Human

One of the words from that list that strikes me the most is human. It resonates with me because so much of what we are learning in this program, especially in this class and in our Perspectives class, relates to the unjust treatment of oppressed groups of people as 'less-than' in our society. The powers that be and the systems at play determine who gets a great education and who is left to fend for themselves. Delpit describes this when she speaks of the students of color and their families who are assumed to not care about education and who “deny” their children's problems. “The Boys of Baraka” directly challenges these stereotypes and depicts the incredible tenacity exhibited by these inner city boys to overcome the odds. I feel like often one of the most powerful (and harmful) stereotype that exists about poor people is that they are not concerned with their students' education. In the documentary we saw parents and family members incredibly proud at their students' acceptance into the Baraka school, and their belief in their boys to succeed. We also saw them become extremely emotional and frustrated when they received the news that Baraka was shutting down. They would not accept that the gift of a good education would be taken away from their sons; one parent stated, “Sending them to a Baltimore public school is like sending them to prison.” This acknowledgment of their systematic treatment as future inmates illustrates the point that they have been dehumanized by society, to the point where they see their most probable future as behind bars. It is also shows that they are not clueless; they recognize that their misfortunes are not coincidental but a product of a society that marginalizes them and sees them less than human. It is too easy when talking about “the poor” to think of them as “others” who do not have any options or say in their futures, as helpless victims.

Though I have commented on the depressing nature of the documentary, I also want to acknowledge that it was also incredibly hopeful and powerful. Bill Cosby's quote about “putting a body” on the boys is a very powerful idea. Kids need someone holding them accountable; we saw this in the documentary with the tough love given to the boys at Baraka. It is an encouraging notion that despite the odds, kids are much more likely to make it through high school if they have someone who is telling them the whole way that they are going to do it.