The Resegregation of American Schools

The Resegregation of American Schools

This news/interview just hit the web and I'm still reading it to be honest.

"Tuscaloosa's school resegregation--among the most extensive in the country--is a story of city financial interests, secret meetings, and angry public votes. It is a story shaped by racial politics and a consuming fear of white flight. It was facilitated, to some extent, by the city's black elites. And it was blessed by a U.S. Department of Justice no longer committed to fighting for the civil-rights aims it had once championed."

To make it sound more scholarly they use the term 'Apartheid Schools' rather than the old fashioned word 'Segregated'. makes it sound more 'Noble' don't you think?

And what we're seeing is, as the school districts--hundreds of school districts have been released from their court orders to integrate in the last ten to 20 years. And as they release, within a few years these districts almost always start to take actions that resegregate black students. And so we're seeing a rise in the number of black students that are attending intensely segregated schools

Damned if you do damned if you don't.
The way I read this--- the old Brown v. Board law was creating a hardship on schools forcing them to bus in students and try to integrate all into one. but now with harsh cut backs to the education system they've been released from following those laws and just like that we're back to poorly funded highly segregated schools that no one wants to talk about.

at least that's that way I read it.

a reply to: HardCorps

It is a story shaped by racial politics and a consuming fear of white flight.

Consuming fear of white flight. Can't let those white people get away. Basically that says it all.

There are deeper problems here than federal mandated desegregation. One is people want to live with people they identify with and a lot of times race is part of it. Economics is also part of it. You can't make laws to force people to get along and live together in liberal utopian bliss. This is what happens.

originally posted by: Bassago
a reply to: HardCorps

It is a story shaped by racial politics and a consuming fear of white flight.

Consuming fear of white flight. Can't let those white people get away. Basically that says it all.

There are deeper problems here than federal mandated desegregation. One is people want to live with people they identify with and a lot of times race is part of it. Economics is also part of it. You can't make laws to force people to get along and live together in liberal utopian bliss. This is what happens.

I don't see how segregation solves those problems. The easy thing is not always the right thing, and this sounds very much like they're taking the easy way out.

a reply to: HardCorps

Why shouldn't schools reflect their neighborhood? The white parents fled for a reason. If you're one of those guys that posts multi-cultural nonsense expecting stars and flags you'll have to wait for someone else because I won't give them to you. I read your link, I don't see a problem with white parents pulling their kids from that school.

This is economics not race. Making it about race is, well, racist.

Even with states implementing absurd busing programs shipping kids from one neighborhood to a school in a different neighborhood that isnt their home for decades all across America we end up right back where we started.

That should tell you all you need to know about the futility of mandatory diversity.

Somebody stop the new kid with the long hair and Pantera shirt from sitting at the lunch table with the other kids wearing long hair and metal band t-shirts. Who cares if he thinks he has enough in common with them to make new friends we need to enforce diversity. Force him to sit over with the guys wearing baggy jeans and matching sports jersey/hat combos. For diversity!

a reply to: Bassago

You hit the nail on the head.

It's unfortunate, but many will be blinded by political correctness and prone to emotional knee-jerk reactions (replies) instead of looking at facts.

It'll be interesting in seeing what happens.

Well here in the UK there appears to be a problem which is being

looked into, where Muslim faith schools are not following the

National stance of teaching certain subjects mainly sex education

and they are segregating the boys from the girls .... with the girls

being put to the back of the class.

This is education being interfered with and I'm sure it has

nothing to do with faith?

So much for 'diversity and integration'

originally posted by: Goteborg
a reply to: HardCorps

Why shouldn't schools reflect their neighborhood? The white parents fled for a reason. If you're one of those guys that posts multi-cultural nonsense expecting stars and flags you'll have to wait for someone else because I won't give them to you. I read your link, I don't see a problem with white parents pulling their kids from that school.

He never said anything about multi-cultural nonsense, as you so eloquently put it. And judging from your posts in other threads, it's apparent that you don't like people that look like you. Wish we could give out turds along with stars. I'd give you 10.

originally posted by: Auricom
a reply to: Bassago

You hit the nail on the head.

It's unfortunate, but many will be blinded by political correctness and prone to emotional knee-jerk reactions (replies) instead of looking at facts.

It'll be interesting in seeing what happens.

My response was not by any means a knee-jerk one - or at the very least, it wasn't intended as one. I honestly don't see how segregation can be expected to solve any problems when segregation used to be one of those problems. Exchanging a greater evil for a lesser one, is that what's happening here? I don't get it. If segregation was bad 50 years ago, it's bad now. Or does the end justify the means? I mean, you might as well reinstate slavery. Makes just as much sense to me.

originally posted by: thisguyrighthere
This is economics not race. Making it about race is, well, racist.

Even with states implementing absurd busing programs shipping kids from one neighborhood to a school in a different neighborhood that isnt their home for decades all across America we end up right back where we started.

That should tell you all you need to know about the futility of mandatory diversity.

Somebody stop the new kid with the long hair and Pantera shirt from sitting at the lunch table with the other kids wearing long hair and metal band t-shirts. Who cares if he thinks he has enough in common with them to make new friends we need to enforce diversity. Force him to sit over with the guys wearing baggy jeans and matching sports jersey/hat combos. For diversity!

I'm a black guy technically (my grandfather was half white), and I had lots of close white friends and no one forced us to like each other, we just did. I like being around likeminded people, color be damned. I don't want to hang around other black people just because they're black. That's stupid. There's TONS of black people that I have ZERO in common with, but on the other hand, there are TONS of white people that I have plenty in common with. There are black and white families in my sub-division, and no one forces us to get along, we just do.

a reply to: poloblack Should we resegregate our military too? Listen, if some of you prefer to live among just white people, more power to you. But don't be so condescending towards others for not feeling the same way.

a reply to: poloblack

As it should be. There is a difference between naturally just becoming friends with people through happenstance and being forced into situations where the makeup of your circle or friends is designed to be a certain way.

My example holds true though. People look for similarities or familiarities when in unknown situations. Most obvious in the school cafeteria and in prison.

Race may or may not be a component of this. In the school setting it is very unlikely to be since children adorn themselves with markers of their hobbies and interests hence my examples of the sports jersey and the band shirt.
In a prison setting however they're all dressed alike so race probably moves up the hierarchy being the only real cue to hit on besides maybe tattoos.

Of course once comfortable with the new surroundings and the new people social attitudes relax and through actions and dialogue new friends are made often with people you have virtually nothing in common with but that doesnt happen until after the initial grounding.

a reply to: thisguyrighthere

I don't see why segregation would be encouraged as a solution to greasing the wheels of social dynamic when chances are, you're gonna have a black coworker, black police officer, black doctor, or a black teacher. Segregation is literally begging to humor the sluggish stirrings of intolerance. And if you give intolerance an inch, how can you deny it a mile? I repeat: if it was bad and immoral 50 years ago, then it still is.

a reply to: AfterInfinity

Intentional segregation by decree? Nope. Doesnt help a thing.

"Segregation" simply as a byproduct of people living their lives? Probably doesnt help but neither does using law or force to integrate.

I can't justify using artificial means to force what grows from natural behavior to change anymore than I can justify using artificial means to prevent what grows from natural behavior.

Both are wrong in my view.

When places like NYC and SF ended the bigoted laws that forced all the Chinese to live in one area of the city should they have gone in and broken up the neighborhood to scatter the Chinese to encourage diversity? Should they put a quota on how many Chinese can move into Chinatown now?

originally posted by: poloblack

I'm a black guy technically (my grandfather was half white), and I had lots of close white friends and no one forced us to like each other, we just did. I like being around likeminded people, color be damned. I don't want to hang around other black people just because they're black. That's stupid. There's TONS of black people that I have ZERO in common with, but on the other hand, there are TONS of white people that I have plenty in common with. There are black and white families in my sub-division, and no one forces us to get along, we just do.

And that's proper diversity. That's people getting along when race or colour isn't used as the deciding factor in building relationships.

It's also much better than being bussed out to a school on the other side of the county so you can be the school's official "token black person", which seemed to be one of the practical outcome of some of these regulations.

Sending kids to one school or another based on their skin is ridiculous. Sending kids from a local community to their local community school seems entirely sensible, and if that results in a school having predominantly white or predominantly black students - well that's not an indication of segregation, it's just an indication of the composition of the local community.

If kids aren't allowed into their local community school because of their skin, that's when there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Some of these laws were designed quite rightly to stop that happening, but as usual some administrator somewhere has taken a good idea and implemented it in the most ridiculous and counter-productive way possible.

It's not about segregation, it's about equal opportunity to decent education.
Folks always bitch about the burden of the poor having to take care of the under-employed
but if these same people had access to a good quality education then segregation becomes a nonissue.

a reply to: AfterInfinity

I wasn't referring to you as I haven't even read your post(s). But since you obviously feel the need to put your guard up, I'll keep an eye on you in this thread.

originally posted by: Auricom
a reply to: AfterInfinity

I wasn't referring to you as I haven't even read your post(s). But since you obviously feel the need to put your guard up, I'll keep an eye on you in this thread.

My post disagreed with the one you were agreeing with, which essentially means that the posts you were criticizing stood a high probability of including mine. It's very possible that the only reason you were not referring to my post is because you hadn't read it.

But that's all beside the point.