Scandalous Scholastics

Separate Is Not Equal : Brown v. Board of Education - Connections

What is Brown v. Board of Education? (more info on this website)

          -Supreme Court case where parents sued to get their African American daughter into an all-white school

          -Supreme Court consolidated 5 previous cases (called Oliver Brown et al . v. Board of Education of Topeka) to help make their decision

          -topic being debated: "Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities of other "tangible factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities?"

          -official ruling: "we believe that it does"

What does this mean?

          Brown v. Board of Education was one of the many cases that tried to diminish the "separate but equal" segregation.  This decision made it illegal to segregate students by color, and with help from the NAACP, "equality" was eventually achieved. (arguably) 

Why is this relevant today?

          While many people may argue that racial equality has been achieved, especially with the induction of the nations first African American president, this is not the case. As author, Tim Wise explains, there is still a a lot of progress that needs to be made.   

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Wise and Johnson

          One of the most important points that Wise and Johnson both make, is that "a trouble we can't talk about is a trouble we can't do anything about" (Johnson 13).  Wise makes this point, by pushing for a dialogue (and writing a book!) that deals with racism in the present day.  Wise is starting the conversation, but that is not enough, people need to read and listen, and not ignore the facts.  Both Johnson and Wise know that writing a book or article will not change the discrimination (not even a court case can permanently change society's reactions to discrimination), but they understand that the first step is to recognize the problem and try to engage others in the racial dialogue.  

Wise and Delpit

          A quote from Wise's video explains Delpit's stance on the white privilege, "if you want to know if a problem is still a problem, it probably makes sense to talk to the ones who are the target of it, not the ones who don't have to know, because we're not" (Wise). This quote is explaining Delpit's point that, "those with power are frequently least aware of - or least willing to acknowledge - its existence.  Those with less power are often most aware of its existence" (Delpit 26).  In other words, both of these authors are explaining that those who are not effected do not see the problem, but those who live it realize how bad the discrimination is.  Wise also gives an example that as an able-bodied person, he can is not aware of the discrimination towards disabled people.  In this case, it is important to talk to the group who is discriminated in order to get the full effect of what is happening.  This is similar to the way that racism is depicted, where some white people do not realize that racism still exists, simply because they are not aware of the impact that it has.  As Wise explains, you can still be a good person and not realize that certain forms of discrimination exist.  The thing is, don't assume that there is no discrimination, and instead actually ask those who are considered discriminated to get a truthful answer.        

Herbert and Kozol 

          Both of these authors have articles that deal with "separate but equal issues" in the present day.  Kozol explores a poor neighborhood where the children are all living in poverty and the government adds to the bad living conditions rather than helping the families to better themselves and the community.  One jaw-dropping statistic from Kozol's article is that, "only seven of 800 children do not qualify for free school lunches" (3).  This shows the reader just how poor this community has become.  The problems that students in this area face at home and in school force them to set aside school and have more important priorities (like caring for sick family members).  This situation is both about racial discrimination and about economic differences, as Kozol compares this run down neighborhood to the near by white suburbs.  When the government was trying to find a place to put an incinerator, they chose the poverty-stricken neighborhood rather than the nice one.  What always entertains me, is that the rich white neighborhood was able to convince the government that their children would be at risk for cancer, and that it was a better idea to put it in the poor black neighborhood, where apparently children are immune to cancer (obviously not).  In Herbert's article, he explains that "if you really want to improve the education of poor children, you have to get them away from learning environments that are smothered by poverty"(2).  This goes hand-in-hand with Kozol's article by explaining that life in poverty is a dead end, and the only way to help children in these areas, is to remove them.  There is also a clear point in Herbert's quote that suggests that things are not equal in poor areas, otherwise the children would be successful.  In both articles, there is a clear "separate but equal" slant that those children who are poor are given  crappy things, while those who are rich are given brand new things.           

************************************************************************************************************Have you experienced any evidence of Kozol's/Herbert's articles in your service learning school? 

Do you think there is still racism? Are things any better at all?

What shocked you in regards to this assignment?