Jan, T. and K. O’Brien.  (June 2, 2009).  “Long Climb and Fast Fall for Harvard Student.”  The Boston Globe, A1, 3.

(Download this review as a PDF)

OVERVIEW

This article describes the story of a young African-American woman, Chanequa Campbell, who has been banned from participating in commencement exercises at Harvard University.  She, a native of Bed-Stuy, has an inner city background and took advantage of multiple opportunities offered to her as she excelled in middle and high school to land at prestigious prep schools outside of her neighborhood.  Over the course of her career at Harvard, she has had impressive internships and studied abroad, but she has also had some questionable behavior.  The peak of this questionable behavior resulted in the murder of a local drug dealer in her dormitory by her friend’s boyfriend.  Her identification card was used by the suspect to get access to the building. 

Writers of the article attempt to make a case that her world of Bed-Stuy and the Harvard world have collided because those interviewed about her say she was unable to shake the “hood culture,” and brought the drug life of Bed-Stuy with her instead of leaving it behind.  Her future is in limbo at the moment, but the tone of the article is one of lost and derailed potential.  Chanequa says all she has left is her reputation, and that her treatment (or mistreatment) has racial and class roots.

Leaders in the community and want to discuss how universities can support low-income students socially in a world of wealth and class background differences.  Alumni want to discuss the abuse of drugs within such communities.  The story has many layers, but we are only receiving certain information.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1.    Why is this young woman the one receiving the publicity?

2.    How many other students were involved in drug use on Harvard’s (and other colleges’) campus?  Do they receive the same consequences for the same infraction?

3.    Why is she banned from commencement?  Will she receive her degree?

4.    What is the drug community like in Cambridge in Boston that allows it to flourish and how is it (if it is) different than that of her hometown?

5.    Where are the people that have identified her talents and gifts (and possibly used her as a poster child) in this time where she needs guidance and support?

IMPLICATIONS

The social capital in college attendance and Ivy League college attendance can change the life trajectory of urban students.  The opportunities they offer and the resources they have could be very drastic differences for underserved students.  Just because students share classrooms and opportunity does not mean that the students share life skills and resources.  The culture of poverty does not necessarily stop following an individual unless their economic situation changes with whatever the opportunity becomes.  The negotiation of the Ivy League, middle class, and wealthy culture can be overwhelming without support.  As youth workers and ministers, we must be aware of the differences and the support inner-city kids need when they are in social settings beyond their comfort zone.  We must also be aware, and speak on their behalf, when their social capital does not match those of their peers and it makes them vulnerable to risky behaviors and disproportionate consequences.  But most of all, we must teach them how to make good decisions and provide safety nets so that we do not make them short-term projects and not follow them until they complete whatever journey God has for them. 

Tamecia R. Jones cCYS