“I am regularly the only black kid in the photo. I have mastered the well-timed black joke, fit to induce a guilty, ‘you thought it but couldn’t say it,’ laugh from my white peers. I know all the words to Mr. Brightside by the Killers. I am a token black friend. The black one in the group of white people. This title is not at all a comment on the depth of my relationships. I certainly am blessed to have the friends I do.
But, by all definitions of the term, I am in many ways the poster child. And given the many conversations occurring right now considering systemic racism, it would feel wrong to not use my position as a respected friend within a multitude of different white communities to contribute to the current dialogue. In fact, I believe my story in many ways speaks directly to the covert nature of the new breed of racism — its structural side and in consideration of implicit bias — so it may prove helpful to the many I know seeking a better understanding.
Growing up, I lived in the inner city of Boston, in Roxbury. I went through all of my schooling years in the suburbs outside the city through a program called METCO — the longest continuously running voluntary school desegregation program in the country, which began in the late 60’s. My two siblings and I attended school in Weston, MA, one of the nation’s wealthiest towns. The place quickly became our second home, and I would count it equally as the place I was raised alongside Boston. All three of us did very well by all standards upon graduation from high school. We had all been co-presidents of the school, my brother and I were both football captains, and all three of us went on to top-end universities.
For those wondering about the structural side of systemic racism, I’d ask you to consider a few questions. First, why does METCO still exist? Segregation ended more than 60 years ago, yet there is still an integration program fully functioning in our state. We haven’t come very far at all. And many of our schools remain nearly as segregated as they were back then.
Second, what is the point? Weston improves its diversity. Most of its students otherwise may have gone through all those years with possibly three or four local black faces in the school (and think about that for many white people in this country, that is the reality). And for the Boston students, most of whom are black, they receive an opportunity for a much higher quality education. Property taxes, a structural form of racism meant to allow segregation to endure, has ensured that while schools have grown increasingly better in our suburbs, the inner city schools continue to struggle with resources, attendance, and graduation rates.
Lastly, why was I able to be so successful? A major criticism of the METCO program is it doesn’t produce better outcomes for its students than the city schools, so it otherwise just acts as a brain drain from the city. I am an exception. I led in the school, was an accomplished athlete and student, and went on to what was, at the time, the best public university in the country. What is overlooked though, is how my circumstances differed so greatly from the average student of color coming from the city. I had both parents in the household. My mother was able to work from home our entire life, so she could take us places when we needed. We were relatively well-off financially compared to other black families, which afforded me a car in high school, and thus, allowed me to be highly involved. I had a stable church and home life as well as food security. This combination is uncommon for a young black kid in America.
