K
ayden Graves,
a Black senior,
remembers 10th
grade Math
Analysis like it was yesterday.
Taking a course two years
above her grade level, Graves
was prepared for the challeng-
es of the rigorous course. But
once she got there, she faced
a different kind of challenge.
One day in class, Graves
was unsure how to proceed
with a logarithmic equations
worksheet. She turned to her
peers for help but was ignored.
Frustrated, Graves sought
her teacher’s assistance. Af-
ter a little back and forth, the
teacher asked her, “Are you
sure this is the class for you?”
Those words cut deep. For
Graves, it was common to be
overlooked and underestimat-
ed in the classroom. She has
taken honors courses all her
academic life but always had to
endure the twin struggles of be-
ing underestimated and being
the only Black student in class.
While she was able to get
past that teacher’s degrading
comment, Graves said that
experiences like hers reflect a
larger issue: the subordinate
treatment of Black students
in advanced courses at Pali.
Black students represent
12 percent of the school’s stu-
dent body, but only a slim
percentage of enrollment
in AP and honors classes.
According to the Civil
Rights Data Collection, Black
students make up 15 percent
of high schoolers nation-
wide, but only nine percent
of that number have enrolled
in at least one AP course.
Even more staggering,
just over four percent of stu-
dents who passed AP ex-
ams in 2019 were Black.
Graves doesn’t think thisis a coincidence. “There are a
lot of factors as to why some
minorities don’t take advanced
classes that students honestly
don’t have control over,” she
said. “Minority students are dis-
couraged from taking AP/hon-
ors courses for some reasons,
including fear of not succeeding
and fear of being the only one.”
The disincentives go deep-
er. “They might not have the
same access to extra help or
even the money for tutors
like other students,” she ob-
served, “therefore they stick to
what is comfortable for them.”Graves is not alone at Pali.
Senior Class President Mi-
chael Brent IV has taken sever-
al AP courses at Pali and said,
“It is very weird being the only
Black student in a classroom.”
In one of his classes, Brent
said he was constantly con-
fused with another Black stu-
dent, which became a running
joke for the rest of the class.
“Yet, I never saw them as
jokes,” he said. While most of
the discrimination Brent said
he experienced at Pali has beenmore “covert” in nature, he re-
called an instance when the rac-
ism was, in his view, “blatant.”
“When I ran for Senior
Class President, I got a random
text message of someone call-
ing me [the n-word],” he said.
Based on his experience, Brent
sees a lot of room for growth.
“I am not sure how many
of these behaviors can be im-
proved or eliminated,” he said.
“There is a part of me that feels
that may not ever happen.”
To feel more comfortable,
Graves and Brent sought out
the support of their peers, find-ing solace among other minori-
ty students and faculty at Pali.
“At my lowest, [the Black
community at Pali] were there
to comfort me in the way
that I needed,” Graves said.
The Village Nation — a
mentoring program created to
encourage African American
youth to “embrace their natu-
ral intelligence and leadership
capabilities” — has become a
backbone for the continued suc-
cess of Black students at Pali.
“Pali needs to highlight
these resources more [and]
not just to minority students,”
Brent said. “Making everyone
aware would be beneficial.”
Graves will attend How-
ard University, a top-ranked
Historically Black College
and University, in the fall.
There, she hopes to put
the days of race-based un-
derestimation behind her.
In the meantime, Graves
urges current Black stu-
dents who may be strug-
gling to stick with it.
“As a Black student, it will
be hard, and many times you
will be tempted to give up on
Pali,” Graves said. “Howev-
er, as a person who stuck it
out, I can honestly say that I
am glad I went to this school,
despite all the challenging
things I have encountered.”TidelineTidelinePhoto by Al Seib‘MINORITY STUDENTS
ARE DISCOURAGED FROM
TAKING AP COURSES’