The Need for Black Excellence

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welcome to re teach a place where professors know the student equity gap can be closed. And I willing to put in the work to figure it out. We are dedicated to our teaching in. Our students were passionate about improving our classrooms and our communities. We can make a difference. We will make a difference. I am your host, Bruce Hoskins, in my mind and heart are ready to learn. So what's up, everyone? So look. So in this episode, I am going to be unapologetically black. Now, look, when I say that, that should make you wonder. Has Bruce ever had apologized for being black before? And the answer is yes. But I'm not going to talk about that on this episode. I will save that for another discussion. But the reason I'm going to be unapologetically black is because I am going to talk about black excellence and the need for black excellence and understanding that black excellence is quantifiable e as substantially different than excellence all by itself. Okay, now here's the deal is that I'm not going to say is better or whatever, but I do say and I will repeat that it is different quantifiable e different than excellence all by itself, right? Eso let me ground this an academic right? Or in, you know, college campuses and things like this because this conversation about black excellence has a lot to do with. Why do we need a black history course? Why do we need Mexican American history? Why do we need Asian American history? Why do we need those kind of courses? And the reason why we need those kind, of course, is is because the definition of history all by itself is not big enough to include our experiences. Now here's the deal. I want our definition of history to be big enough to bring everyone's experiences up to the front. And yet at the same time, I understand that that is not what it is now. Therefore, that's why we need black history. We need Mexican American history, history. We need Asian American history. And when we think about this, this also fits in this idea of right with black graduations and, you know, Latin ex graduations and things like that. It's like, Well, why do we need ah, Latin ex graduation? Why do we need a black graduation? And this like Look, we have to understand something is that there's there's different celebrations for different things, right? And we all know that just like, look, we understand that when people are explorers and trail blazers that they get different recognition than people who have walked a pathway that has been well worn and well trodden. And all of that stuff when you're walking well, you're walking or even running on a well defined path that is very different than people who are explorers and trail blazers. And what I need you to understand is that when you are black, you are a Trailblazer. You are an explorer in a land that is very foreign to you, even if your parents are already, you know, you're not a first generation college student or something like that. Even in those bases were still journeying into spaces that are a times very alien. Tow us and what not And this is me, this is my story. It regards Well, my parents, they didn't have ah, college education at the time that I was going to college on the whatnot. But, you know, coming into a space that is, you know, predominantly why well that's the experience of my life, right? But in thinking about that right, it's like I still have to navigate this space. I have to explore the space. I have to trail blaze for people and whatnot in spaces that people with from different backgrounds that this is, ah, well defined experience, right? I still struggle at times with helping people and or having people understand is like, Look, I was the smart kid back in high school. I was the smart kid back in high school who didn't make it to college and straight into a four year college because of a lot of stuff that happened. So when people think about you know, the smart black kids, they're going to make it. It's like, Look, that's not an automatic. Not only is that not automatic, but like I said, my life is a listing living testament to how that's not automatic, right, especially but you don't have all the support and love on what not that comes from all these other spaces. I mean, everything is so you know, it's so if we're talking about black graduations and whatnot, doesn't understand, it's like we're talking about explorers and we need to have difference recognition for folks who are doing this exploration and trail blaze into The thing that we should continuously have problems with is that yes, it is 2020 right? And yet we can still say that black people still have to be Trailblazers in these spaces that for a lot of folks or well worn, well trodden, very routine, very part of expectations of the space and whatnot. Yes, that is what that is, what's happening. And that's why black excellence needs to continue to exist, right, that we haven't closed that gap yet of being able to recognize what excellence really should be when we include black experiences, right? And so you know, and I and I get it. There's some folks you know, and there's some folks in the mix that would even say It's like, Look, well, why can't we all be just Americans? Look, the very fact that you have to ask me that question lets me know that you don't believe that we're all Americans in the first place. And so check your privilege on that right now. I mean, for real. Check your privilege on that and really see that when I'm talking about this is like, look, black excellence when we really get down to this black excellent moves in different spaces and has to move differently than just excellence because we not only carry our communities on our back, right, because that's something that excellence doesn't have to do when we talk about excellence just in general, excellence doesn't have to carry anyone else with it. Generally speaking, excellence doesn't have to carry anyone else with the black excellence. By definition is you have to carry your community along with you. And so even if we're running the same race, if I have my community on my back, that lets you know already that I am being weighed by this right. This is not a fair race, if you would. And yet still we as black people as a black community, as black excellence, we still strive toe win that race, even with the community on our backs. The other part of this, if that were not enough. The other part of black excellence is understanding that our excellence is always being pushed against, is being imposed upon, is being held back by white supremacy like active hands pushing active things, active active politics, active things that are happening in our lives, in our communities and in our bodies that when we talk about black excellence, it's like, Look, so not only is it our community that we're talking about that we have on our back, but it's also the act of pushing back the active oppression of white supremacy that happens in our lives even to this day. By the way, just in case you catching up with all the statistics in the actual research, just in the spot, right? And so anyway, be that as it may Oh, all of this was just to get to a space where I have this poem that I wrote, which honestly, is really not that much of a poem is really much more like a speech that has a lot of poetic devices in it. But it was about black excellence and the difference between excellence of black excellence. And so you know, with that, I'm going to read through this and what not? And don't be surprised. It's probably gonna be like a part two on this, because it is what it is. And so here's so Here's the deal. I'm gonna read through the poem, right and go and talk to you all through this on. Then at the very end, I'm gonna just do the poem eso than excellence. Steffi Graf, Black excellence. Serena Williams Right now. So you know, just stepping off and thinking about that, right? It's like so Serena Williams. Not only is she a black body in white space, right, but she's also playing a sport that's not necessary. That's not culturally acceptable in the space that she grew up in, right. And so that is a continued struggle, Right? Continued, right. That's that is not only fighting through whiteness. It's also fighting through the fact that this is not a populist board. Ah, most in the black community for a lot of different reasons. And I know it's like folks. Well, you know, you can say whatever you want to say about that. Um, it was now, but it's like there's a reason why we don't send our kids to the country club. So, yeah, just let that right sink in, right excellence is Captain America. Black excellence is Luke Cage, right? And I pick Captain America on purpose because you know, when we think about being a superhero, I'm in all that Captain America. He is definitely, like at the pinnacle. Honestly, it's like, you know, it's like he's one of the pinnacle ideals of what a superhero is supposed to be. And that is someone who is white behind this mask, who's fighting for America and all of that and who's super powered and everything. And yet at the same time, I wonder right about that as you as you think about right, the narrative of Luke Cage, which his pair of right is like Captain America. He accepted his journey. He accepted what was being done to his body, to whatever degree, in order to become Captain America. He accepted that that that mantle, if you would, he accepted the super superhero. So serum and all of that. And, you know, I'm going real nerd nerd level on this while Luke Cage was experimented on and he became great afterwards, almost on accident. So we think about those narratives, right? Think about that. Think about that within the, you know, history of American, you know, with an American history and whatnot. This is this is something to really think about Like who Luke Cage is right And what not and look. And if you don't know who Luke Cage is, you better get your Netflix account right. And get that it's on his own Netflix. And so get that squared away right now. Stop listening right now and watch Luke Cage for you to understand what I'm talking about. But anyway, um, so real talk, right? And so this is so so when we talk about becoming the person that we are, the narrative is even different. And so when we talk about black excellence, how we became black excellence is the narrative is different than what made excellent. Excellent. And so then excellence is Asgard. Black excellence is Wakanda. And, you know, I remember people like getting all upset with, like, black people. Kid, you not. This was, like, trending and stuff like that. We're like white people were like, man black people. They so happy about what con today. Act like it's really and I'm like, yo, y'all acting like Asgard, Israel. You know, I'm saying it was like it was It was just funny that white people got upset that black people were happy about Wakanda when we already have Thor and all the other Greek mythologies and other mythologies that because I think the Thor or Asgard is like Norris on and whatnot, But you know it. So it's like it's just weird that people got, like, yellow. You act like this is really just like, Yo, I don't know of any of this Israel. So why are you coming out of like that? Just saying right excellence does his homework black excellence does his homework waiting for the opportunity to finally speak its mind. That was me through all of my high school, uh, well, actually, do all my educational career. It's like I keep doing my homework, waiting for opportunities to speak about my experiences and the experiences that you know, the things that I've experienced in my communities and what not And it seems like we were much Maur dedicated to reading the research vs hearing the voices of people in those bases. Excellence inspires critical thinking. Black excellence wonders how guns get into our communities when we don't own gun shops. Inner cities don't have poppy fields being black and male shapes 10 years off of my life and why black people have, ah, higher infant mortality rate even after you control for poverty. Now, see, that's definitely not That's definitely not a poem is there's some poetic parts in it, but it's like this is just literally a speech part right where I'm just like these are things that that black people wonder about all the time, all the time. And when we bring our critical thinking in two spaces, the vast majority of the time, especially when you don't want, you know, indicate to 12 system. The vast majority of the time these thought processes, these critical thinking elements get shut down versus explored and amplified right. It's like, Look, we got plenty of things that we critically think about. As a matter of fact, if you listen to hip hop and if you listen to a black comedians, not black people who are committed but not black people who are comedians but black comedians, you will understand that we critically think about our world all the time. Excellence hates gang violence. Black excellence agrees, But what you call the gang is just my community, my family. But who's the most dangerous gained us is the police now look, eso. This comes in the space of a lot of black lives matter cases and things like that were, you know, by people. Unarmed black men and women are shot and killed by police officers, and it's like, What is the definition of a game? What's the definition of, Ah, thug? And those are the kind of things that black bodies have to deal with all the time, and so even even me in an academic space. It's like what I say things the way I say them when I say them with this black voice. Ah, lot of times it's it's interpreted as thuggery, and I'm like, Y'all have no idea. And yet at the same time, it's like, Well, that's the interpretation of my body in this base. That's the interpretation, my voice in this space. And so you know what? Maybe it is Doug ary that, but it's not my own is not by my own invention or my own creation. And then you know this this line about the the police I said police the police. Anyway, that was funny to me. You know, I have a friend. I've known him since way. We've met each other in community college, and we've been best friends for over two decades, right? He's a white dude who he's a free thinker. He's not conservative nor liberal or whatever. He's just he just he doesn't have any political affiliation yet. At the same time, him and I, we butt heads with each other on things like this all the time. And there was a moment, you know, he was at my, you know, we're best friends. And so So he was at the New Year's Eve party and we were playing, you know, you know, poker or something like that. And there was this moment where I said something like, You know what? I know Snitch or something like that. And my friend, remember, he's white, He says to his son, who's, You know, White also, And he was like, You know, he says directly to a son aside, you know what? There's no snitching thing. It actually makes communities worse than if you were to stage and tell. And then I said nothing because I didn't feel like it was the time of the place. I mean, shoot it with my New Year's Eve party, so I was like, I wasn't trying to go in, and yet I've thought about this, and I'm sure he has not thought about this. But I have thought about this a lot since that day, and this is probably two years ago now that I'm thinking about it and I've said this to him on different occasions. But I wish I would have thought to say it then at that space and talk to his son directly and say, Hey, you know what? I get the whole thing about snitching and thinking that your community is going to be better. But black people, we can't afford the luxury of thinking that we can trust police officers with our lives like white people can. Excellence is Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. Black excellence is Jackie Robinson, Hall of Fame player in the world that did not want him but needed him. Can you imagine accomplishing Hall of Fame status with the whole fan base and like we're almost the whole sport, including a fan base, including the owners, I hate you. That, to me is like the epitome of black excellence. Excellent stays in school to receive an education black excellence knows our access is learning to read was a rebellion. Recently we had Tim Wise come onto our campus. And if you don't know who he is, catch a late pass. Go to YouTube. Figured out he's a white dude who speaks about whiteness. Dude is amazing, Dude, Is is amazing. And the reason why I'm thinking of him as this talking about this rebellion is just reminded me on and talked about how black people have to actually have different goals in the educational system than white people do, especially in the beginning that the idea of thinking that us learning how to read was going to somehow give us a better like middle class lifestyle That was completely not the reason that was completely false, right? US. Learning how to read was an extension of us, one of us understanding our human desire to learn, and our and that rebellion in our heart that this world is telling us that we're not human. And yet we are grappling and grabbing onto the things that would make us all human. And that is the ability to learn and a desire to push through and all of these things and So you know, that was that's That's where I think on you know, when it comes to this rebellion that when if you don't understand that from equity standpoint, that black people, when you're talking to black people about what education is supposed to be for you can't just go with yo, you're gonna get this education and you're gonna live this cushion middle class life. That's not necessarily true. Yes, you are going to get to this middle class lifestyle because that's where I'm at right now. It's like I'm just professor at Mary Costa. And the thing is, though, is that my students, my black students, specifically my black students still see me struggle with white supremacy and racism on this campus all the time as so and that I struggle and I'm not. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that there's racist on our campus. What I'm telling you, the institutional racism is thoroughly embedded on this campus, as in many other campuses, if not all campuses across the nation. And so therefore, I can't I think to myself what I have this go when I am talking to black students. I can't tell you. Yo, this is going to be the freaking pot of gold at the end of your rainbow. This is the beginning of a lifelong journey of struggle. But hopefully your financial situation won't be as bad as if you didn't have this degree. And the difference that you can make can happen on a very different and hopefully bigger level so that you can help trail blaze for other people so that they don't have to become the explorers again in space is that you have already gone to. And so that's where this next line comes in. Excellence is running like you want to win the race. Black excellence is racing. Knowing that the entire game is rigged against you, you run two miles to their one, and yet you still try to win. That's what I think of when I think of black excellence. The game is rigged against you, and yet we are invested in still trying to win in ways that defined logic because we're not using our logic. You can't use our logic to explain why we race while we run as hard as we do, you have to understand our spirit. You have to understand our hopes and our dreams, you have to understand our history. That's why black excellence is what it is. Because excellence is not big enough to actually understand what it means to be black and excellent both at the same time. So I'm going to stop this episode now because I'm looking at the time and I'm already over. It's like I'm already in that sweet spot of where I normally stop in episode, and yet I have so much more to talk about. So I'm gonna go ahead and stop there and on, and I'm gonna take the rest of this up in part two so hopefully you learn something. Piece. Thank you for listening to this episode of Re Teach. If you want to learn more about me or my open source introduction to sociology textbook, please go to Bruce Hoskins dot com In closing. I want to leave us all with the question. If you learn something today that you think would help closure student equity gaps, how long would it take to incorporate this into your classroom? A year, A semester? Next month? Today, no matter the time table, we must commit ourselves to becoming better. Teachers are students deserve it. All of them, not just the ones that are good already