The only explanation I can attribute to that is that maybe in America
today, and this could be a nation wide dilemma, class is almost
beginning to surplace, on some level, not exclusively, but on some
level, race. And because it seems that we are becoming more class
oriented, then maybe this is what has happened in the school system
where you have basically an environment of upper middle class white
students going to school with lower income black students. And certainly
over the years, the black middle class in Chapel Hill has not grown at
an alarming rate, so because the black middle class has not increased
it's presence. And you have this growing underclass, a lower class, then
maybe that in part could explain the clear divisions that exists here
and that are exacerbated by the fact that society at large is becoming
more class oriented. So the people who were already behind are getting
pushed back even further. But I don't know if that's the explanation,
but that's what I'm thinking about the dynamics in Chapel Hill. I have
no clue because when I came along I had the attitude I can't let class
or any other variable become an impediment to my ability to learn
because learning is free. To some extent. Now, I might not be able to go
to a private school, but I can take advantage of the resources that a
public school may offer and I can take advantage of a public library
because that is free, and I can take advantage of public resources right
here on this campus. So that was the attitude I had and I didn't let the
class dynamics make me feel insecure or lower my self esteem and maybe I
have compensated for that in some way, or maybe because I was always a
fighter you know I responded to it in that way and I'm not sure about
that. But even in the African-American community you have these class
issues that pit one group against another and create tensions or
Page 13 divisions. Can probably make people who are the
under class, lower class more alienated more isolated make them question
themselves, their ability to perform, to do well, etc., etc. But I never
internalized a lot of that. I was just trying to compensate, overcome,
you know do the best with what I had.