Compiled by Lewis Loflin
A 2000 *New York Times* article, citing a left-leaning Applied Research Center study, claimed “racial bias” in 12 public school districts (e.g., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Durham), noting Black students were suspended or expelled at higher rates (e.g., 14% of Los Angeles students, 30% of suspensions) and underrepresented in gifted or advanced placement (AP) classes (e.g., 42% of San Francisco students, 14% of AP programs). The study labeled this “institutional racism,” but omitted a critical detail: Asian students were overrepresented in AP classes and rarely disciplined, debunking systemic bias. Thomas Sowell (2013) argues culture and behavior, not racism, drive these outcomes.
In Decatur, Illinois (1999), six Black students were expelled for a football game brawl, prompting Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH to file a civil rights lawsuit, claiming racism because 80% of expulsions were Black despite a smaller student share. The lawsuit failed, guilt undisputed, yet liberals argued disproportionate discipline alone proved bias—a logical fallacy. Personal actions, not race, led to consequences, a truth the Left ignores to push political agendas over accountability.
Asian students’ performance—overrepresented in AP/gifted programs, underrepresented in suspensions—shatters the racism narrative. In New York City’s elite high schools, where a rigorous exam determines admission, Asians reached ~61% of enrollment by 2006, while Black (2.2%) and Hispanic numbers fell, despite programs to boost their test performance (*New York Times*, 2006). This reflects preparation and cultural discipline, not bias, as Sowell (2004) notes in *Affirmative Action Around the World*. Merit, not race, drives success, yet liberals cry foul when outcomes differ.
Black and Hispanic students face higher discipline rates due to behavior, not skin color. A 2006 *New York Times* study showed 77% of Black and 71% of Hispanic fourth and eighth graders failed basic science in 10 urban districts, while 72% of White classmates passed—in the same classrooms. If racism ruled, Asians and Whites wouldn’t thrive under the same teachers. Liberal-run schools, like Los Angeles (10% White, 76% Hispanic), can’t blame bias when outcomes vary by effort, not race.
Asians excel, Blacks and Hispanics lag—culture, not bias, is the difference.
Black and Hispanic school struggles mirror poor White challenges in Appalachia, where I teach. Family breakdown—70% Black, 50% poor White single-parent homes (Census, 2020)—breeds instability, outstripping income as a failure predictor, per Sowell (2004). Unwed motherhood, disengagement from academics, and prioritizing status over learning plague these groups. In Bristol, Virginia (95% White), dropout rates rival urban schools, driven by cultural resistance, not racism. When individuals break free, they succeed, proving personal responsibility trumps external barriers.
Liberals ignore this, pushing “cultural racism” nonsense, like Seattle Public Schools’ handbook calling standard English and individualism White supremacy (*Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice*, Routledge). Retracted after backlash, this ideology, peddled by figures like Caprice D. Hollins, Psy.D., diverts schools from teaching math, science, and English to chasing social justice. Such distractions fail students, as Sowell (2013) warns, preserving dysfunctional cultural patterns under the guise of multiculturalism.
Liberals, controlling urban schools, dodge accountability by blaming racism. Affirmative action and DEI rig systems, favoring race over merit in ~300,000–400,000 college admissions, ~100,000–150,000 state jobs, and ~$70 billion in contracts (SBA, 2023), displacing qualified candidates (Espenshade & Chung, 2005). Walter Williams (2017) exposes educational fraud: only 37% of White and 17% of Black high school graduates are college-ready, yet colleges admit 70% and 58%, respectively, inflating failure rates and debt. This lowers standards, not outcomes.
The Left’s claim that White teachers (e.g., 75% in Denver vs. 25% White students) cause bias ignores that half of Los Angeles and Chicago teachers are non-White, yet gaps persist. Hiring more minority teachers, often underqualified due to lower test scores (*New York Times*, 2007), won’t fix cultural issues. Asians’ success, despite no affirmative action, proves merit works. Liberals may soon label Asians “biased” to deflect their policy failures, as outcomes expose their flawed ideology.
My Appalachian students show effort beats excuses. Schools must teach core skills—math, science, standard English—not social justice drivel. End affirmative action and DEI, which undermine talent for race-based quotas. Curb immigration’s hold on low-skill jobs (20%, BLS, 2020) to boost opportunities. Mentorship, not state programs, can guide kids from broken homes (70% Black, 50% White) toward discipline, as I’ve done in class. Sowell (2013) urges holding students and families accountable, not blaming mythical racism. Schools exist to educate, not equalize outcomes.
Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own. Data from Sowell (2004, 2013), Williams (2017), Census (2020), BLS (2023), Pew (2023), SBA (2023), McKinsey (2023), Espenshade & Chung (2005), *New York Times* (2000, 2006, 2007), Applied Research Center (2000).
