Culture Shock

Dear Sisters,

We recently moved to a small city in Georgia. My child is in the eleventh grade and attends two schools--a magnet school and the regular high school. My child has been in the top of her class everywhere we have lived--we are military folks. Her classes have always been pretty diverse. She has explained to me that the magnet school she is attending has very few African Americans in the classes, but the regular high school across the street is almost all African American. She takes one class at the regular school and says there is a very blantant difference in the quality of the facilities, instruction, and class control. She feels that this is very unfair. I can tell that this is very stressful for her. I am having a hard time explaining this situation to my child. Just for you information, we are not African Americans; we are white.

Jena: Initially, we were pretty shocked that we were getting this letter from white folks. But truly if a person is from a place where equality and fairness are the norm, it can be a pretty big culture shock coming into a situation such as this one. I believe this is not an unusual situation in the South, and it most certainly is not unusual in our parts. Be honest and candid with your child and to continue to instill your value system in her although she is in this difficult situation. I would also encourage her to forge strong relationships with both her peers and teachers--her influence on them can be monumental. Remind her she is a political participant and a voter of the future. You might also encourage her to use cultural diverse internet resources to

Michele: I would encourage your daughter to consider writing about and sharing her experiences--maybe a journal or a newsletter article. You might also encourage her to use cultural diverse internet resources, such as, Race Relations at SisterPlay.com to ensure her diverse connections. Just monitor her Internet usage closely, because there are dangers.

Elana: For the most part, I agree with the advice my sisters have offered. I'm not very hopeful. This is the way its always been and I don't believe its ever going to change. Who knows, maybe your family will be the difference.