I chose this article for our bibliography because it closely paralleled my book, Amazing Grace,  and like the book it gave a first hand account of racial inequality in the classroom.  It also reinforced some of the same points that the students discussed in "Skin Deep".

Janet McDonald practices law in Paris.  She has degrees from Vassar, NYU, and Columbia.  She is one of the few black members of MENSA.  Yet, she came out of high school with a GPA so low it was necessary for her to go to summer school in order to get a basic diploma. Ms McDonald’s story tells of promotion for racial equality with little or no regard for the student.  It tells of her long bus ride every day to a white school where she not only looked different, she was different...from the music she liked to the food she ate.   Yet, because of the "prestige" associated with the institution she chose to stay and suffer, both academically, and socially.

Questions garnered from this reading:

1)  Who was really at fault for Janet’s failure in high school;  her teacher for promoting her, her mother for allowing it,  Janet herself for wanting to go?
2)   Why do humans assume that "the grass is always greener on the other side"?
3)   If integration of schools is going to take place then what about incorporation of the students as well?
4)   Does racism exist within a single race?
5)   How will vouchers for schools affect situations like Janet’s?