Local black students struggle to realize King's dream

Nearly 60 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. brought his message of hope, social justice and equal opportunity for all.

However, in Cape Girardeau and elsewhere across the state and nation, the struggle -- and the disconnect in terms of student performance and opportunity -- continues. Black children are falling behind statistically from an academic standpoint.

In Cape Girardeau, seven in 10 black students in its public schools fail to meet proficient standards in the Missouri testing system. That's not only 30 percent less than the students' white counterparts, it's less than other minority groups.

Educators and community members said a variety of factors play into the disconnect, from socioeconomic background and home life to low self-esteem and lack of role models and mentoring.

Locally, scores in the proficient and advanced range for black students the past five years have ranged from 24.5 to 31.6 percent, state data show. Statewide, scores among black students range from 19 percent (in 2009) 29.8 percent in 2013, DESE data show.

Ashlynn Collier, 16, watches a video of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech Friday in Laura Hayden’s American history class at Saxony Lutheran High School. (Adam Vogler)

In 2013 in Cape Girardeau public schools, 43.8 percent of Hispanics scored in the advanced/proficient range; multiracial students scored 53.7 percent; and white students, 61.2 percent, DESE data show.

Statewide, 29.8 percent of black students scored in the advanced/proficient range in 2013; 36.5 percent of Hispanics; 49 percent of multiracial students; and 61.8 percent of white students, the data show.

Many schools with lower scores also have a large number of students that receive free and reduced lunches, according to the DESE website and district information. Blacks also scored lower than the "super-subgroup," which DESE says includes low-income students, English language learners and students with disabilities.

By subject, according to DESE data, the super subgroup outscored black students, DESE data shows.

Sherry Copeland, assistant superintendent for academic services, said in the district is trying to bridge the gap by looking at each student and offering different instruction at various levels. Advanced students may be working in one group, students in the middle in another and at-risk children in another, she said.

"What we're doing is looking at every student -- purple, green, white, black, whatever -- and looking at what their needs are," Copeland said. "Maybe a student is a auditory learner and I just taught it visually; well, I need to go put the headphones on the child and have them relearn that lesson listening to it. ... We're trying to do those kind of activities, but we focus on each child individually rather than old school of whole group" -- teaching to the center of the class.

Copeland said in the last few years, data collection and analysis has really taken hold, but it takes time to learn the approach and figure out what kind of instruction lines up with each group of students. Along with academic needs, Copeland said the district also is trying to address social and emotional needs.

"We are finding a greater need for social workers and counselors," she said.

According to U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey from 2010 to 2012, Cape Girardeau County had 76,460 people, with 6.8 percent of which were black. The same data, released in October, showed the black population in the city of Cape Girardeau at 11.7 percent. The white population for Cape Girardeau County was 89.3 percent, and for the city, 82.3 percent, the data showed.

In an email to the Southeast Missourian, Stacey Gimbel Vidal, chief of the media relations branch of the U.S. Census Bureau's public information office, the population and income surveys come from the bureau's 2010-2012 American Community Survey "and are like a weighted average for that three-year time period."

Missouri has a little more than 6 million people, 11.7 percent of which are black, compared to 13.1 percent nationwide. Median household income from 2008-2012 was $47,333, compared to $53,046 for the rest of the nation, census data shows.

Local schools and King's teachings

For area schools, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is more than just a spot on the calendar. Many embed King's work and the history of the civil rights movement into their curriculum in the days leading up holiday and, in some instances, year-round.

Students explore King's teachings, methods and philosophy, doing in-depth studies of King's "I Have a Dream Speech" and the letter from a Birmingham, Ala., jail. They also learn about events such as the killing of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Mississippian who was slain for reportedly flirting with a white woman.

Additionally, some Central High School students will attend the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner at 6 p.m. today at the Show Me Center.

Jefferson Elementary School principal Christa Turner said diversity is celebrated all year at her school. Many of her classes worked on individual projects, and two turned them into performances for the whole campus.

Songs and poems are taught, and the older students have compared and contrasted the work of King and late South African president and civil rights leader Nelson Mandela.

"A lot of them have done writing activities or picture activities that have to do with Dr. King's thought processes and his dreams," Turner said, adding this has led to talk of dreams for the students' futures.

"I think it's important that we celebrate diversity throughout the year," she said. "We definitely have two events here back-to-back, with Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, that draw it to our attention ...

"Diversity is about race and ethnicity, but it's also about wearing glasses or having disabilities. There's all kinds of diversity, and we need to celebrate diversity throughout the year. That dream of Dr. King's that everyone can get along but not necessarily be the same.

"That was truly his dream, that people of all kinds get along and know how to coexist peacefully, and also that everyone gets the same opportunities. You look at disabilities and race and demographics, and we need to make sure that we're providing opportunities to everyone, but also that our students understand how to get along and coexist with people that aren't exactly the same as them."

Turner said Jefferson Elementary, which is about 45 percent black and among the more diverse campuses in the district, works hard to show students the chances they have waiting for them when they're older. Kindergarten and fourth-grade students visit Southeast Missouri State University, where postsecondary education is discussed and there is a career day event during their visit, she said.

" ... We work hard to expose our students to all kinds of experiences ... career-wise, but also choices in art and music and media," Turner said. "Our PE teacher does a good job with athletics, and it's the interdisciplinary teaching and experiences that help our students be more well-rounded people.

"It should be a goal of every public school in general to provide positive role models for teens and to help students understand that they can be successful in whatever they put their mind to," she said.

The Rev. William Bird, who leads Greater Dimension Ministries and served on the Cape Girardeau board of education, said education was part of King's message. He tries to instill that in young people who attend his church. Bird said King fought for the "privilege" of getting an education, but sometimes if people don't know the value of something, they don't strive as hard to get it.

"If you're not motivated from the inside instead of the outside, you lose your drive," Bird said.

Young people sometimes deal with depression, expectations of others and low self-esteem. Everything going on in school now presents more challenges to students, and parents sometimes don't understand the pressures their children face, he said.

Another factor is children don't always have role models at home who finished high school or went to college. While some have achieved, others may not have the economic advantages to advance.

In his church, Bird said he has known young people who have been members who have earned degrees and others who have gotten degrees later in life. Sometimes, he said, children lack the ability to focus on priorities.

"But if you can catch them in time and encourage them not to give up on their dreams," they realize their own value, he said.

Debra Mitchell-Braxton, parent liaison at Central Junior High School, has been coordinating local programs honoring King and the civil rights movement for more than 30 years.

Although some gains have been made since civil rights legislation was passed 50 years ago, Mitchell-Braxton said there's still work to be done locally and nationally. And inequality remains in education and job prospects for African Americans.

She says what's needed are more after-school tutoring, mentoring to model success. Post secondary education must be made more affordable, whether it's college or a technical school, Mitchell-Braxton said.

Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the United Way of Southeast Missouri, said when her agency started its Education Solutions to figure out strategies that could make a difference in local schools, those involved talked about what the focus was going to be.

"We bought up race as a focus," but decided to focus on low-income students, regardless of color, Jernigan said.

Jernigan said racism and discrimination are still "alive and well," although it's more subtle these days.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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