Is it Steeler football or Black education?

On Nov. 14, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns got into a hair-pulling, hamlet-swinging, and bench-clearing brawl during a football game in Cleveland. The very next day, the Pittsburgh school district released its first report cards for the 2019-20 school year.

I am writing this on Nov. 29, the Cleveland brawl is still headline sports news. The district’s report cards came and went without any fanfare.

Leaving aside how this plays out in White Pittsburgh, what is most important to the Black community? Is it Steeler football or Black education?

Across town, Black Steeler fans have been busy for two weeks making plans for the December 1 rematch game here in Pittsburgh. They have stocked up on beverages, slabs of spare ribs, plenty of potato chips, pretzels, and official Steeler paraphilia. They have added a whole lot of money to the local economy without a second thought.

At the 1988 Harambee II Black Arts Festival, the creator of Kwanzaa Dr. Maulana Karenga argued our values dictate what things we hold dear in life, and what things we put first in life. Black people in Pittsburgh can hold dear both the Steeler football and Black education. Look at our response to Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 and ask which one do we put first?

If we put Black education first how do we do that? For one, we must make each PPS Report Card Day a major public event that is eagerly awaited in the Black community. The next three Report card days are Friday, Feb. 2, 2020, Friday April 11, and Tuesday June 23.

Former Pittsburgh school board director Dr. Louis Venson told the old Homewood Roundtable the Black community should set its own standards for education. He said we “should expect and demand” of Black students, their parents, guardians, the school district, and of the Black community itself that all Black students in the school district will achieve and maintain a straight-A/4-point grade average.

The Roundtable refused; this was far too lofty, not realistic, and settled instead on a B+/3.5 grade average. This was the genesis of the Homewood 3.5 Campaign the Roundtable initiated but never effectively pursued. The Roundtable realistically did not seek foundation funding for what was obviously a campaign of power-politics. Note, all year long, the Black community pays for out of its own pockets, and without any foundation grants, a boatload of Steeler related activities.

Some of the 20-odd Roundtable institutions, continue to argue the 3.5 Campaign was too lofty, not realistic.

Maybe a dozen years ago, Westinghouse High School held a Community Read-in Day. I came from the Roundtable, but could not decide on what to read to several classes of 10th grade students. So, I read the very brief 3.5 mission statement. In the first class the students looked completely bored as I read. I asked for them to respond. One Black male name Tom raised his hand, and said, “Mister, that’s nothing new. That’s what rich people demand of their kids. I agree with it.” So did the entire class.

Years later, Tom walked up to me in a local store, introduced himself and said, “You spoke to our class at Westinghouse. And I still support the honor roll campaign you talked about that day.”

Throughout its history, the national African American community has set standards that surpass by light years the educational standards of mainstream America. The rank and file Black community set the standards for Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson, and for all of the African American arts the world now acclaims. Dr. W.E. B. Du Bois, among countless others, set his legendary academic standards to correspond to the social, political, and economic imperatives of the Black community.

If the Steelers won the 2020 Super Bowl all over town Black people would jump for joy. But if, in part because of our support, the entire third grade at Weil PreK-5 made the honor roll in the 2nd 2019-20 report period, how much more infinitely wonderful that would be and we should feel.

When the late Dr. Patricia Washington was principal at the old Belmar Elementary School in Homewood, the school held a tribute for all of the students who had made the honor roll the three previous report periods. A lot of Belmar students, parents, and community residents turned out.

The proud students stepped forward to receive their certificates with their parents or guardians, or with school mates. The audience stood and cheered as the name of each student was called.

I still vividly remember one small, erect, and rightfully proud seven-year-old girl, a straight-A honor student. When her name was called, she walked up all alone. She had sat alone and apparently came alone. I was astounded as I stood, clapped and cheered for her.

You had to ask yourself, if this wonderful child was an honor student with, apparently, very little support, then what would she, what could she, achieve with the full, unwavering support of you, Black Pittsburgh, the unwavering support of yours and mine?

by Fred Logan, For New Pittsburgh Courier

 

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