History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Five lessons from the "if I were a poor Black kid" debate
- 12-21-2011
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Blog by Christopher Edmin/Huffington Post
Earlier this month, a Forbes contributor posted an article entitled "If I Were a Poor Black Kid" on Forbes.com. The post was written by a white middle class man, who offered a bevy of suggestions for "poor black kids" that he himself would take if he were a poor black kid. Almost immediately, a brilliantly written counter story appeared on The Huffington Post. This counter piece, also written by a white male, beautifully described what many who were introduced to the initial Forbes piece took issue with: the assumption that poor black children across the country were making decisions not to take advantage of opportunities that have been provided to them. I highlight the race of both of these authors for a very clear reason. The issue at play here is just as much an issue of race, as it is of class. (more...)
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