Not Innocent Until Proven Guilty

“To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation” by Leonie C.R. Smith

 

“It seemed that a grade of D was what was expected of Black students, and anything above that was suspect.”-Leonie C.R. Smith
After a few minutes of reflection in class, surrounding the topic of the quote, I felt compelled to blog about. We have two strikes against, we are black and we are women. I more than tempted to say there is a third strike….we are educated. See it seems a black woman should not expect to better herself outside of the kitchen. Many think it impossible for us to possess the ability to learn, let alone ascertain an education. There are so few black students and successful black students at that, in the whole grand scheme of the world. We know from previous readings in Readers of the Quilt, that black women compose 44% of the illiterate population. Yet when the small number of us strive to do better and commit ourselves to hire knowledge, we are met with criticisms and accusations about how we obtained our success. Smith discusses the immense racism that she unfortunately encounters in college. She was previously doing poorly in a class and chose to get help, as she rejected the idea of failure. Yet when she started to do well in the class, the professor accused her of cheating. Is it really so difficult to believe that a black woman can achieve anything she puts her mind too? Ignorant individuals such as Smith’s teacher only serve as motivation to me. We are all intelligent, scholarly women and I am sure each of you values academic integrity just as much as I do. We have nothing to prove to people like Smith’s teacher. We only need to stay truthful to ourselves and the journeys we embark upon. During a brief class discussion, I was amazed at the number of students who shared stories about teachers accusing them of cheating because of a “grade turn around.”

Another point I must touch on, as so many are intriguing, was that her teacher told her she should be fortunate and ever so thankful that she was accepted to Hamilton College. We each have our different motivations for the colleges we choose and why we all subsequently chose Spelman.

For me, I know that Spelman is a place to experience education like I never had before. For a teacher in any subject to relate how a black woman was affected, amazes me. However, the golden key was knowing that I was not accepted to Spelman College to meet a quota, rather I was chosen based on my academic ability. It is a great feeling knowing that I do not have to question why I was accepted. Nonetheless, Smith was a brave soul to stay in a place where she encountered so much hatred. One cannot help but to admire her strength and ability to persevere.

I hope that despite all those that discourage us, we continue to persevere. Those teachers will not be the last to accuse you or someone you know of something you did not do. However, stand strong with your integrity and head held high. For one day, we will be just as proud as Leonie C.R. Smith in our accomplishments.

Blessings to the future doctors, lawyers, educators, engineers and pioneers that I am fortunate enough to sit in a room with everyday.



-Britney-Myshante Howard