An Education in Equality - Op-Docs | The New York Times

Filmed over 13 years, this short film presents a coming-of-age story of an African-American boy who attends an elite Manhattan prep school.
Read the story here: nyti.ms/18nuOgE
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An Education in Equality - Op-Docs
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[@dillonandsteph]

as a kid you do not want to be different it is scary, but as you get older you realise being different doesnt matter because you find that people who are different are the people who make a difference in tthe world

[@elsa9532]

I feel bad for the pressure this kid is under

[@Dan-nt2yb]

I feel bad for the kid for the pressure he’s under also.

[@CRAZYHAMSTER8256]

I really love this video. As a girl who's Dominican living in a suburban Texan town, I often get what I jokingly call "double dipped". Not only do I get put into the Hispanic stereotypes but I also get labeled as African American because of my skin color and facial structure. So I get treated like I'm black until I open my mouth and then they hear my hispanic accent and start calling me a Mexican. I don't want to be treated like I'm black, mexican or even hispanic. I want to get treated like a 17 year old senior girl who's fun, smart, talkative, a violinist, and a geek. Why must my appearance affect how people treat me? Sorry if this became a sort of rant but I just really connected to some of the things in the video...

[@jitsuavelassiter9208]

Lee Jorge how are you doing now can I get a update

[@MiguelOniel]

espero que te haya ido bien en estos 5 años y tu vida sea mejor. Saludos de un Dominicano.

[@CRAZYHAMSTER8256]

Miguel Oniel Thank you for your message! It has been so long that I had to rewatch this video to remember how I was feeling back then. Since then I have changed so much and I appreciate this moment to reflect. I am doing alright these days. I went to university and graduated last year with a bachelors degree. It is a prodominately white university but because it is a very large public university there are enough international students as well as diverse students from around the country that I was able to navigate it without any racially motivated incident. I have gotten used to being different than my peers and accustom to them not knowing where I am from. most call me Racially Ambiguous I got introduced to the term Afro-Latina, which allowed me to better introduce myself to others and I also just stoped caring about what race others may think I am. Of course I still have little uncomfortable moments every now and then as I am a woman of color living in a conservative and white Texas town and I still get approached by others thinking I am Black, Columbian, etc but now it is just amusing and I use it as an opportunity to educate others about the beautiful country called Dominican Republic.

[@katmore9]

@@CRAZYHAMSTER8256 thank you for the heartfelt & thorough update. All the best for the future! 🙂

[@carlaeyyy649]

College prep at 5 years old? I feel sorry for him. The pressure he I'd under must be astounding. But also I don't blame the parents. They're doing what they believe is best for their son

[@letecianti109]

I love the way the parents protected him emotionally and educationally but never compromising on the realities of what his experiences may include. Bravo!

[@jo-anncarroll263]

This is a must see for educators and students.

[@BBN111]

Such a smart boy. As sincere and innocent looking as he is, they don't believe him when he tells the truth. What a shame that at 11 years old, he's already expecting to be treated differently (meaning less) and has even accepted that he has to work twice as hard in order to get even. We Africans think we have it hard out here (South Africa) but it really doesn't get any easier out there in the world does it? What a shame

[@MissCandy350]

Despite everything, this young man’s parents gave him a solid foundation. He will be just fine 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@kamala80]

Great short film. I wish Idris continued success. It's a shame we don't see many middle class Black families in pop culture like the Brewsters.

[@petenrita]

Middle class?

[@uonlymatterificare]

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing ur child’s journey and such a beautiful life.

[@SandraZ227]

beautifully and honestly done

[@gracetaylor4429]

I love this documentary, when they took it off Netflix I was sad

[@MrChrist741]

it reminds me of my childhood..... this is how much our parents push us ans sacrifice so we would have a better future... through education

[@melodramatic7904]

I remember watching this documentary, but it followed 3 boys (including him), not just one...

[@myvideodiary24]

melodramatic7904 I saw that one too. Sadly, I think he’s the only one that graduated.

[@kimbridge]

Imhotep Hester There were two boys, Idris and Seun, and Idris was the one who graduated from Dalton, while Seun was counseled out after 8th grade and went to public school for high school. I appreciated the documentary and its portrayal of two great black fathers.

[@DearStephanieX]

Very good, very eye opening.

[@nnekaokonkwo8271]

The response to Black children's behavior in school is often punitive. The disciplinary action taken is much harsher; the consequences and punishments are weightier.

[@Juicedude502]

Very true in my all white private school id get in trouble for falling asleep or having my pick in my hair

[@compendioussuccient6784]

Lol ok

[@superholly]

This is amazing.

[@thedude5040]

I hope people stop using flash cards for math

[@LDoubleUTelevision]

Real nice..

[@6o483910]

i'm still trying to understand this.

[@NikaCorbett]

Great Documentary! A must for African-American parents.

[@rah-asiajewel8991]

I believe in equality to a point, When it gets to race and economics then I believe there is no equality because no one is equal at that point

[@kgosi4013]

Where can I get a full documentary please 🙏

[@politereminder6284]

I'm curious as to where this young man is now. He must be through with college if he went. Edit. I googled. I think he is an artist and is into creative tech now.

[@MinistryofPeace]

Check out the current staff demands being made by this woke school. For 54k they have been remote only and making ridiculous demands. Time to pull your kids out.

[@ohidalgoe]

40K/yr and you call this equality?

[@akinkunmicook2977]

Telling. The funny thing is, I see more of myself as a boy than I see in my own boys. However the endgame will probably be the same.

[@richyporter3447]

amazing people, as a black man when I watch these kind of documentaries, it brings so much motivation to raise my kids like they have. I've seen American Dreams and I thought if all African American parents were like you guys, the world would be completely different. BRAVO MY FRIENDS!!!!

[@lostandlonely2112]

This aged like milk.

[@fromnytomd]

Saw this film. Well done. Only thing is dad transferred his identity issues and insecurities to his son. The jury is out regarding whether elite independent schools are optimal environments for young black boys. I say not.

[@SoCalledMom]

I'd love to know how Idris is doing now. ❤️

[@ohjazzy1]

He seems to be doing well

[@thearchitect1601]

So their rich living in a lower income area. Interesting.

[@terrencebryant2084]

i agreec100%

[@Samana444]

Doctor and a lawyer not upper class?

[@2write2sing2dance]

They both grew up in environments that were NOT upper class. They were able to provide their children a more advantageous lifestyle and they're focused on how race is a factor in how he's perceived and received (re: being blamed for hitting a student he didn't hate - because society says "black = violent and his friends having different accents than him)

[@zipporahthecushite7729]

They have upper class educations, Stanford/Harvard and McGill/Columbia, but they are not upper class financially. They received financial aid. Their income is probably $250,000 a year which is low compared to the mostly millionaire families at the school.

[@kingfishblues59]

Samana444 They weren't born into money, you could say that they're 1st generation successful. Also, having the trappings of 'the American dream' doesn't automatically make you "upper class". Stat's show that Black people work a lot harder and incur more financial debt to obtain those trappings.

[@tincredible]

Samana444 I grew up as the child of two lawyers and I would never consider myself "upper-class"........"just upper-middle class". When most people refer to the "upper class", they are talking about people who are economically and financially in the top one or two percent. You must also consider the context in which the term "upper-class" is used. If he had attended an inner-city public school with students from all walks of life, he probably would have been considered "upper-class". Schools like Dalton attract the children of multimillionaires, Fortune 500 CEO's, famous singers and actors, and children who possess generational wealth ("old money"),etc. His parents have high social status based on their education and careers alone, but being " upper-class" class is largely based on money as well.

[@Samana444]

While I don't disagree completely, pertaining to the video and the context, liberal wealthy parents in nyc living in a house in brooklyn that 99% of our country couldn't afford - sorry that is considered upper class. Upper middle class is a blurred line in my opinion - with two . As someone that didn't grow up with parents that were lawyer's and doctors and I went to new york public schools, that is upper class to us and probably the rest of the country. While you may not consider yourself something, there are plenty of people who probably did - and there is nothing wrong with it at all! I know Dalton very well I lived uptown, my parents could never even dream about sending me there, and guess what the public school system did me well. Idk maybe its just be but I was seriously annoyed by this movie.

[@InsipidRoustabout]

There’s something wrong with a culture that makes fun of people talking with proper grammar, I.e “talking white”.

[@FalinPerth]

Accent, word choice and speech pattern don't necessarily equate to correct or incorrect grammar, and every group has their own manner of speech that probably doesn't match with formal writing. Do you really talk to your friends in the same tone as you would write a business letter? Children will poke fun at a peer who sounds like an outsider, no matter the culture. Think how US kids might react to a fellow student with a strong Scottish accent. This kid's Brooklyn friends think he sounds more like an Upper-Eastsider (a prominently wealthy, white neighborhood). I live in the rural mid-west US, and am told regularly that I speak like a 'city person', or a 'New Yorker' (Although born in the Mid-West, I did live in NYC for years, but in NYC I was told I spoke like a mid-westerner!).

[@bryanzecchin9380]

sebatian it’s genetic

[@neonnoir9692]

They're taught to hate all things "white", including education and professionalism. This family is an exception to the rule.

[@hydraelectricblue]

There’s something wrong with a culture that invented the terms “white” and “black” as code words for class positioning. Read a book every once in awhile. Start with James Baldwin.

[@gorgeousa332]

this is not a racial issue.... the parents are messed up

[@Major_Gantzo]

No they are not. If you have a black kid too. You would do the same because the world he lives in doesn't favor him and his gonna have to work twice as hard to gain opportunities and to be successful. Its the reality of being black and poor in America

[@Sourcecodemastergoaheadcheater]

Why can't kids decide what they want to learn in school?? I don't care about my safety im Antonio Romero Moore black 30 Year old man homeless living off social security in san Antonio. Please take away my pain nobody understands

[@your_local_yankee]

Back The Blue

[@MrRichMurphy]

Maybe if the parents help. Don’t have kids if you don’t want to raise them. Ignore Asians.

[@MattBiden]

ember fly If you dont believe race exist then you have alot of work to do. You have to convince the black panthers, la raza, etc groups that they dont need to exist.

[@terrencebryant2084]

Funny coming from parents that are very well-educated and privileged please lol give me a break I'm black and see right thru them!!!

[@dcdv4160]

It's sad people identify themselves as black, white, brown and not human

[@stedmans4christ]

there is a 1% and a 99%, that is the only privileged

[@jawilli6]

The making of a soft AA man on tape 🤦‍♀️ . His Mother is confused herself, the father needs to grow a pair. Being black is not his only identity

[@lMP5602]

Black isn't his only identity, true, but society will constantly remind him that he is black; a black boy at that. Hypothetically, Edris graduated valedictorian at Dalton, they would define him as the "first African American in the school's history" to achieve such a feat. So, even if he has many different indentities, he would still be seen as black first.

[@dcdv4160]

Your dad is a doctor and your mom is a attorney stop complaining about "privilege"