Culture Diversity in the United States
In 1954, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education ruled that de jure segregation was illegal. Today, more than 50 years later, schools are re-segregating.
* What are some of the reasons for this re-segregation?
* Is integration in public schools still desirable? Why?
* What are some strategies for integrating public schools today? Are the strategies that you have selected realistic? Why or why not?
Preceding the Supreme Court case (Brown v. Board of Education) race relations in the United States were dominated by segregation. The ruling of the landmark case in 1954 (Brown v. Board of Education) was to decline the notation and practice of “separate but equal” throughout every segment of society, including public transportation, dining facilities, and especially public schools and all forms of public accommodations (Schaefer, 2010).
The need to desegregate schools was to ensure that all students were receiving the same opportunities. As a result of fear and racism, America has sadly reverted to segregated schools by choice. At the heart of desegregation, African American children had to be bused to schools in affluent areas, in neighboring counties. As time progressed, and more and more African American students were bused, more residents made the choice to relocate to ensure that their children did not have to attend schools with “these” type of students. A study conducted in 1947 reviled that African American figures (dolls) are viewed as inferior to their White counter parts by African American children and society (Schaefer, 2010). The White American people are relocating to avoid an inferior group of people. “Whites felt they had the most difficulty getting along with Blacks” (Schaefer, 2010). History has shown that once one group of race relocates, it changes the dynamic of the neighborhood, meaning that a once predominately white school will reverse into a majority black school. With this drastic change, students are now completely segregated by the choices that were made by their families.
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