Educational disparities are not a surprise to any of our listeners. What might be a surprise to some are the obstacles that many face. Not only underfunded schools and poor understanding of what it means to work with BIPOC children but the day to day assault and microaggressions that come from the school system itself.
Join Rev. Dr. TLC and her guest, Dr. Marilyn Easter, as they discuss racial challenges for black and brown students such as being told they are not college material.
Dr. Easter discusses her book Resilience: Bravery in the Face of Racism, Corruption, and Privilege in the Halls of Academia. In it she reveals how these challenges start very early on for students of color and journey throughout their academic career. Sadly, it does not stop after graduation.
Dr. Easter also provides insight into the plight of BIPOC faculty on the road to tenure. We hope you'll join us.
Tune in for this important conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.
Show NotesSegment 1
Terrlyn starts the show with breathing exercises. She introduces her guest, Dr. Marilyn Easter. Dr. E, as she’s known to some, has a plethora of honors and awards. She is the founder of Goal Program which was designed to build a community and support systems for minority students. Dr. E talks about how she uses her strong belief in God and herself as a way to be one with the sacred and divine. Before the break Dr. E discusses her book, Resilience: Bravery in the Face of Racism, Corruption, and Privilege in the halls of Academia. She goes into detail about the main character Emma and how to overcome the micro aggression in her life.
Segment 2
After the break, Dr. E breaks down some of the microaggressions that are seen in the education system. She mentions examples; having minority students or students of color sit in the back because you believe they don’t want to be there, Not calling on the student that consistently raises their hand, A professor calling on a student, student of color specifically, knowing they don’t have the answer to “wake the student up” or to prove they should have studied harder are all aggressive tactics. Dr. E talks about first generation students that deal with racism in the classroom. She mentions how many of those students may not have families that can help them do the work in college. Parents depend on a system to help their black child but the system is against them. She also talks about the obstacles many students of color face in their personal life that can affect how they retain the material. Before the break, Terrlyn and Dr. E made the connection back to Dr. E’s book and the main character, Emma, relates to underrepresented students of color.
Segment 3
After the break, Dr. E continues to share her experience as a black business professor and how the micro aggressions have affected her students. She talks about being a professor for over 30 years and how the expectation for students of color is consistently low. Dr. E talks about her colleagues having low standards for students of color and candidly engaging in biased conversation about those students. Dr. E talks candidly about her colleagues' biases because “it’s real. She does everything she can to call it out, point it out, do something about it. Terrlyn then shifts the conversation to Dr. E’s background. She talks about Dr. E being the first female black professor at her college in 97+ years, and how the experience has not been easy for her.
Segment 4
After the break, Terrlyn and Dr. E discussed a little more on the lack of representation in the academic community. Dr. E also mentions how it took 20 years of getting denied to finally make it on the committee to recruit professors.
Towards the end of the segment Dr. E gives her tip for professors to uplift students. She advises professors to look around the world and see the negativity and find a way to have a positive imprint on ALL students. Professors need to get back to the basics and do what they pledged to do, educate and not leave any student behind. Make sure all your students are valued. Encourage children and let them know they have a support system. Dr. E advises students to talk to their counselors and teachers not to depend on people to hand it to you, demand what you want.