liberated, and emancipated from slavery, mental, emotional, social, economic, psychological, and intellectual imprisonment.
Authentic education is necessary. Here, is where you need to know yourself thoroughly well. You must climb the academic ladder by reading the right books. Develop a network of well-educated communities of men and women who are optimistic about life and are ready to liberate the human race from economic, cultural, social, and political dominance.
Aim at victory/success not failure. You become a failure if you stay at the failing ground. We must rise up from where we have fallen; and consequently stand up, walk, and succeed.
Remember to lift up your brothers and sisters. You must develop a habit of lifting one another up from ignorance and poverty. Let us be proud of who we are as black people, and let us maintain the beauty that there is in blackness.
Final call. Once again, Mr. Weaver calls us into realization that it is ok to leave the master’s plantation.
Conclusions and Implications of the Study
on the Competitive 21st Century Job Market
Conclusions
The study has revealed to us the significance of understanding equality and fairness in our everyday life experiences. However, it is difficult for equality and fairness to take place in a social environment where some animals are more equal than others, where things have fallen apart, and where survival for the fittest have become the society’s educational, social, cultural, economical, and political norm. It is therefore necessary to conclude that there will never be total equality and fairness of all peoples; nevertheless, the weak of the society can work hard to climb the ladder of equality and fairness, hoping that they will not give up in the process and consequently fail to share in bounty of economical opportunities in our country.
Implications
It is necessary for the black people here in the US and in the global villages such as in Africa, France, Spain, and Britain, to mind about the education of the youth. Parental involvement in everyday life children’s education is as important as the jobs we spend most of the time in. Educating the youth successfully is the only way, which could provide leverage in the pursuit of equality, fairness, and in the competitive 21st century job market.
Mr. Weaver brings to our daily thinking clarity and vision for tomorrow by self-realization that as black people we need to leave the plantation, all political, all cultural, and social encumbrances and with dignity and with confidence establish ourselves as bold, risk taking, and active people in the American society. It is important to remember our national anthem that America is the “home of the free,” but also the “home of the brave.” This means that it is not enough to be free; we need to be bold so that we can courageously compete with all the peoples of these United States of America.
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