I dedicate this issue of HEY U! to my cousins, young African American males who've been fighting to break the societal mold alongside the rest of us that was placed on them before they were even fully formed in their mothers' bellies. They, like many other minority children in the United States face predjudices, generational curses, and societal racism that they didn't ask for, and I'd be wrong to say that they aren't disadvantaged because of it.
I recognize the great opportunity to be a successful student that I've been given -- I have a family that has supported me in my academics since day one, I had a chance to attend a college prepatory high school, and now I am attending a renowned institution of higher learning that has rewarded me for both my academics and beating the odds against me.
Those odds and others are still factors, and are important ones necessary to recognize when discussing the movement for improving education for minority students from inner cities who deal with these odds and can't always discern on their own how to come out of the battle on top. In this issue, i would like to discuss the odds that plague inner city students, specifically focusing at times on African American males, because I feel that studying their situation is important for activism across a broad range of issues that minority students face in their daily lives. In social justice, the first step is identifying the problem, but acting to asolve it is the most important.
Sincerely,
Taylor
Editor's Note Written by Taylor Miller