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I'm a writer and videographer in Oakland, California. My day job is at Colorlines.com (opinions here are my own etc). I use Twitter sometimes and Google Reader often. My wife is better at tumbling than me.

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December 13 2011 5:03 PM · 4 notes

After some talking and crying, the truth surfaced: The reason the “problem student” behaved so badly is because he knew that if his tantrums were chronic, he’d be sent home. And that was a good thing, because when he was home, his mother couldn’t work as a prostitute. He couldn’t tell any of his teachers this, of course, because then he’d run the risk of child welfare services taking him away from his mother, and he needed to be there to protect her. The boy never hated school, he just loved his mom more. This is how you get so much rage into such a tiny body.

I think about that little boy every time I read someone like Gene Marks, the Forbes writer behind “If I Was a Poor Black Kid,” complain that minority children just aren’t working hard enough.

hot fire from Cord Jefferson
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