If Oprah Sees It, Does the rest of the country?

This is a clip my mother and I watched a few years ago. I remember my mom saying, "Is this really the way it is?"

The schools I've visited and known have not shown the disparity to be this extreme, but they tailgate rather close. I reflect on my suburban, working class experience of "doing school" and wonder how my twelve years could be so successful of keeping me blind from America's social inequalities. Moving forward with my education, however, I've learned to open my eyes wider and to pay attention. I have no answers to these extremes. In truth, even from my sheltered, and safe, education, I too felt inadequately prepared to compete with the education received from students who attended private, and/or more affluent middle class schools. The issue transcends race and trickles upon issues of class. Even today, I feel the insecurities of not "having the luxuries" experienced by many k - 12 students born on third base, being brought up to believe they 've hit a triple.

As my week of pampered space to think about inequality comes to a completion, I post this quirky, yet authentically true, conversation for consideration. I think I'll grow happier (last year's blog) when I know we're all working harder to rectify this.