Adolescents At School: Chapter 2: Joaquin’s Delemma
“… As he grew older, Joaquin felt the need to project the image of a tough and angry Black man. He believed that in order to be respected he had to carry himself in a manner that was intimidating and even menacing. To behave differently – too nice, gentle, kind, or sincere – meant that he would be vulnerable and preyed upon …”
I encourage any of you that are not from New York to take a stroll through our so called “worst neighborhoods,” such as; Brownsville, East New York, South Side Jamaica, or Far Rockaway. I mention these specifically because they are neighborhoods that I am familiar with. There are many other neighborhoods within the five boroughs that people may call “bad” or “the hood,” for many reasons that I will not touch upon in this paragraph. I encourage you to hang out in these neighborhoods right after the school day is over. You will see people of all ages. Count the smiles. This passage that I highlight relates to the everyday life of a student in “the hood.” I have seen children put on angry faces and look me in the eye while holding their mother’s hand. The image of the “tough Black/Latino” is very real and alive in our NYC streets and schools. There are unwritten codes and laws in our society, constructed by society, that are followed by society. Those most vulnerable to these unwritten codes are children in schools.
Nate, I really enjoyed your anecdote, and though I am, admittedly unfamiliar with the areas that you speak of, I think that I can relate in a similar manner.
I went to college in Providence, Rhode Island, and my college was located in one of the worst parts of Providence, oftentimes deemed “the hood” like the places you mentioned. I would ride the local bus, as would my peers, because we received free public transportation, and we’d note similar observations to the ones you did: young children would never smile. They felt an obligation to project toughness, even from infancy. Even if the children would, as kids do, attempt to talk to us college students, the parents would scold them, oftentimes stating things along the lines of “stick with your own.” I think that a lot of times these codes, though unwritten, as you stated, are verbalized in an oral tradition which is passed down through families or culture, thus causing a greater divide between different peoples, which, I agree, is most definitely dangerous to children in schools.
I would volunteer in afterschool care at a local primary school in the “hood” area, and I saw how dangerous this oral tradition was to the students; oftentimes they would resist following the directions of their teachers or interacting with their peers because they felt that they had to maintain a front, or because in the past they had been explicitly told not to interact with certain people. You know the saying, “out of the mouths of babes”? Well, children are very honest, and will oftentimes tell you why they act a certain way. Though in one instant they were told not to do something, kids are impressionable, and that single instant or feeling that they have to act a certain way can change their entire education and lifestyle.