Of Bantus and Bill

Bill Cosby was on the mic recently at a Rainbow Coalition meeting. He repeated much of his critique of "certain" Blacks for not doing their part. Again I had disagreements with many people over Cosby's points. The most common argument made being that schools are poor, the people are poor, racism and other things like that. Today the NY Times had an excellent article entitled: For Bantu Refugees, Hard-Won American Dreams, by William L Hamilton which is about some "Bantu" refugees from Somalia now living in Tuscon Arizona. One point that was brought up was: quote: 

The children, a 15-year-old and two 8-year-olds, are in school, earning good grades and, like other Bantu children, school officials say, outperforming the general student population. Mr. Edow is saving money to buy a house...they make a wary peace with African-Americans at home and at school who consider them foreign. 

 Now Arizona does not keep graduation rate records, but it's neighbor New Mexico does, The black graduation rate in NM is 50% and Nevada's is 40.5%. So why are the Bantu children, who mind you have parents who were illiterate AND skillless prior to coming to the United States, outperforming their peers? AND they did not say they were outperforming their black peers they said all their peers. So here we have a large part of the critique against Cosby falling apart. Mind you, these individuals have received much help from various agencies that may or may not be available to citizens. However, I seriously doubt that such services ( job training, etc) are not available to American blacks. But apparently, the attitude and behaviors of these Bantu are so odd to previously imported "Bantu ( African Americans)" that we have a tenuous relationship with these arrivals. quote: 

at Mission Vista one Friday, Ms. Osman's son, Abdullahi Osman, 15, sat at home at the dining table, homework assignments and an English-Somali dictionary in his lap...Until I finish my education, I don't want to do anything else," said Abdullahi, who dreams of becoming a doctor. He said that books were his most valued possessions, though he checks them out of the public library. ...Hamadi, who goes to school and helps his brother at his job at a Boston Market restaurant, said of his new life, "I don't have time for watching TV" 

 The "Bantu" exhibit the behaviors that many young AA's, and specifically the ones Bill Cosby was referring to: 

 1) Doing Homework on A Friday. Not playing basketball or looking for some "late night Basketball program." 

2) Valuing education (books) above all else 

3) Working low paying food service jobs as a means of income (exercising collective work and responsibility) rather than sell drugs and shoot up thier own neighborhoods.

 So for those who want to rail against Bill Cosby for trying to hold up "white standards" or of infairly targeting the (as the Black Commentator termed them) Downwardly Mobile. Take a look at the Black Bantu Africans are doing with their black selves, Links: http://nytimes.com/2004/07/05/national/05SETT.html?pagewanted=2&8hpib