April 2012


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com Your Opinion Matters


Lessons I Do Not Want to Teach My Children


BY FRANCES KAI-HWAWANG Lessons about Dharun Ravi, Trayvon Martin, Shaima Alawadi


After Indian American Rutgers


student Dharun Ravi was convicted of bias intimidation, I sent the very long New Yorker article about the case to my teenagers so that they can understand what kind of digital footprint they leave whenever they do anything online, and to remind them that regardless of what they might actually be doing, they need to be aware that sometimes those actions may be perceived quite differently by others, including people who do not understand technology and culture, including people with power.


Although I agree that homophobic


bullying should not be tolerated, because of the technical complexity of this case, I cannot shake the nagging feeling that had Dharun Ravi been white, or if Tyler Clementi had been a person of color, this case might never have been prosecuted, and certainly would not have been punished so harshly (Ravi faces a possible sentence of ten years and deportation). Ravi admits to being a jerk, but there have been too many other cases in which white bullies have gotten away with much worse. Harry Lew. Danny Chen. Phoebe Prince. Vincent Chin. Luis Ramirez. Trayvon Martin.


My heart breaks as I read articles


by African American mothers about the rules they make for their children because they know how easily their children could be Trayvon Martin:


 Do not run in public.


 Do not touch anything in a store, and always ask for a bag.


 Be polite and cooperative if stopped by the police.


 Keep your hands visible. I think about the rules that I


teach my children—for both race and gender—and I quickly add a few to my list that I had not previously considered. My children are multiracial, so they might be perceived as any number of stereotypes. They might be perceived as Caucasian, different kinds of Asian, Hispanic, Arab, Native American, foreign, exotic, lotus blossom, both victim and suspect.


 No means no, but never get yourself into a situation where that “No” is the only thing keeping you safe.


 Stand up straight and walk briskly, head held high. Look like you know


where you are going. Always walk with a friend.


 Always close and lock the door to      door open when talking with male teachers, professors, or bosses.


 Do not dress “too Asian” (except at Asian cultural events) or too sexy (because if anything happens, people will blame you).


 Never use your real information online.


 And most important, always pay attention to the exact words and slurs people use. Memorize them. Write them down. Tell an adult. Stand up for your friends. This one we practice.


I am not only trying to prevent


trouble they might encounter, I am also secretly preparing them for the court battle that would follow.


I review constantly because, like


these African American mothers, I want these to become habits, so that they will not forget. My teenagers used to be indignant, “You never let me cross the street by myself until I was in sixth grade!” To which I answered, “See? It worked. You didn’t get run over by a truck, which would have hurt.” However, now they tease and reassure me at the same time, by quietly holding my hand as we cross any street.


Geraldo Rivera has been ridiculed


for saying that the hoodie was as much responsible for Trayvon Martin‘s death as George Zimmerman [He has since apologized]. Certainly, he is overstating things, and it does not excuse Zimmerman. However, I understand why Rivera might not let his son wear one. Sure, you have the right to wear what you want. Sure, you have the right to be in a public place. Yes,  However, you also need to be aware of how some (crazy/violent/racist) people  out how to balance your freedom of expression with protecting your safety. 


The heartbreak is that these rules


alone will never be guarantee enough. I am devastated by the cold murder of Iraqi American Shaima Alawadi, 32,        death with a tire iron in her own home, with a note to “go back to your country you terrorist


City of Suffolk Offers Boater Safety Course


The Suffolk Parks and Recreation Department will host a Boater Safety Course on Saturday, April 21, 2012, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Oakland Recreation Center, 5505 Godwin Boulevard.


Effective, July 1, 2012, all Personal Water Craft (PWV) operations, regardless of age, and motorboat operators 30 years of age and older will be required to have successfully completed an approved boating safety program. This course will be offered by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to meet the General Assembly’s requirement. The class will include a 45-minute lunch break; however, lunch is not provided.


Pre-registration is required for this free course. Please register early as seating is limited. For more information, contact JJ Stephens at Oakland Recreation Center, 757-514-7246.


Connect. Discover. Inspire. www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


The Hampton Roads Messenger


New DOE Rule for Schools Hurts Minority Students


BY JORGE RIVAS Karl Marx, the Father of


Communism (Marxism), would be blushing if he could come up from Hell and look at what the United States Department of Education is trying to pull off on the American public.


The power grab began when the


economic downturn hit us. The provider of college student loans, SallieMae, was a victim like many other institutions. Like a “duck on a June bug” the federal government pounced on it. It wasn’t long before the DOE became the owner of SallieMae, shut it down permanently and took total control of student lending. It was the beginning of the end for student lending as we know it.


With its new found power, it


initiated the “Gainful Employment Rule.” This rule, which is a way around actual Congressional legislation, would calculate loan pay back ratios against students of particular schools. If the formula was substandard than that particular school would no longer be  not meeting the requirement would be destined to destruction.


The formula was “cooked” to go


 University of Phoenix, DeVry, etc. What is noticeable is the fact that these schools graduate the lion’s share of minority students – particularly African-Amer- ican students. Obviously, this rule will deliver a deathly blow to the futures of millions of African-American students and so, we cried foul! The DOE didn’t care and pursued this vicious plot.


We caught the attention of Congress,


particularly the Congressional Black Caucus. They politely approached the White House. Even liberal groups such as Operation Push voiced much concern. Noticing the attention, the DOE decided         They actually had the audacity to present to Congress and the public a study that claimed there would be no dispropor- tionate impact on minorities resulting from the implementation of the Gainful Employment Rule.


Oh, what a lie! It took a formal


lawsuit by the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities to get to the truth. It was proven in court that the so-called study by DOE omitted African-American students from its


calculation. Can you believe it? They were looking for impact on minorities but excluded any information about Af- rican-American students. It was a total deceit.


Keep in mind that as this rule is


written, 93 percent of our historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) also will no longer qualify for student loans from the federal government. What will happen to them? The power hungry DOE would shut down their legacies and merge them into state university systems. Our college tradition will be gone forever. Black folk, I think you need to pay more attention to this.


There is another thing this


“freight train” is trying to do. They are encouraging state legislatures, such as Indiana and others, to no longer have a licensing system for barber and beauty schools. Why? They want to take the en- trepreneurship out of this industry.


So many of our youth are given


a second chance by going to barber college or beauty school and getting a license to open up their own shop and earn an honest living. Many times it is the only way an ex-offender can get a professional license. By doing this, it would kill all of these schools. Then, the giant DOE can start producing barbers and beauticians through their federally funded community schools. It would kill a longstanding and prosperous way of life within our communities.


The above is all about “Europeanizing” our educational system. Before long, they will be deciding what African-American youth ought to do with their future. They will reserve college space for their chosen ones (including African-American bourgeoisie) and for the common folk they will slot in particular spaces and crafts. They will choose what a youth is going to do at an early age, not what the youth dreams of doing or what his parents encourage him/her to become. They will be sent to culinary schools,      collar activities.


Freedom of choice, entrepreneur-


ship and living the American dream will soon fade away if we let these zealots have their way. America, it is time to  destroy our way of life.


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