If you’ve been paying
attention to what’s happening in our educational institutions, you’d probably
have noticed the sudden attention to non-cognitive skills or “soft skills” development. The idea here is
that our boys, especially the ones from African-American background, need to
adopt a mindset for growth and acquire “grit” to succeed in their endeavors.
On the surface, there is some
truth to all of this. However, if you were to dig a little deeper, you would find
that “grit” and a “good attitude” isn’t what black boys need. What they need is
to be treated as equals.
Anything else is a glorified
attempt at discrediting the racial prejudice that exists within the halls of
our hallowed institutions.
More harm than good
The idea of grit is actually
harming our young black men; quite contrary to how it has been portrayed. Ebony
McGee, an Assistant Professor for Diversity and Urban Schooling at the
Vanderbilt University, tells us that the concept of grit has only caused the
black boys to suffer from psychological and physical ailments.
As part of a study, McGee
found that many black students worked themselves to a point of illness only to
avoid being tagged as intellectually inferior. The professor goes on to state
that concepts such as grit overshadow the real issue here, which is societal
racism.
In fact, one could go so far
as to say that the prevalence of racism within educational institutions is
what’s driving black boys to work harder than they need to.
Grit is a term that refers to
the measurement of success through the instilling of specific characteristics
that are deemed necessary for achieving goals. However, the concept of grit
doesn’t factor in the discrimination that black students encounter on their way
to success.
Resiliency is a great value,
but, black students have the added burden of overcoming racism before they
prove their intellectual worth.
In fact, studies show that
ideas such as “grit” harm everybody. One study found that “grit” only makes
people goal oriented at the risk of their individual well-being. When faced
with tasks, “gritty” individuals force themselves to attain goals without even
considering that there probably could be an easier solution or no solution at
all.
To put it simply, grit forces
people to keep going even when the risks outweigh the benefits.
The solution
Communities and concerned
bodies from the arenas of education and politics must seek reforms in existing
policies. Our black boys need support, not soft skills training. The system needs to be fixed. There are
programs out there that already help with this. Unfortunately, public schools
aren’t a part of these efforts.
So, let’s start by addressing
the public school system. We need better teachers, qualified ones that can make
a difference. Additionally, there need to be more scholarships and improvements
within the public education setup. Nurturing environments must be created where
African-American youth can thrive.
Students shouldn’t be told
that they need to be more resilient. They need to be taught to question
inequality and demand justice.
All the grit in the world
cannot help one overcome barriers that are embedded deep into the system. It
requires a collaborative effort from all sides.
