The Problem We All Live With

The Problem We All Live With 

Painting by Norman Rockwell 

I listened to this podcast for the first time back in 2017, when I was enamored with This American Life and was going back listening to all of the past episodes. The part that struck me the most while I listened to it the first time is the same part that hit me the hardest this time, 2 years later listening to this podcast. After Normany lost its accreditation and integration began in Francis Howell. Francis Howell had no say in the matter and they held a town hall in the gym to discuss what was going on. And Mar’Ria and Nedra describe their experience. Hearing the mom’s voice their concerns and when one woman says, “So I'm hoping that their discipline records come with them, like their health records come with them.” and then you hear the whole room clap in agreement… it made me want to throw up. I couldn’t even describe how angry this made me, and I can barely put it into words now, but I guess I just felt dumb because I didn’t realize there were such selfish people like this in the world. I was really naive.

Then another parent goes on to say, “years ago, when the MetroLink was being very popular, St. Charles County put to a vote whether or not we wanted the MetroLink to come across into our community. And we said no. And the reason we said no is because we don't want the different areas [INAUDIBLE] coming across on our side of the bridge, bringing with it everything that we're fighting today against.” I just hate this so much. How about we try to help these people across the bridge instead of running away from them. I don’t understand the fear, perhaps because I am not a parent…. I am not sure. I want my future kids to live in a safe place, but I would never teach them to be afraid of people just because they are from “the other side of the bridge”.

This is the last quote I want to mention, but another mom says, “And I want that security before my children walk into Francis Howell. Because I shopped for a school district. I deserve to not have to worry about my children getting stabbed, or taking a drug, or getting robbed. Because that's the issue. I don't care about the taxes.” Where is the empathy? These black, poor children, have been going to a school that hasn’t passed its requirements in more than 12 years and instead of being proud to help the kids get a better education they are worried that these kids will stab their kids?? She says herself, she shopped for this school district, but did she ever think that not everyone has that luxury, and maybe it’s ridiculously unjust that in this country we even can shop for schools when education is supposed to be a system provided by our government? It says in the very beginning of the podcast, “Your zip code is the anchor that traps you” and that is so true. I find it so unjust that where a kid is born can determine their success in life, and I don’t understand how these people talking into the microphone at this gym not only don’t want to change that but they want to perpetuate it!!

Finally, Nikole Hannah Jones tells us not to judge these parents… but I am! I feel so badly for Mah’Ria. If I was her, I would cry too! I can’t imagine someone judging me before they even met me, thinking I was a criminal, just because of where I grew up. Obviously, I have never had to deal with this, but just hearing Mah’Ria almost in tears talking about it, I just can’t… I can’t believe these parents could be so unsympathetic, close-minded, and judgemental. But this is what we read about in class, white fragility. The best example is when this woman gets up to the mic and says, “We have both-- my husband and I both have worked and lived in underprivileged areas in our jobs. This is not a race issue. And I just want to say to-- if she's even still here-- the first woman who came up here and cried that it was a race issue, I'm sorry, that's her prejudice calling me a racist because my skin is white and I'm concerned about my children's education and safety.” How can she be so delusional? This is what is always so frustrating to me about news and politics -one event can happen and two people can see it completely differently. What happened in this woman’s life to lead her to think this way? And how do we change that? I am not sure. So I am going to end this post with just being unsure, because even though integration has worked, how do we get political leaders on board, then how do we stop discrimination and eventually the white flight that follows? I am not sure. 

Your zip code is the anchor that traps you.