Free at last , free at last , thank god almighty we're free at last.

Talking Points #7-Reflection 

On Wise and website

  "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." Brown Vs. Board stated this in 1954. This was a truly exceptional event in our nations history. However almost 60 years later can we really say that things have gotten better?

 Tim Wise made a statement which stands out to me, he stated we have gone from racism 1.0 to 2.0. This means we've turned a corner but our ugly past is not far behind us. It lingers just beyond site and sadly enough can come out in other ways.

We have come many years since people of color were made publicly to feel like second class citizens. However has it become accepted as long as it's not said out loud?

I agree completely with Wise when he states that racism in our country is "slow in moving". I also agree with Wise when he says "to see if a problem is still a problem ask it's target." That is a poignant statement. In 1963 2 out of 3 white people that were surveyed said that black citizens were given equal rights and opportunities as whites. If we were to poll the same amount of African American citizens would we have received the same results? Would they say they have the same treatments and opportunities?

I feel that this weeks article as well as Wise's video's convey a similar message.Unfortunately underlying racism is still strong in this country. 

Racism in the United States today could in many ways be compared to a volcano. When our nation's civil war ended many minorities found themselves trying to fit into American society,with hopes of becoming equals ( the volcano starting to rumble). The early 1900's created new laws with old thinking. African Americans found themselves taking a backseat to whites simply because they were born black (the volcano continues to rumble). The late 1940's early 50's proved trying, not only for adults of color but children. May 17,1954 the volcano erupts and schools become "integrated". After the smoke has cleared some 60 years later the lava has cooled however under the thin crust lies something.  Something unsaid.

It is hard to pin down but it's there the unspoken "norms" that are still accepted in our society. The falsies that still exist about people of color: that their lazy, unintelligent, more apt to violence. Things that people we consider not to be racist will sometimes say.

 Wise stated that we often in the past have elected officials that were white to office when they had no intelligible right to be there. Graduating 5th from the bottom of your class ,multiple plane crashes in your career. If President Obama had any glimpse of this in his resume he undoubtedly would not have been elected.

We also can not find ourselves comparing every African American or presidential hopeful to Barack Obama. Every person is unique and not every president should have to achieve the same credentials as our current president. There are many intelligent individuals that can come from colleges that are not considered Ivy League.Not everyone fits into that mold and not everyone should have to.

 Lastly in reading the article Separate and unequal our author makes a very powerful statement. Schools are no longer segregated however there are many factors in our society that see to it that they are. Residential patterns, housing discrimination, economic disparities these situations create a void between children in our school systems. I agree completely with this idea and it just further shows that if we want to solidify our country and have the issues that are right below the surface cool, we have to make them non-issues. We need to not look at children as races just children. Integration for real this time.

 

Everyone deserves the same education. All public schools should receive the same resources.

Zip Code should not determine the quality of education a child receives.

Question for the class:  Do you think the idea of state schools would work? Imagine if we had schools (much like colleges) where kids grades K-12 , from all over the state could go not just based on neighborhood or financial background? Would something like this work?