Racial Equality

(My classroom before school starts)

Black Male Student (BMS) (Clearly agitated):  “Mrs. A!  I am so tired of this school!”

Me:  “Good morning, Mrs. A!  How is your morning?  I would like to talk to you about a problem I have been having, am I interrupting you?”

…

BMS (Confused):  “Ummmm.  Hello.  I have a problem.  I hate this school.”

Me:  “Close enough.  What’s wrong?”

BMS:  “I am so tired of all of these white kids telling me that I look like every Black actor.”

Me:  “What do you mean?”

BMS (Getting agitated again):  “Like, just in the hallway, a kid I don’t know told me that I look like Denzel Washington.”

Me:  “You don’t want to look like Denzel Washington?  I want to look like Denzel Washington.”

BMS:  “You are missing my point.  I am tired of these kids thinking that all Black people look alike.”

Me:  “Would you feel better if I told you that you look like a young Tom Cruise?”

BMS (Confused again):  “He’s white.”

…

Me:  “So, it isn’t making you feel better?”

BMS:  “No.”

Me:  “You look like a young Betty White.”

BMS (laughing):  “Ok, I get it.  I shouldn’t be upset about something that isn’t a big deal.”

Me:  “You look like a young Tom Hanks.”

BMS:  “You are going to keep doing this, aren’t you?”

(BMS laughing begins to walk out of the classroom.)

Me:  “You look like a young Bob Barker.”

BMS:  “Thanks.”

Me:  “You look like a young Marvin Hamlish.”

BMS (in the hallway, yells):  “I don’t know who that is!”