Our children don't fail due to racism, says black academic

[Bari]

Black children fail at school because they do not concentrate, not because they are the victims of ‘institutional racism’, a leading black academic claims today.

Tony Sewell, the son of Caribbean migrants, attacks the view that black pupils are held back by teachers who see them as ‘miniature gangster rappers’.

The former teacher, who runs an educational charity for black children, instead blames poor parenting and the youngsters’ own lax attitude.



'Lax attitude': Black pupils are held back by parents and peers, not teachers, says Dr Tony Sewell. (Picture posed by models)

In a blistering article for the Left-of- centre magazine Prospect, Dr Sewell says that while it was once true that black pupils were held back by racism, ‘times have changed’.

He writes: ‘What we now see in schools is children undermined by poor parenting, peer-group pressure and an inability to be responsible for their own behaviour.
Candid campaigner

‘They are not subjects of institutional racism.

‘They have failed their GCSEs because they did not do the homethe-work, did not pay attention and were disrespectful to their teachers.

‘Instead of challenging our children, we have given them the discourse of the victim – a sense that the world is against them and they cannot succeed.’

The view that black children are being held back by racism was reinforced by the last Labour government.

Labour leadership hopeful Diane Abbott has said that ‘black boys do not have to be too long out of disposable nappies for some teachers to see them as a miniature gangster rappers’.

Mr Sewell – director of the Generating Genius charity and a consultant at Reading University – says that Miss Abbott and researchers imply that white teachers have low expectations of black boys and this is partly why they underachieve.

He admits evidence proves that ‘African-Caribbean boys are still at the bottom of the league table for GCSEs’.

They start school at roughly same level as other pupils, but then fall further and further behind their peers.

However, he also writes: ‘I believe black underachievement is due to the low expectations of school leaders, who do not want to be seen as racist and who position black boys as victims.’

In 2008, the Department for Education reported that only 27 per cent of black boys achieve five or more A*-C GCSE grades.

African-Caribbean boys are also the group most likely to be excluded from school

[The Lawspeaker]

Maybe if they'd work harder, stop getting involved in crime, stop draining welfare money and cry less about racism they would succeed faster.

[Murphy]

This man has stepped up and spoke the gospel truth. He deserves the respect for that especially for the backlash he will suffer from the Afro-British community.

He's almost as cool as Morgan Freeman, except Morgan Freeman is like the black Clint Eastwood, and Eastwood is Jesus's lesser known brother !

[Curtis24]

Well, he avoids the idea that possibly they do poorly because they are genetically not as capable.

[Murphy]

Well, he avoids the idea that possibly they do poorly because they are genetically not as capable.

No doubt the Romans once thought the same of those barbarian tribes of Germania. Greater case can be made for the Roman position in my view.

[Stygian Cellarius]

No doubt the Romans once thought the same of those barbarian tribes of Germania.

No doubt, but this is bad reasoning if one gives the above determination power over other sets of variables.

The implication: The Romans thought Germanic's were genetically-intellectually inferior, but this was false. Therefore, if any human group considers another human group genetically-intellectually inferior, then it follows that their belief is also false.

Is that what you believe?

[Debaser11]

No doubt the Romans once thought the same of those barbarian tribes of Germania. Greater case can be made for the Roman position in my view.

I realize you're a man of faith, but I also believe you're a sensible man. Do you deny that intelligence gaps exist among the races? Do you not see a link between a population's race and the mean IQ of a population? If you acknowledge the link, do you really think it's all due to "society" rather than inherent biological limitations?

The peoples of Germania laid out the blueprint for modern space travel. To be frank and tasteless, what have Negroes ever done?

[Grumpy Cat]

Seems to be a New World Black problem, from my observation. Africans and their children do just fine in school.

[Electronic God-Man]

The peoples of Germania laid out the blueprint for modern space travel. To be frank and tasteless, what have Negroes ever done?

What have you ever done?

[Debaser11]

Seems to be a New World Black problem, from my observation. Africans and their children do just fine in school.

The Africans that move west many times represent the best of what that continent has to offer. There is an even greater mental deficit between Europeans and Africans than there is between Europeans and American blacks (who have some white admixture). I will say that New World black cultural values really does American blacks no favors. The more perceptive Africans (the few of them there are) who come here recognize this.

What have you ever done?

Please learn what an ad hominem is. This type of personal attack impresses no one worth impressing. My personal accomplishments (as insignificant as they may be) have nothing do with my point about the intelligence disparity between the average European and the average African. If you take issue with my claim, the least you can do is not lower the level of conversation. Try arguing my point logically.