May 11 2007
Update on school concert
Re last night school’s concerto. The music director explains that the African music the school chose has nothing to do with serving the black population, rather to show the American musical heritage fromAfrica, from the slavery…. which is true. She’ll just have to word it better next time. Or I was overly sensitive?
The racial tension is deeply rooted, but we all keep it under the lid. Last night as I was driving Michael’s wife and sons home, she said this year’s tear year: their second daughter is heading to college this September, set her heart on Columbia but is on the waiting list. St. Johns gave her full scholarship for pharmacy but she turned it down, “she just doesn’t like the name.” She’ll likely to go to NYU where Michael got his MBA at Stern. They both are from Hong Kong. “All the Asian kids are on the waiting list (on ivies) this year … there is this kid who’s so sure that he (not sure is he or she since oral Chinese doesn’t have the distinctions) is going to Harvard, but ended up on its waiting list. Instead Harvard picked a black kid from our school .. as quota .. the black kid isn’t the top ace nor excel at sport .. I have a girl friend who married a black, she said she declares her kids as blacks where more benefits are available ..” What this country has come to? Why can’t we compete truly on an equal footing?