Dead Prez- They School

Contextualizing this video amidst the tensions that arise from racial marginalization (which is nearly inseparable from economic oppression), Dead Prez's "They School" offers a harsh criticism of the epistemology used to establish education, pointing directly to the racism and bourgeoisie values that are covertly perpetuated through mainstream educational institutions.






They Schools lyrics

Why haven't you learned anything?

Man that school shit is a joke
The same people who control the school system control
The prison system, and the whole social system
Ever since slavery, nawsayin?

[Verse 1]
I went to school with some redneck crackers
Right around the time 3rd Bass dropped the cactus album
But I was readin Malcolm
I changed my name in '89 cleaning parts of my brain
Like a baby nine
I took a history class serious
Front row, every day of the week, 3rd period
Fuckin with the teachers had, callin em racist
I tried to show them crackers some light, they couldn't face it
I got my diploma from a school called Rickers
Full of, teenage mothers, and drug dealin niggas
In the hallways, the popo was always present
Searchin through niggas possessions
Lookin for, dope and weapons, get your lessons
That's why my moms kept stressin
I tried to pay attention but they classes wasn't interestin
They seemed to only glorify the Europeans
Claimin Africans were only three-fifths a human being

HOOK:
They schools can't teach us shit
My people need freedom, we tryin to get all we can get
All my high school teachers can suck my dick
Tellin me white man lies straight bullshit (echoes)
They schools aint teachin us, what we need to know to survive
(Say what, say what)
They schools don't educate, all they teach the people is lies

You see dog, you see how quick these motherfuckers be to like
Be tellin niggas get a diploma so you can get a job
Knowwhatimsayin but they don't never tell you how the job
Gonna exploit you every time knowwhatimsayin that's why I be like
Fuck they schools!

[Verse 2]
School is like a 12 step brainwash camp
They make you think if you drop out you aint got a chance
To advance in life, they try to make you pull your pants up
Students fight the teachers and get took away in handcuffs
And if that wasn't enough, then they expel y'all
Your peoples understand it but to them, you a failure
Observation and participation, my favorite teachers
When they beat us in the head with them books, it don't reach us
Whether you breakdance or rock suede addidas
Or be in the bathroom with your clique, smokin reefer
Then you know they math class aint important 'less you addin up cash
In multiples, unemployment aint rewardin
They may as well teach us extortion
You either get paid or locked up, the pricipal is like a warden
In a four year sentence, mad niggas never finish
But that doesn't mean I couldn't be a doctor or a dentist

HOOK(first part of hook twice)

Cuz for real, a mind is a terrible thing to waste
And all y'all high class niggas with y'all nose up
Cuz we droppin this shit on this joint, fuck y'all
We gon speak for ourselves
Knowhatimsayin? Cuz see the schools aint teachin us nothin
They aint teachin us nothin but how to be slaves and hardworkers
For white people to build up they shit
Make they businesses successful while it's exploitin us
Knowhatimsayin? And they aint teachin us nothin related to
Solvin our own problems, knowhatimsayin?
Aint teachin us how to get crack out the ghetto
They aint teachin us how to stop the police from murdering us
And brutalizing us, they aint teachin us how to get our rent paid
Knowhatimsayin? They aint teachin our families how to interact
Better with each other, knowhatimsayin? They just teachin us
How to build they shit up, knowhatimsayin? That's why my niggas
Got a problem with this shit, that's why niggas be droppin out that
Shit cuz it don't relate, you go to school the fuckin police
Searchin you you walkin in your shit like this a military compound
Knowhatimsayin? So school don't even relate to us
Until we have some shit where we control the fuckin school system
Where we reflect how we gon solve our own problems
Them niggas aint gon relate to school, shit that just how it is
Knowhatimsayin? And I love education, knowhatimsayin?
But if education aint elevatin me, then you knowhatimsayin it aint
Takin me where I need to go on some bullshit, then fuck education
Knowhatimsayin? At least they shit,


matter of fact my nigga
this whole school system can suck my dick



What are your thoughts?

Increased Awareness

In today’s Metro there is an article about the prevalence of racism on university campuses across the country. The lack of anti-oppression training for faculty is acknowledged as one major way that universities are failing to reduce instances of racism. Following the blackface incident at the University of Toronto it became clear that there were no faculty members or counselors to help the BSA or any student’s who were offended by the actions of the SMCSU. In an attempt to fill this position the university re-located the sexual assault counselor instead of recruiting someone who was trained in anti-oppression work or critical race studies. The human rights offices on campus may be there to support students with complaints however what good are they if the universities continue to disregard the complaints issued. No changes will be made unless the universities address their participation in the continuous oppression of racialized students.

http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/live/article/484712--report-says-universities-colleges-need-to-address-racism-on-campus

The Student Body.

Many of us who are familiar with UofT campus and walk around it avidly are probably aware of the underpass that works as a separation between Wellesley Street West/Queens Park Circle and Hart House Circle. On the walls of this underpass lies a large mural which represents the figures which are considered the highest heights of classical knowledge. Renderings of Aristotle, Plato and a Madonna-esque figure are displayed in heavenly glory, their bodies hovering above the sidewalk, wrapped in loose regal cloth and faces marked with wisdom and benevolence. Among this overtly sentimental ode to classicism walks the figure of what was clearly meant to indicate the average University of Toronto student. Why, it’s nothing less than the perfect example of the all-Canadian Varsity student! The figure was originally presented as a white young male with dirty blonde hair, wearing a UofT Blues Varsity Jacket and rocking blue jeans.

However some may resist the urge to be so quick as to question such a mural. Why is it problematic? Some may provide the quick answer that this mural was painted long ago (the jacket worn by the student suggests a mere 14 years old), and that was the reality then. Others may suggest that it is simply artistic expression while some may simply respond, “who cares?”

And yet…there has been an outcry- a refusal of acceptance to what is deemed to be the “average”, although it is a covert refusal. Fairly recently, I have discovered that there has been a slow but continuous resistance to the depiction as reflective of the University of Toronto experience. In early spring 2008, I noticed the word “Eurocentrism” was scrawled onto the white spaces of the depiction. Later still, the head and hands of the figure in the jacket were transformed from the happy white male to an unsatisfied, longer haired black one. A few months after a thought bubble containing the phrase “decolonize this shit” was added. Recently, I noticed the figure of Huey Newton (co-founder and leader of the Black Panther movement) had been spray painted onto the entry of the underpass.

So, what does this mean? Firstly, large portions of St. George campus are bodies of colour. Also, lack of acknowledgement to this fact is an act of oppression. Further more, the knowledge that is idealized within Humanities comes from European high culture. You may ask, “What’s wrong with that?” I would respond that any monolithic idealization of a single culture is problematic in a society that claims to be all-inclusive and equitable. So, while we are ingesting the proclamation that equity and valuing of all practices and knowledge are important to certain institutions of learning, why is it that bodies of colour feel suppressed in a way that cannot be communicated and dealt with more easily and openly? Perhaps we should be more apt to questioning the valuing of culture and knowledge in institutions of higher learning and really look to see who possesses visibility and power on campus apart from tokenism…

Similar Incident, Different Responses.

This past Halloween, a similar event occurred at Northwestern University, an American institution. Two students attended a Halloween party dressed in blackface, one as Bob Marley and the other may have intended to be one of the tennis playing Williams sisters. The difference between these two occurrences, however, is significant and upsetting. While the U of T community not only refused to denounce the incident, they chose to stand behind the students who dressed in blackface. In contrast, the NU community immediately saw these acts as inappropriate and offensive, without having to be told so. There was a strong public outcry against the students, with many editorials being written in student run papers about the inappropriateness of the costumes. It seemed obvious to this American community from the beginning that blackface is not an acceptable costume accessory, in fact, it is extremely offensive. Why was our community not able to see the offense and hurt caused by these costumes? Was our blindness wilful? Most definitely. Canadians have no problem in singing their own praises in regards to our ability to be accepting of all cultures. We stress the image of the cultural mosaic in our frequent comparisons of ourselves with the evil American melting pot. Why then was an American university able to spot and decry racism in its own ranks so much more effectively than U of T? Here is a link to an article discussing the incident: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Northwestern-Student-Dons-Blackface-for-Halloween-69286632.html

Ignorance Is Only Bliss For Some Of Us.

One of the lessons learned from the aftermath of the blackface incident at U of T is that not enough people are aware of what blackface is and of its racist implications. Not only did four students choose to use blackface as a costume, but they were selected as one of the best costumes of the night. To make matters worse, when those involved were informed that their actions had offended people and were inappropriate, they chose to lash out at the BSA as opposed to developing a more constructive dialogue.
Students present at the town hall meeting commented that they had been unaware of what blackface was and were grateful for the opportunity to learn about it. Interestingly, however, the students who dressed up in blackface made it known that they had been aware of what blackface was, and proceeded with that knowledge in the development of their costume. How much more problematic does this make their decision? They seemed to believe that being aware of blackface removed any racist implications it might have.
Blackface was originally a form of theatrical make-up used in the United States, and later around the world, in racist depictions of African Americans. Popular in the 19th century, the blackface actor would don black make-up to darken their skin and would exaggerate stereotypical African American features. Blackface characters were then used to portray further stereotypes of African Americans , such as the “happy go lucky darky”. The stereotypes embedded in the use of blackface served to proliferate racist attitudes and perceptions around the world. The use and exaggeration of stereotypes encouraged an extremely racist and simplistic understanding of African Americans. Eventually, the negative implications of blackface came to be understood and it became associated with racism. Blackface was only phased out by the end of the 20th century, however, as this recent event at U of T shows; we are not completely rid of blackface.