Black and brown boys like Ahmed Mohamed, who receive harsher discipline than non-minority students for common actions and behaviors, need to be celebrated when they achieve so that they’ll continue to do so.
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I spent a couple of years inside the classroom as an instructor of music, mostly drums, but a little piano, too.
The greatest moments I had as a classroom leader—I didn’t identify as a teacher, but instead a facilitator that provided context, opportunity and access to new learning paradigms—was seeing the children take my lessons to heart, so much so that they created innovations all on their own.
One of my students, a day or two after I showed him how to play a paradiddle on the snare drum, was in the gym—he loved shooting hoops—when he palmed two basketballs, one in each hand, and played for me what he called “a paradribble.”
He sought my approval; he wanted to know that I was proud of him and I was; I called him a genius.
I believed then, as I do know, that black and brown boys, in particular, need to be encouraged and celebrated when they achieve so that they’ll continue to do so.
It’s because of that value that my heart is broken over the arrest and criminalization of Mr. Ahmed Mohamed, an ingenious Irving, Texas, 14 year-old who was racially profiled by at least three of his teachers after he made a digital clock that they mistook for a bomb.
Mr. Mohamed, who in a photograph was handcuffed and wearing a NASA shirt while appearing severely confused, repeatedly told authorities that it was a clock, but police spokesman, Mr. James McLellan, said “It could reasonably be mistaken as a device if left in a bathroom or under a car,” and with that, police officials are considering charging Mr. Mohamed with making a hoax bomb.
Mr. Mohamed has been suspended and, according to the Dallas Morning News, he vowed never to take another invention to school.
The criminalization and punishment of Mr. Mohamed for what would be heralded as genius if created by his white counterpart follows a distributing trend in America, one where black and brown youth and students with disabilities face harsher discipline than non-minority students for common actions and behaviors.
What happened to Mr. Mohamed occurs too often and is the result of a society transfixed on identifying and judging people based on stereotypes and not their humanity and individuality.
If Mr. Mohamed were my student, he would’ve gotten the biggest high five from me and been affirmed as a brilliant young man of color. But since he’s not my student, the most I can do is join others around the world in saying: #IStandWithAhmed, and I hope you will, too.
* Tune into 900amWURD or 900amWURD.com every Friday evening at 6:30pm to hear me relive #TheWeekThatWas*
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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Photo: Vernon Bryant/AP
You won’t post any dissent or critical discussion will you chris? Twice you took down my overall respectful commentary that wasn’t all gushy about truth, justice and the American way. Black people have alot to talk about and rightfully so. But when you may be wrong that has to be acknowledged too. Tjats what grown up who want to be taken seriously do. Challenge the comment if you want but to just remove it because it doesn’t fit the model is not the way change will really happen. It will be a change with only a shallow veneer as a… Read more »
Why in the world do the authors of articles like these NEVER come back to respond to their obviously passionate view being challenged? Is it because their purpose is to only stir things up, and then NOTto really discuss anything? I’ve seen this time and time again. Makes absolutely no sense to me. In this case, the kid builds a clock in a box with wires exposed. Really? ??? And all these people rush to his defense as an example of tacism and religiio-phobia. But is it really?? A box, with a timer and wires. WTF would a non crcreati… Read more »
Actually while the punishment between minority boy and non minority boys is large, the punshmen between boys and girls is even larger, in fact the order of punishment from largest to smallest is
1) Minority boys
2) Non Minority boy
3) Minority Girls
4) Non Minority Girls
And 3 and 4 are amost statiscically idenical.
This also applies to the criminal justice system as well.
What color was the kid suspended for the Poptart of Death?
So sorry at the mispell on the smart phone. But we all know the psych experiment where the spelling is crazybut we know the context and is legible
That is NOT the point, edmond, and stop tring the feflection tactic. I could give a rats butt about stats. I’ m yalking about equality and inclusiveness not just a slice and dice. I eant sll students yo be yreated the same. I eant reality to tule. I want a sensible approach to this entire topic. Chris does have a point. Just sply does not go gar enough. Don’t get me wrong.
Mark, the statistics mentioned never said it didn’t happen to non-minority students, it said it happened to minority students MORE… WAY MORE… which is true any way you slice it.
Great article Christopher! 🙂
I STAND WITH HIM TOO. IT’S A TRAVESTY FOR SURE!!! on the other hand i stood for little tommy smith, yes a white kindergarten student expelled for bring his new clearly identified toy gun. Did you? Or another white kid who forgot he had a pen knife in his backpack. Did you? The schools are hypervigilent and stupid crazy for their zero tolerance nonsense. And if they make a mistake the outcry would be so out of hand to be controlled. Your side would of course play that up. It always has, and always will because its a tacyic. But… Read more »
Btw. I thought his creativity and industriousness was charming Reminds me of myself when i was twelve making my first lamp because i knew i had the creativity inside to do it. The art and the mechanics of it. So this brown skinned muslim boy and a 60 year old white conservative christian have more in common, in my opinion, than him and another creative person of color who seems to think standing by him is what brings them together. You’re very bright, but man, can you get really real and have a true conversation? I’d truly love that.
Ahmed didn’t create an invention. It’s the parts, still connected to each other, of a gutted digital alarm clock. Oddly put in something that looks like a metal briefcase. Kid has a weird sense of design, and apparently little electronics knowledge. Couple that with a dad who is an attention monger at the national level and I start to think about balloon boy.
Of course they’re hypervigilent and stupid crazy. They’re completely responsible for everything that happens to students. If they over react they get sued. If they under react they get sued. And they’re always considered idiots, because it’s so obvious how they screwed up. In this case they’re also racists. Good luck with being a teacher.