Discrimination: How it Has Changed

As I thought about writing this article, I thought about how people will probably see me as a racist. I do not consider myself to be one, though. After seven years of teaching at a little country school with mostly Whites and Hispanics, I went to a school of mostly Blacks. This is my second year to be teaching in the mostly black school. I treat all of my students fairly. I see such potential in most of them. But their mindset is so strong because of their parents and culture. A third grade student not wanting to do his work, flat out told his teacher that he would be living on welfare the rest of his life. That education isn't important. This is coming from a black student. I was so shocked! But most of the black students I work with feel the same way. Why bother working if the government will support them? But then, when I start to look for a college scholarship for my daughter, there isn't one. She is just an average, white girl. She has an average GPA. So nothing is available for her. But when you look for "minority" scholarships, they are everywhere. They are available to students like mine that don't want to better themselves. Yet, a White child must pay their own way. I was lucky enough to have the money to pay for her first semester at the local junior college, but this next semester, I'm afraid she'll have to get a loan. Speaking of loans, when I went to school, that was all I was offered. I did get a few grants to help pay for college because I had a child, but that didn't go very far. I still owe over $13,000 and I've been out of college for 9 years. All of this is very disheartening.

The United Negro College Fund is the largest and probably most well known organization for black students. On their "Who We Are" page on the web, it says: "To close the educational attainment gap between African Americans and the majority population, UNCF helps promising students attend college...." I find it great that they want black students to attend college and earn a degree. I find it disturbing that it's only available to black students. But when whites try to do the same thing, it's called discrimination. The finger is pointed at us and all kinds of controversy begins. In 2003, Matt Coday started "The United White Persons College Fund". Talk about a problem. It's a problem because it's for whites only. But, it's okay to have a blacks only college fund? The name of the two organizations only have one difference: "Negro" and "White Persons". One comes under fire for being unfair while the other is hailed as wonderful. That just makes no sense to me. From News Channel 11, KCBD, out of Lubbock, TX, I wanted to share part of the article about Matt Coday. "Convinced that white people are discriminated against in the hunt for college cash, he's already raised over $1,000 for his cause. 'One purpose of this fund is to serve as the direct antidote to the United Negro College Fund, and other organizations whose primary purpose is to promote the advancement of any one cultural, racial or ethnic group,' he said." Which in response to that, Channel 11 obtained this comment: " 'When I first heard about it I thought it was a joke,' said Martin Dorsey, President of Texas Tech's Black Student Association. 'If it's genuine then I'm all for it. College is expensive, I know first hand. But if they're just doing it as a retaliation to the United Negro College Fund, then no,' he said." Continuing from that article: " 'There's a decreasing amount of scholarship money available to me because I'm not black, not hispanic, not native american,' said Dorsey."

Things like this go on all of the time. It's okay for people of color to have private organizations, but when whites try it, it's just not fair. I feel like what's not fair is how whites are being singled out. Another example comes from Jason Mattera. He was able to obtain a $5,000 scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund because of his Puerto Rican descent. But yet he turns around and tries to organize a fund for all whites. I'm not sure what his intentions were here. But he was criticized by The Rhode Island Republican Party because his whites only fund had "racist overtones." I am so confused by all this fuss. Isn't the UNCF racist? It excludes all races except blacks. Isn't the Hispanic Fund racist? It excludes all races except hispanic? Something just doesn't settle right with me on all of this.
In past years, bake sales have been organized to show how affirmative action isn't very fair. At these bake sales, blacks could buy cookies for 25 cents each. But other races were charged $1 for the very same cookie. It caused a lot of angry feelings and violence broke out - the bake stands were destroyed and people physically beat up. But, it makes a very clear point. Blacks and other races of color are no longer discriminated against. Whites are. We have struggled for so long to make sure that everyone is treated equal only to turn around and not be treated equal ourselves.

I did find one organization for white college help. But it frightens me. It frightens me because it boasts of National Socialists groups. Namely, Germany and Hitler. The web page even has the Hitler symbol on it. It's the National Socialist Movement out of Minneapolis, MN. They have a scholarship program called the NSM 14-88. They offer a $600 scholarship, possibly more, if you are a white person. It would be great to apply for the scholarship, but I don't dare. The images that come to mind from Socialist Germany and the Hitler era are just too real. Images of all the Jewish people tortured and killed. Images of hate. Pure hate. I don't want to be associated with that. I sure don't want it to pay for my daughter's college.

So, here I sit stuck. Living paycheck to paycheck and worrying about my daughter's tuition. We'll be paying on college loans for the rest of our lives and our children's lives. All because of the discrimination we face because we are middle class whites. I could choose to become an extremist and join the NSM, but I refuse to be forced into that. I'll do what most of the middle class whites do - sit back and be quiet and hope for change - peaceful change. A change that is fair to all races.