Color & Character
West Charlotte High and the American Struggle over Educational Equality
  • Home
  • Historical Resources
    • Oral History Interviews
    • West Charlotte Annual Reports
  • Study Guides
    • Building an Integrated School
    • Interview Links – “Building an Integrated School”
    • Book Group Questions and Connections
    • Chapter Outlines
  • Articles and Interviews
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Pamela Grundy
November 20, 2017

How I pursue change at my segregated CMS school

Pamela Grundy Uncategorized

West Charlotte student Kaycee Hailey uses a Charlotte Observer article to discuss the challenges facing West Charlotte students and the strengths needed to overcome them.

By Kaycee Hailey

Charlotte Observer, 20 November 2017

The first time I visited West Charlotte High School, I was in fourth grade. I saw run-down buildings, unruly students and exasperated teachers. I was scared. That day I promised myself that I would never go to that school again.

But at the end of eighth grade, I faced a haunting realization. I had been assigned to attend the school I so despised. There was a general stigma about West Charlotte that I bought into. But when I arrived, that belief faded away.

I am one of many students at West Charlotte who are dedicated to their coursework and work hard every day. Although students at West Charlotte face many obstacles, they still strive to achieve their best. One of those obstacles facing the kids in our community is systemic educational injustice.

CMS is a segregated district. I go to a segregated school. I see the problems within my school and know that not every school in our district is like this. In my first semester of school I saw a fellow student get handcuffed and escorted out of the cafeteria. I’ve seen teachers storm out of classrooms and quit halfway through a class. I am often advised to take more rigorous classes, such as AP courses, but few are available at my school. I have friends at other schools whose entire schedules can be filled with AP courses. It is easy to tell that teachers here are also fed up with the conditions of our school. Teachers are in and out very quickly. It frustrates me that the quality of education available to a child can depend on factors out of our control.

West Charlotte is a microcosm of a global issue. Too often, where children are born limits their educational opportunities. In some places children are barred from getting a quality education simply because there is not a strong school close enough to their home. Lack of education can trap children in the situations they were born into. Education cannot solve everything, but it can open many doors for young people.

When I think about how I can pursue answers towards the problem of systematic educational inequity, I start with what I can do to change that. I represent black youth and young black women. I view it as my responsibility to represent these groups to the best of my ability.

One of the reasons I work so hard in school is to show that I can make the best of any circumstances. I work hard to show that I am worthy of an excellent education, just as so many of my peers are. I take every opportunity I can to vocalize systematic educational inequity and my frustrations with the way things currently are. I make sure my experiences are known to those who might otherwise not understand my perspective. I also encourage my peers to work their hardest to show that we are all capable of success no matter the obstacles we face.

Read more here: charlotteobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article185311053.html#storylink=cpy

It takes a village to tackle racial divides Resegregation: Where do we go from here?

Related Posts

Uncategorized

“A Position of Respect”

Uncategorized

Teaching Race and History

Uncategorized

Thomas Peters – Freedom Fighter

Recent Posts

  • “A Position of Respect”
  • Teaching Race and History
  • Thomas Peters – Freedom Fighter
  • Stories for Juneteenth
  • Preparing for Juneteenth

Archives

  • February 2022
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • March 2019
  • March 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
Color & Character
© Color & Character 2025
  • Facebook

Search

Contact

colorandcharacter@gmail.com