Choosing a School When Race Matters

Nikole Hannah-Jones and Rebecca Carroll are both black women journalists and working moms with young kids in Brooklyn public schools. They've also both reported on racial inequality, school segregation and gentrification in New York City.
When it came to choosing a school for their kids, they grappled with similar concerns regarding racial inclusion, resources and quality of education. They ended up making very different choices, but together their individual experiences and explanations tell us everything we need to know about how one of the most segregated school systems in the country needs to change.
They are joined by Lucinda Rosenfeld, author of "Class," a forthcoming novel about race, class and public schools, who also has two daughters in a Brooklyn public school. Come listen in on a candid conversation about integration, diversity and how the culture of our schools reflects the culture of New York City.
Join the conversation on Twitter using #RaceInSchools

[@khadijaHAmina]

Nikole Hanna Jones your mind is brilliant!! I watched you keep your composure, and answer those questions thoughtfully and well dressed. You are amazing!!

[@torreyintahoe]

she's a charlatan and a liar.

[@JaggedEdgeBouldering]

Whoooo. What a conversation. Nikole and Rebecca are brilliant!, powerhouses!

[@torreyintahoe]

Nikole is a liar and a hack.

[@tristanrodenhauser5267]

I went to a mostly minority elementary and middle school just outside D.C. - Bowie, MD. The k-6th grade had teachers who tried but I was still behind, 7-8th grade was a warehouse experience. I was so behind when I moved middle of 8th grade, the new school was in an affluent area, nearly all white, the admin wanted to put me back in 6th grade my extended family worked very hard for a couple of years to get me caught up. I went on to college and a masters degree, so I’m hitting these markers of success but I still struggle with gaps in my education and confidence. I also know I wouldn’t of been even thinking about higher education if I stayed in that first school system. Do you send your kids to diverse, low income schools only to spend hours outside of class getting your child back on track?

[@joisabrinagay2841]

my daughter is 5. She told me she is the only brown girl in her class.

[@joisabrinagay2841]

@Good Shepherd Hi, i appreciate the encouragement. however my comment was about my daughter having disparaging feelings about being the only brown person in her class. Just in her observing it on her own. I believe the thread was about kids not recognizing color or complexion and that isn't true. Kids see differences, they are very comparative. My daughter mentioned the same way she noticed there are more girls in the class than boys or that daddy is taller than mommy. I merely mentioned she noticed the difference.

[@joisabrinagay2841]

@J B I'm totally confused by your comment and its relevance to mine. the thread was about young children's ability to recognize color. I pointed out that my child does. Great to know you encourage your child to do homework. My daughter attends a Montessori school, no homework. We spend time at home interacting in other ways.

[@joisabrinagay2841]

@Debra Charles of course I knew that. Her being the only brown person was not stated as a problem but an observation. She didn't have a problem with it. Where did you glean playing the victim role in my comment? You read something that isn't there. We aren't in a very diverse area. We chose the school that offered the most diversity. Racial, ethnic, different able, differently assembled families. My comment was to highlight children are able to see differences, not that they are necessarily bothered by those differences. At least my daughter has not expressed that yet but she is still quite young.

[@Cris-hk4cn]

I wish I was a part of the great conversation. Very informational. Thank all you ladies.

[@IOFrimpong]

So if you want to address the class problem, you need to functionally abolish poverty: That's a Federal Job Guarantee.

[@kevinodom2918]

Sure, that will solve everything. We will then have a bunch of public school teachers that you can't fire even when they continue to fail miserably. Sad how many don't realize how incredible we have it today vs world and all of human history. You like so many others don't seem to understand that things can get worse and society can collapse. These ideas everyone's pushing have been tried over and over and over and they always end in either disaster or due to failure tbey go back to our normal capitalist way. Sweden/Switzerland tried this same thing In 70s or 80s, & of course soviet union, Cambodia, etc and all the socialist/communist utopia did as well. Switzerland dropped their utopian ideas and now they have a higher business friendly rating than the US.

[@DarthVader1977]

Communism is sh1t. It's for lazy people and it creates selohtihs.

[@DarthVader1977]

need to*

[@kevinodom2918]

The data shows that integration does not harm... etc? 🤔 She obviously never been to public school. We was bad as hell and that was 20 years ago, I can only imagine how much worse its got In some of these schools. Kids constantly disrupting the hell out of class & nothing ever done about it. To fit in you'll go with the flow especially if there's a lil violence/horrible behavior going on. Its called peer pressure & most kids will adapt. Wonder if her "data" shows the violence against teachers and other students? Check out Baltimore if really won't to freak out. I watch local news and they literally have approx 5000 assaults on teachers every year. Yeah sign me up to send my kids there. 🙄🤯

[@ladybug4885]

It would be nice if they would talk about how our young girls an boys are put out or ask to tame or Cut off their locks of Natural Hair or for girls their extensions. How to U make a black child feel that something wrong with their appearance lower one self esteem. Take away their identity it's already unfortunate that the original black people don't know their authentic identity we already know why so that something that needs to be talked about

[@submissiveproviderstboth9485]

That's ILLEGAL now in New York

[@ladybug4885]

👀WOW👀 at every turn Love to try to dictate everything about of our lifes ridiculous

[@earthborn8385]

I've never seen or heard of that, how are black children being mistreated due to their hair?

[@dcritt1]

Segregated means so many different things to so many different people...all black equals segregation but the term never arises if all students were Chinese or Koreans are not associated with the term segregation...segregation is imbued with wealth and resource restriction....

[@DarthVader1977]

"The Bell Curve" by author Charles A. Murray.

[@dcritt1]

Remember the Blue-Eyed Doll Test!

[@fbaallied]

This ''ally'' on the left would be the same one calling a Meaghan McCain/Kelly ''racist'' for doing what she did. 🙄

[@dcritt1]

Please ring the bell for him to turn off his stream of talking...I mean it can not be unlimited?????

[@Matt-kt9nm]

The amount of verbal gymnastics and hesitancy the woman on the left displays. Sad.

[@robertmiller726]

IKR? Uhm, let me think, uhm...let me sink lower into the mic as these black women who are doing quite well in life, who live an elitist lifestyle, and NHJ who refers to the 'data' to support or deny experiences, such as bullying of whites by blacks....OH, conveniently, the data just doesn't support it. OH, so magically it just doesn't exist! Wow. Guess that white kid killed on or near Lebron James school with a stomped footprint imprinted in his chest is just fiction. Lesson...don't shoot a water gun at black kids if you are a white bread, white privileged, white boy, cuz you be racist.. So, all the bus rides and gym locker rooms and cafeteria and hall experiences never happened. 1619 to 2022 has it that whites are guilty and blacks are purely victim. No conversation even though the Left is all about 'we need to have a conversation'. White liberals cower to this....you know, the Admins at schools and colleges who pretend to not see what they see.

[@vpvickiva7]

It depends on the child, my experience as a ADOS monitor on a school bus of white kids, some of the little 5yrs olds notice my complexion, and some don't notice.

[@bodyme]

Fyi racist people are created by listening to ignorant racist people like these women. Your skin color is beautiful no child should be lied to like this.

[@marvinespinoza52]

"My girls that I raise and acculturate use the word, 'sassy' because I SAY IT ALL THE TIME AND MODEL IT FOR HER." - white lady

[@essencekk]

Nicole is speaking from a place of privilege. ALOT of black children under the age of 6 know they are black and what that means...

[@jmc5910]

shes from a very privileged back ground where she was placed in a great school and didn't have anything to worry about

[@jessica2575]

Wow Nicole is wrong the studies show that young children do know by 3 race and class that’s disappointing that she is going off of her experience and not data

[@michaeldixon4505]

I can tell Nicole didn't go to a black school because she's way out of reality of what the problem in our schools are when I was in school but I can say it is way better now in a lot of schools but I'm in Atlanta so it may be different in New York

[@michaeldixon4505]

@@theresabrunson2633 it's not about checking anybody it's about what's real..she's only repeating stuff we've been hearing since our existence..we need solutions I'm tired of preachers and people trying to win talking points

[@michaeldixon4505]

@@theresabrunson2633 we don't need anyone to stand up for us just teach us how to win.. I've never been the begging type

[@dcritt1]

Not having the language is not the problem, it is a realiazation that what a 'white person' may say may be in the final analysis seen as 'Ignorant' or 'unthoughtful' etc..but whites should just say what they think and learn what they mean....

[@kokayiufanifu8309]

There are those who don't!

[@startpage717]

What is his question?...Why do they take so long to get there....Host?

[@keba773]

This was so great!!!

[@aqariusgoldbond7568]

Thank you for bringing this to the light #1619

[@tamerawebb7403]

This was amazing!

[@rosestephen6789]

No correction for sassy. Terrible and this is why we will continue to have racism.

[@marioantoniolawrencesr.8371]

Where does your love lay, start there!

[@godzillamegatron3590]

I am from NYC and educated in public schools. We have diversity. Just because their is no white students doesn't make not diverse.

[@jmc5910]

clearly you can see that its all about white students, the black elite always wanted to be into white spaces and be a part of their society , they need them

[@godzillamegatron3590]

@@jmc5910 I can see that. Black elites want to be white.

[@IOFrimpong]

Does Rosenfeld understand that she is on the way to raising a straight-up awful person?

[@ibrahimtannertv]

Idk think she understood that her daughter "sassy" classification was started with her mother's preconceived notions of blackness

[@jmc5910]

so, why worry about her kid ? you should be worrying about raising your kid to have self esteem and not to worry about classism

[@cactusqltr]

This was great but Nikole's belief that Black children can "only" learn sitting with White kids! We not only need our own schools, but our own curriculum! As long as we are trying to assimilate, we will always be on the short end!

[@joshuaklein2859]

Wrong

[@Alp560]

I totally agree with you

[@cactusqltr]

@@joshuaklein2859 We don't need to be in the room with white kids to learn! It is insulting! I grew up in all Black schools most of my life and the experience was like none other. Our teachers were all Black and everyone of them along the way were invested in your success! The teachers today will likely call the cops before calling your parents! While my children attended integrated schools, it was Hell with all the BS I had to deal with having White teachers, 'Karens' to the max!

[@davidcanatella4279]

Economic class segregation is a root problem.

[@torreyintahoe]

Econonic classes are created through accomplishment. In this country anyone has the right to succeed and the right to fail. This woman is the champion of victim culture.

[@siriuslyspeaking9720]

@@torreyintahoe And no one accomplishes much of anything by themselves. Individuals use others to help them accomplish their goals. With this power, they then use it to set the rules of competition to their favor. Other advantages are naturally created, simply by them being ahead of everyone else, in the competition. Everyone behind has to work harder to catch up. In a world of limited resources, the central questions becomes ho much wealth and thus power, should one person be allowed to amass?

[@torreyintahoe]

@@siriuslyspeaking9720 You're taking the credit away from the people who do work hard to get ahead in life. A lot of people are highly advantaged and never amount to anything. The best and the brightest are always going to be far more successful than the other 98% of the population. That's true throughout nature. The system wasn't made to be that way, it's the rule of nature.

[@darrenalie2453]

Segregation is when you separate the sheep from the goats.

[@vcowherd39]

Darren Alie right ‼️

[@jvh6061]

How and why are these “educated “ people perpetuating the false of race having to do with the color of the skin??? Did I miss something??

[@michaelhiggins2562]

Want to help Black children get a better education? Widespread adoption of vouchers and charter schools would be a real beginning. Oh, that's right teacher unions will never allow that. They donate $200,000,000 toward electing politicians who will NOT permit the advancement of Black students.

[@roygalindo9976]

Your story has been debunked by the Walton show! I believe them.

[@stephenkenmey861]

The QUALITY of education is key. Level of integration should be secondary.

[@purch2]

Integration improves quality, you’re just scared

[@stephenkenmey861]

Morgan Kolb No, just experienced. For 50 years quality education has suffered due to failed social engineering. My only fear is 50 more years of of it. Are you familiar with the phrase “putting the cart before the horse”?

[@syourke3]

The sad fact is that most black children come from homes they do not value education. Parents don’t read books. It’s a cultural problem, not a race problem. Black ghetto culture is extremely ignorant and violent and destructive. I don’t have a solution but it’s not integrating the schools.

[@anitawashington1208]

My stepbrother he made sure to not be around black_ people, also my sister's too"!_ parents teach_ hate"!!! It keeps going People are proud"! Hey' what can I say; it's their choice"!👁️🍿💯🌍

[@makeHimknown3]

Man PLEASE get to your QUESTION ⁉️⁉️⁉️ SMH

[@DaveWard-xc7vd]

Send your kids to the school that will provide them with the best possible education. Your childs score on the SAT will reflect how much they learned, not how integrated their classroom was.

[@submissiveproviderstboth9485]

SAT only shows how much you could PAY FOR PREP you DAFT ass

[@jmc5910]

@@submissiveproviderstboth9485 your and iudiot, its a way to show what you have learned, how the hell would anyone know what you learned, we suppose to just ask the kid and hope them tell us the truth ? so you take the test away and put kids in the same level and wonder why kids flunk out or cant read

[@jmc5910]

@Jahiz Harith women like her are obsessed with being with white people, these are the black people that after integration they stopped going to black businesses because they are obsessed with white people and want to be acknowledged by white people

[@roygalindo9976]

The caption of this story alone is a red flag!

[@kelvinjames7048]

She says alot of these while having a white mother. Maybe she was super gifted due to her white mom

[@williamlindley2406]

But race doesn't matter

[@HarlemSexyBlaqkat]

Social class is the great divider

[@bigdaddycros]

Choose a school when race matters. Isn’t that racist in itself?!

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

Wow you clearly did not watch this and are not interested in educating yourself.

[@amourher1789]

No because choosing a school to be race conscious like integrated schools vs being racially segregated are two totally different things but if funny that white people literally does this all the time but when black people do it in a transformative way it’s some how a bad thing 😂

[@Matt-kt9nm]

@@amourher1789 Race consciousness was born during slavery. Why bring that back?

[@stephenkenmey861]

Victimhood on steroids. School choice is NEVER a bad option.

[@amourher1789]

Of course if your school is black & poor but not if it’s white & rich

[@stephenkenney5708]

@@amourher1789 Advocating for school choice (vouchers) in areas that have poor public schools is the answer.

[@Matt-kt9nm]

@@amourher1789 Generalize much.

[@JH-wt8ls]

Marxist

[@torreyintahoe]

yep

[@HarlemSexyBlaqkat]

I can't believe this is nyc 😔

[@mikeroberts8609]

This panel was laughable. I would destroy these thin race baiting arguments. Nicole answered her own question when she said there were no black parents attending the school meetings. It’s your priorities and what my priorities are. It has nothing to do with race. Nicole is a farce and I would love to debate this BS.