In her English Honors Thesis class she is the only Black student who made the cut. 

 “It’s so upsetting, because I know there were some other really smart Black students who were interested in writing a thesis too, and like I know the process in very selective and this may not be intentional, but somehow it’s only the white students who were given the chance to be enrolled,” Thompson said. “Like it’s already so disappointing that all my classes are dominated by white people, and this is just like the cherry on top.”

 Thompson is just one of the many Black students at NYU who finds that there is a problem with racial representation, in spite of the fact that NYU claims to have committed itself to building diversity, inclusion and equity. Every year, NYU states that it has exceeded its diversity rate from the previous years, having admitted its most diverse class, with African American students representing 12 percent and Latinx students representing 22 percent of the undergraduate students accepted this year. In spite of this, the largest percent of its students and faculty members remains white, and students like Thompson feel like they aren’t able to experience the diverse and inclusive space that NYU claims to have created.

 “I literally enter my classes, and each time I think in my head that where are they all? It’s so problematic and so frustrating,” Thompson said.

 The diversity differs among different schools at NYU, with a higher rate of diversity at Tandon, which makes up 7.14 percent of the 12 percent Black undergraduate students admitted, as compared to the other schools.

 “I have classes at both Tandon and CAS, so I can clearly see the difference. At CAS it’s like a lottery system or a chance meeting if you even find one other Black person in your class, but at Tandon I always find at least one or two other Black students in each class,” Josiah Jones, another Black student at NYU said. “That’s not a lot, but at least it’s something.”

In response, NYU has an entire team in the Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation, that works towards mitigating racism and microaggressions and increasing diversity and inclusion. They set policies against racism, they prepare toolkits and resources on trans-inclusive practices and anti-racism, they have programs on anti-racism education, and they plan social events organized around the aim of achieving diversity and inclusion. 

But for some students it’s not enough.

 “I think NYU wants to be diverse, they are aspiring to be diverse and inclusive, but they just don’t have the right resources to be all of that right now,” Reed said. “It almost feels like they want something but don’t know how to achieve it, they kind of remind me of a naïve child that way.”

 Along with the fact that NYU’s claims about diversity are not reflected in the number of Black students in the classrooms, the environment for Black students is also a point of concern in terms of microaggressions and other inconveniences.

Jones, who previously attended New Kent High School in Connecticut, which is a predominantly white school, said he didn’t expect to come across microaggressions at NYU the way he did at high school. But that’s not what happened.

 “Surprisingly, in terms of being respectful, there wasn’t much of a noticeable difference in the classrooms at NYU and my high school, like I’ve met way too many people here who are just as bad as the people I went to high school with” Jones said. “It’s not really overtly hostile stuff, but some people ask me what made me as a Black guy choose to come here and educate myself, almost like I’m supposed to have some backstory to explain myself, some of them just look at me with this really subtle disgust as if they don’t want to interact with me.”

 Thompson said that she was forced to change her thesis topic about Black authors because she didn’t have enough support from the faculty members.

 “The English department is mainly dominated by white students and professors, and so when I wanted to focus on texts by Black authors in my thesis, I didn’t have enough resources. Like I couldn’t get a Black professor who is invested in the topic to be my thesis advisor,” Thompson said. “Now I’m focusing on Virginia Woolf for my thesis, I don’t have any option.”

 Along with diversity, NYU’s claims about inclusion and integration are also questionable. Renee Reed, another Black student at CAS, said that NYU isn’t helping to facilitate the inclusion and integration among different races that it claims to be committed towards. In fact, Reed said that they are making integration more difficult through a certain arrangement of dorm spaces.

 “I lived in Rubin Hall in my freshman year, which is a low-cost dorm, and almost everyone there was Black or Hispanic, so naturally those are the friends I have today, like I’m not friends with a single white or Asian student. And it almost feels like NYU facilitated this segregation in a way because I know there are low income white students here too, and none of them were put up in Rubin,” Reed said. “Weirdly, now that I’m an RA, I see the same thing repeating with new students too, like people with similar racial backgrounds are usually put in the same room.”

 Jones said he experienced backlash from NYU when he and some other members at the National Society of Black Students Engineering of NYU were trying to facilitate an event for Black students to meet students of other races.

 “There’s literally no cross-racial communication happening, because white students mostly stick with white students, Asian students mostly stick with Asian students, Black students mostly stick with Black or Hispanic students,” Jones said. “And the one time I and some other members at NSBE tried to organize an event to help with this problem, NYU literally gave us so many problems. Like it almost felt like NYU was trying to make integration and inclusion harder for us Black students rather than helping out with it.”

 According to a study by Hallinan and Williams et al, there are major benefits that students receive from interracial friendships, which can’t be received by having only same race friendships. These include greater social competence, higher educational aspirations, improved academic performances, higher cultural awareness and a greater scale of confidence.

 “Like literally, what is a diverse school if you’re not having a shared and inclusive experience, like so much of our learning experience gets stolen from us just by the fact that we’re not bouncing off ideas among interracial friend groups,” Reed said. “And think of it, if we would have an integrated experience as students, it would be so beneficial for us when we would work in different kinds of racial settings later in life.”

The post Despite uptick in diversity numbers, Black students say inclusive spaces are rare appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Today, her 6-year-old daughter happily sits while her natural hair is being braided at Destiny Kids Hair Salon and Spa, a Brooklyn salon that specializes in braiding natural hair for children. And Campbell smiles to herself with the thought that maybe her daughter won’t go through the same experience as her.

Maria Campbells’s daughter getting her hair braided at Destiny Kids Hair Salon and Spa. Photo courtesy of Maria Campbell

“It’s just so satisfying to see her happy with that natural hair she got, like I never want her going through that same painful process as me,” Campbell said.

 Products like hair relaxers and chemical straighteners, used by Black women to flatten their hair, aren’t only linked to painful scalp burns, but as a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology states, the chemicals used are also linked to cancer, fertility problems, fibroids in the uterus and premature menstruation. So, parents like Campbell are introducing their children to the endless styling possibilities of natural hair, such as braiding patterns, Afro puffs, twists, cornrows and others , to make them enjoy and embrace their natural hair from an early age, just like The Natural Hair Movement encourages.

 “It took me so long to finally stop getting relaxer kits and to let my natural hair show,” Campbell said. “And now I never want my daughter to even try using a relaxer, so before she starts saying I want my hair to look like this friend or that friend, I’m going to make sure she knows how cool her own hair is.”

 In addition to other complications, the use of chemical relaxers has also been linked to hair loss and alopecia, as cited in a study by Gathers and Mahan et al.

 “Afro-textured hair or type 4 hair is already very delicate and fragile, and if you put all these chemicals on it, it’s going to create a disaster,” Zoey Pfeifer, the stylist at Destiny Kids Hair Salon said. “And honestly, type 4 hair is literally the most versatile type of hair, it can hold so many styles that other hair textures can’t. So where’s the need to use chemicals and straighteners when you can show your child all this pretty stuff that her natural hair can do?”

 According to a study in the Archives of Dermatology, the traction and tension caused by braiding, twists and cornrows can also lead to central scalp alopecia and hair loss. Stylists like Pfeifer aim to change this direction of thought by focusing on how natural hair can be braided without hair loss problems.

 “If we pull too much at the hair, literally any hairstyle can cause hair loss, even a simple ponytail or a bun. So it’s all about a balance, like if you aren’t braiding or doing cornrows all the time, there’s no harm,” Pfeifer said. “And when we style a child’s hair, we’re extra careful to not tug too hard. We recommend that parents don’t leave the braids for longer than a week, and if a child ever cries while braiding we take the hint and don’t proceed.”

 Pfeifer also said that braiding can be good for hair health rather than damaging, if it is done correctly.

 “Honestly, some of the braiding styles like twists and braids have some protective functions. Like they help to lock in the moisture, they prevent tangling, they prevent the hair from shedding too fast,”  Pfeifer said. “And regardless, braids do way less harm than a relaxer.”

 In addition to health related reasons, opting for natural hair over relaxed hair also has other benefits for Black children.

 “Taking your child to braid her natural hair at a salon can be seen as a form of positive reinforcement,” Stephanie J. Rowley, a professor of Developmental Child Psychology at Columbia University said. “It creates this huge shift where instead of feeling that their hair is unmanageable or needs to be tamed, these children will feel like their hair is exciting and unique. And this shift can be excellent for a boost of confidence.”

 Natural hair also has implications of African heritage and can play a major role in building the child’s pride in their origin and to foster a sense of belonging.

 “This stuff had a lot to do with identity politics too, like if your child is donning her natural Afro-hair and is doing all these fun things to her natural hair, she’s going to feel more connected to her African roots as she grows up,” Rowley said.

 Wanda Smith, another mother who got her daughter to Destiny Kids Hair Salon for braiding, said that she brings her daughter here to celebrate her hair and make her feel confident about who she is.

 “My mother and I always wore our natural hair with pride, this is who we are and this is where we come from, you know, and we love it,” Smith said. “I love my skin, I love my hair, and now I want the same for my daughter. I want her to do these fun styles with her hair and enjoy it.”

 As a tool to make the children excited about their hair, hair salons that specialize in braiding for children, like Destiny Kids Hair Salon, focus on unique braiding styles like floral or spiral patterns as opposed to regular braids.

 “I mean, it’s supposed to be fun right, like that’s the whole point. Your kid should find the pattern exciting because it’s a celebration of her Afro hair,” Smith said. “And I’m not sure if this is true, but there’s a superstition that the height of your Afro hair is related to its divine power, and I keep telling my daughter about this. At the end of the day, it’s all about showing my daughter that there are so many reasons to celebrate her hair the way it is.”

The post Choosing natural hair for children appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

“When he grows up, I want him to feel like being Black is a very cool thing, and now is the time I got to act if I want that for him,” Sanders said.

The U.S. Department of Education reports that there is a strong positive correlation between a child’s experience in kindergarten and their later success in personal and professional life. So parents like Sanders are specifically choosing Afrocentric kindergarten like the Seneca Village Montessori, in order to empower their child’s sense of self in a way that traditional preschools in America historically haven’t been able to. 

“This is sort of a new trend, it’s still picking up, but it’s good to see parents hopping onto this trend of Afrocentric kindergartens,” Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., the Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University said. “Trust me, it’s going to do a lot of good for these kids and the way they perceive themselves. I’d love to see what this new generation of super confident Black kids from Afrocentric preschools is going to look like when they grow up.”

The Seneca Village Montessori School, which is mostly staffed by people of colour, is guided by an Afrocentric curriculum combined with the Montessori based approach. While the Afrocentric approach builds upon the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the Montessori based approach allows the children to learn through movement and activity, and focuses on the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the child.

“I really think that this kind of a foundation from an early age will give my daughter a strong sense of pride about where she comes from,” Melvin Foreman, another Black parent at the Seneca Village Montessori School said. “Like if she can feel confident about where she’s come from and who she is, it will really help her to thrive in white spaces, or any spaces, later in her life.”

While integration among children of different races and cultures is one of the goals at some schools and preschools, parents like Sanders and Foreman are rejecting integration for a different goal of instilling Black pride in their children and empowering them.

“I don’t have a problem with diversity and integration, but when I think of integration, I’m thinking of it as a threat to my child. I see him losing a sense of who he really is, just to be accepted by a bunch of white kids,” Sanders said. “Like if he’s already using the light crayon to colour faces, how could integration even be a part of my concern for now?”

A 2015 survey by the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) stated that only 1-2 lessons or 8-9 percent of total class time is devoted to Black history in U.S. kindergarten history lessons. This means  schools and preschools don’t really focus on African history, which makes students of color see the world through a Eurocentric lens and see themselves as insignificant. The Afrocentric system aims to change this narrative by focusing on Black culture, history and art.

“Out here my girl is playing with Black dolls, reading books with Black kids as the main characters, learning about history through a Black perspective, spending her day with a Black community, what more can I even ask for,” Foreman said. “I know she’s in good hands, and I see her as a confident little Black girl today.”

 Sanders also said her son’s Afrocentric education is changing how he sees himself.

“He finally started using the brown crayon a while ago. It’s such a relief,” Sanders said. “Like it kind of makes me feel that he’s now getting confident and comfortable with who he is, and it makes me happy.”

But the price for this education is steep. The tuition for Seneca Village Montessori School is $22,200 per year for a full day package and $17,400 per year for a half day package.

“Having Afrocentric kindergartens is a relatively new trend, it’s not as common as Afrocentric high schools and everything, which is why it’s a little bit of a luxury for now,” Glaude Jr. said. “While that can be problematic, because the lower income Black people need the most help, think of it this way, at least we’re starting somewhere.”

The post Some Black Parents are Choosing Afrocentric Preschools for their Children appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

In July and September, Ferguson and six other mothers from Penfield district, organized two Black Kids Matter rallies at the Harris Whalen Park for children 12 and under, to make them more aware of the issues that their schools wouldn’t talk about. These moms, who had never met before, organized everything over online zoom calls during the pandemic. They met one night before the rally at the park with their children, in order to make signs for the next day.

“The school says they will look into it, but they never really do, you know,” Ferguson said. “And if they can’t talk to the kids, both Black and white, about this important stuff, then we moms have got to do it.”

It wasn’t only black children and their mothers, but people of all colours and nationalities who joined both the rallies, creating an inclusive and cohesive space.

“Penfield is a very white community with a lot of redlining and segregation, and I definitely don’t want my white children to be one of those perpetrators, I want them to be allies,” Stacy Phillips, one of the white mothers who co-organized the rally said. “I want to raise decent human beings who are aware of these issues and aren’t afraid to take a stand.”

These mothers attempted to emulate the Black Kids Matter march that took place at Brooklyn in 2020, along with their own additions to it. This included a sign-making session, a short march of  five blocks, and a story-telling session, followed by an outdoor debriefing by the mothers.

“The whole point of this kid-friendly format of storytelling, the debriefing and everything is so that we can have these difficult conversations with our kids in a way that’s not jarring,” Ferguson said. “Some protests just aren’t age-appropriate, like we don’t want them thinking about police, pepper spray, petitions already.”

The rally even included an open stage which opened the microphone to all the children and gave them a chance to talk about their personal experiences with race, sing a song, or express themselves in any way they liked. 

“After all, we wanted this to be an empowering and celebratory event of Black lives and Black joy and Black hope where all the kids were comfortable to speak what they felt,” Ferguson said. “And most importantly, we wanted to remind these Black kids just how much they matter.”

The post Penfield’s Black Supermoms Make Sure School Kids know Black Kids Matter appeared first on Pavement Pieces.