the personal meets the political - do I, as a white man,

[ulysses]

have any business talking about the situation among the African-American poor?

I teach in an urban middle school in Atlanta with a 100% African-American student body. I dream about my kids, enlist my wife to create posters for the classroom and holiday gifts for the students themselves, and my kids write back to her in thanks.

Bill Cosby stirred up a minor hornet's nest last year with frank talk about the state of America's black poor. My job is to help those kids do well, or at least better, academically.

Kids are kids. I think I can teach any child conversant in English.

Do I have the standing to speak about this publically?

[Bluzmann57]

1. Blue Collar white man here

who grew up in a lily white small town in Iowa. My parents were and are Liberals to the core who taught us that whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanic, it doesn't matter, we're all the same in God's eyes. I got called "n****r lover once when I was about eight or nine years old when I was riding my bike around town. I and my family, including my wife, help out when possible. We are all caucasian. So the point of all this babbling is that yes, if you are genuinely trying to help, and not being phony about it, you have a right to speak about this publicly. We are all humans and any human who is suffering from poverty should have a hand up. Thank you for this subject, as I have wrestled with this subject as well. Please keep speaking up and trying to help.

[Colorado Blue]

2. Of course you have the standing to speak. God/dess bless!

[jaysunb]

3. Do you enjoy your job ?

Are you committed to educating children no matter what race or economic station ?

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then you should not hesitate to speak your mind.

Could it be that you want to agree with Cosby about who's responsible for childrens behavior ?
( BTW I'm Black and very much agree with Cosby.)
If so, you have an obligation to have your say.

[G_j]

4. maybe it is even your duty

to communicate at times to the 'dominant culture' what many have no understanding of.

Don't know if this relates, but I worked for years with Native American issues and was told a number of times, "it's your government, please, please try to fix it."