.jpg){kind=link}
We send our children to school expecting them to get an education – but they often get much more than we ever bargained for.
Not only are they arrested at school three and a half times more frequently than white kids, but the police actually TARGET our children! This “school-to-prison pipeline” has to go – but where did it come from in the first place?
#1: Desegregation
When white schools opened their doors to Black students, police were called to campuses under the guise of “protecting schools.” White people have been interfering with Black education since the Civil War, so calling in the police isn’t that surprising.
#2: The War On Drugs
In the 1970s, President Nixon labeled Black drug use as the country’s major problem. As police in schools targeted Black students for drugs, this prejudice crept into public school policies.
#3: Zero Tolerance
These policies, introduced in the 90s, mandate that students be suspended for weapons or fighting. But Black students bear the brunt of these policies, especially as school administrators began punishing “weapons” like fingers pointed in the SHAPE of a gun!
The school-to-prison pipeline was put into action the minute white people realized we weren’t going to give up our right to education. These policies ensure our children remain vulnerable to oppression and white control. This is why it’s so important WE control our children’s education!