Lack of Color

One thing I’ve noticed in Georgia is the lack of teachers of color in private schools. Some of these schools, also, don’t have students of color-more particularly-Black students, so that is fine. However, if your school has a diverse student body makeup, you need to display that in your hiring. 

There is a saying that African Americans must work twice as hard to get half as far. I’ll go even further to say we must be one of the most qualified when we walk into rooms. We must be over educated when we apply for jobs that require a degree. Even so, if the hiring manager doesn’t want a black employee, our qualifications won’t matter.

Back to education: All students deserve a quality education. Though I focus on those in my community, I would never discriminate against other students. It’s frustrating to see schools deny employment to someone who doesn’t “fit in” with the “culture of the school”- code for “you’re not the right race”. It’s more frustrating when schools accept money from families of those from those outside cultures, but will specifically not hire someone who is an “other”.

I think you should be able to openly deny serving particular groups of people. However, you should be forced to state that/admit it. That way, those you don’t want to serve can find alternatives, rather than dealing with someone who doesn’t accept their existence. If a business wants to serve only whites, they should be able to, while businesses who serve all should benefit from the other’s discrimination. That allows “others” to know who to and who not to deal with. 

My goal is to teach. I will continue doing so because I love teaching. I’ll, also, provide a place for those who want a quality education but don’t feel like they “fit in” other spaces. 

-Nicole R