Getting to the parents of black children who are underperforming must be the first step to improve test scores for public school students in Asheville and Buncombe County, Matthew Bacoate Jr., an Asheville native who lived here through the Jim Crow and civil rights eras — and beyond. 

Bacoate’s assertion was made during a wide-ranging interview on Feb. 25 with the Daily Planet.

 He responded to questions from the newspaper concerning recently released test results for students in Asheville and Buncombe that show black children continue to lag their white counterparts — significantly — in all areas of academic performance, despite major expenditures of taxpayer money, mostly on special programs designed to bridge the divide.   

“It’s my understanding that the disparities are getting worse,” Bacoate said. “If they’re not improving, they can only go one way,” meaning downward.

In speaking of his background, he noted  that “I’m heavily involved in civil rights and other issues.”

In researching Bacoate’s life, the Daily Planet found that in 1943, at age 13, he got a job caddying at the Biltmore Forest Country Club. “At the time, African-Americans were not permitted to join the club, but he and his friends absorbed the intricacies of the game while hauling golf bags for the course’s white players,” an account in the Mountain Xpress noted. “But Bacoate’s initial exposure to the game was brief. The same year he began caddying, his parents moved the family out of the South to pursue better work opportunities in the North.”

In 1951, at age 21, Bacoate was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in Korea. 

When his military service ended in 1956, Bacoate returned to his hometown of Asheville, focused on working for positive change. “I got involved in civil rights and have been here ever since,” he was quoted by the Mountain Xpress as saying. 

Three years later, the Skyview Golf Association was formed by roughly 10 men, some of whom, Bacoate pointed out, caddied with him back in 1943. According to the SGA website, the nonprofit was created “to promote golf competition among African American golfers throughout the United States.”

As a result of his early exposure, in his retirement, Bacoate spends much of his time on the Skyview golf greens, where he is a golf tournaent organizer, but also participates in projects aimed at helping the local black community.

Early in the Daily Planet interview, Bacoate noted that he refers to those, who now commonly are referred to as “African-Americans” or “blacks,” as “negroes,” a term for his race that he has preferred all of his life.

Returning the topic of the interview, he said, “I am extremely concerned about the performance of the negro students. I’m very concerned about the low number of negro teachers in the (school) system right now. When I look at the problem, that’s what I see. If I look at the content of the curriculum — from what I’ve been able to see, the curriculum is the same for all students.

“I also see that most of the teachers are interested in being effective in their jobs in teaching all the youths.

“The other part of the equation is how well are our (black) children prepared when they arrive at the schoolhouse door. I also worry about how open their minds are to learning.”

He added, “I know some negro households are not conducive for the children to be open to the school environment because of employment (pressures), the economic conditions within the family unit — many times, the necessary funds to have wholesome meals on a regular basis” is an issue. “Many times... there is a ‘deficiency’ because of a lack of income within the household.

To that end, Bacoate said he and several other black community activists are “checking to see if there’s anything we — the negro people — can do to help the situation. 

“For instance, we could go into the parents’ neighborhoods to see if there’s anything we — who are concerned about the disparities between white and negro (test scores) — can do to assist the parents in preparing their children. We’re trying to get just a few parents to buy into not being resistant, to see if we can help our children.”

Further, Bacoate asserted, “If we can develop some neighborhood meetings and meet with parents and see if there’s anything they’re in need of to assist the kids in preparing for the classroom,” that could boost academic performance by black children.

“If we can get the adults’ attention, then we can get the children’s attention. And they (the black parents) are going to be more involved with their kids. And then,” he said, the test scores for blacks will improve. 

“Now we’re doing our best to find the best method to accomplish this. When the kids can sit in the classroom” and focus on learning, then progress is possible, Bacoate noted. 

“Get to the parent first. I think all parents want their kids to be in school and do well. However, if they’re not comporting themselves well in the home, then it will make it hard for the kids” to advance academically.

Further, he said, “I’ve witnessed many situations where it was difficult for the kid to adapt to a closed environment, where they’re under some pressure to do something they’re not prepared for... I’d love to address it.” 

Regarding the test score disparities between blacks and whites, he reiterated, “It’s a serious problem. Al (Whitesides, a long-time fellow local black leader) served the school system for eight years. The difference (in test score disparities) under a (predominately) black administration versus (the current) white administration was no different, which means... it’s not an easy fix.”

“This is not going to be a short-range deal. It’s going to take a long time. To recruit people to work with us under this idea, that’s going to be a challenge for us as well.

“Many of the parents do have a job, but they get home late and they’re tired. We need (black) parents to say, ‘Turn the TV off.’ (He said the same goes for video games.) That’s absent under this economic pressure. 

“We are identfying community organizations that are in existance who are addressing academic and behavioral” issues. 

Bacoate said he hopes to see progress, “one youth at a time. 

“What we’re doing is organizing now. We do have a few people who know the neighborhoods well enough, that they’re doing door-to-door stuff.

“We know where the problems are.... A group of people, who happen to be negro, and one group within that framework is willing to do what they can to assist, while the other one is standing pat and are rather derogatory if you approach them about it. We’re trying to change that dynamic. We’re saying there is” a better way. 

“We’re still working behind the scenes, but still dotting ‘i’s. and crossing the ‘t’s,” at this point.

In concluding the interview, Bacoate said he would publicize any meetings or volunteer activities as his group’s effort to improve local black academic performance progresses.