QUOTES from Kozol's Amazing Grace

Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace was an eye opener for me.  It's not as though I was oblivious to the fact that there are poor areas in the country, but I guess I had never considered just how poor, and just how harsh the realities are to face for those who live in, raise children in, or even grow up in such an area.  Reminiscent of what we've read in other articles, the appearance of "they" throughout this article illustrates how the members of this South Bronx community are most aware of the power/privileges they don't have.

1)  "'The point is that they put a lot of things into our neighborhood that no one wants,' she says."  (p.10)

Cliffie's mother tells Kozol about how their marginalized community has become a dumping ground.  People from other areas come in to dump their junk, the city put in a garbage dump and a medical waste incinerator (both of which contribute to the widespread asthma in the children), and the city relocated homeless families here, putting many sick people and children together in a very small area.  Those with power have decided that it's okay for the people of this neighborhood to live in such conditions.

2)  "'My doctor says, when it comes to the poor, they can't get nothin' right.'"  (p. 20)

Mrs. Washington explains to Kozol that, after an error in the system kicked her off of receiving her assistance, there is a myriad of hoops to jump through to get back into the system.  She is too sick to work to provide for herself, but "they" (the city/state/government) says she is not "sick enough" to receive SSI assistance.  Here, those in power have the privilege to determine who can be helped and by how much.  And even if someone is dying, it is crazy to think that that might not be enough.

3)  "Somebody has power.  Pretending that they don't so they don't need to use it to help people--that is my idea of evil."  (p. 23)

Mrs. Washington's son, David, opens up to Kozol about how his mother doesn't deserve to be so sick and helpless, just because those in power remain at a distance and withhold help from those who are not in a position to help themselves.  This quote immediately made me think of the Johnson article, where he says: "[People] don't have the power to change entrenched systems of privilege by themselves.  If they could do that, there wouldn't be a problem in the first place."  (p. 10)

To Share:  David tells Kozol: "There's a whole world out there if you know it's there, if you can see it.  But they're in a cage.  They cannot see." (p. 24)  He is referring to the people in his community who are stuck in this cycle with no means of getting out.  To me, it seems the best hope is to begin with the children.  Programs like Head Start offer such an opportunity (for Angel Tavares, as an example), yet they continue to face steep cuts.  Why?  If we keep taking away opportunities, how can we expect anything to change?