Najya

Najya said being academically behind in ninth grade made her feel like a 'dumb black girl in a white school.'

“It was like, oh my gosh, you're a dumb black girl in a white school. That's what it made me feel. Why should I have to suffer with that?”

This American Life: 898: An Argument (Sep 26, 2026) · Listen from 49:31

Najya described encountering white classmates using the N-word at her selective high school.

“I noticed that there were kids that were comfortable saying the N-word. I also experienced that. There were white kids that were saying the N-word”

This American Life: 898: An Argument (Sep 26, 2026) · Listen from 39:52

Najya argued that her mother's choice produced no benefit and challenged her to name one.

“There's no benefit that came out of you putting me in those schools. There's no benefit at all. Could you tell me a benefit?”

This American Life: 898: An Argument (Sep 26, 2026) · Listen from 47:55

Najya said she concluded that getting a good education meant attending a majority white school, based on what top schools looked like.

“If you look at the top schools, they're majority white. And it's like, if you want to go into a good school, you're going to have to go to a majority white school”

This American Life: 898: An Argument (Sep 26, 2026) · Listen from 36:13

Najya said her middle school was so undemanding that she and her friends wanted homework because they knew they were not learning enough.

“We honestly did want to get more things because we knew that we weren't learning enough. We didn't know anything”

This American Life: 898: An Argument (Sep 26, 2026) · Listen from 29:22