Quote:As someone who has worked extensively with young African Americans here in Jacksonville I think that one reason they may be drawn to the aforementioned jobs is that those are the jobs that they identify as making a difference in their communities.


Most of my students were more likely to have direct contact with childcare workers or a social worker than, say, a mechanical engineer.


Oh, and for the record, I have heard of people saying that young black students who study are called names such as Uncle Tom etc, but I myself, and my friends who taught in the Jax inner city, do not recall this being a prevelant thing in our classes. As a matter of fact, I would venture to say that my inner city students were significantly more inclusive and accepting of each other than my suburban students (who for the record aren't that bad either)

My comment about Uncle Tom came from one of the comments from the article where someone said that they were subjected to that when they went to college and others within their circle were as well. I don't know what part of the country they were from but I imagine it might be more prevalent in bigger cities than Jacksonville. 

 

I remember the last election cycle when a black man from SC (IIRC) was voted in as a Republican Senator or Representative and people on social media were calling him Uncle Tom. I don't understand the mindset of people who say things like that. 

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