Racial equality: how far have we come in the 50 years since Brown v. Board of Education?Jerome Deal, an 18-year-old African-American, lives in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . He says he looks beyond skin color when choosing friends. "If you're cool, you're cool," Jerome told JS. "You can put a bag over your head, and I'll still be your friend." Michael Cappetta, who is white, says he chooses friends according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. their personalities. "Race never plays a role when I decide to become someone's friend," the 13-year-old from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, told JS. Such "color blindness color blindness, visual defect resulting in the inability to distinguish colors. About 8% of men and 0.5% of women experience some difficulty in color perception. " is common for many Americans. Today, the U.S. is more racially diverse and integrated than ever before. Increased immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. , higher birthrates of some racial groups, and civil rights laws have helped to bring about these changes. But achieving actual equality has been difficult. The unemployment and poverty rates for African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians are higher than the rates for white Americans The term white American (often used interchangeably with "Caucasian American"[2] and within the United States simply "white"[3]) is an umbrella term that refers to people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African descent residing in the United States. . Members of minorities often receive health care of a lesser quality than whites do. "Schools Are Segregating" And what about education? In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared school segregation segregation: see apartheid; integration. unconstitutional unconstitutional adj. referring to a statute, governmental conduct, court decision or private contract (such as a covenant which purports to limit transfer of real property only to Caucasians) which violate one or more provisions of the U. S. Constitution. in Brown v. Board of Education Brown v. Board of Education (of Topeka) (1954) U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (see play, pp. 6-9). In time, methods such as busing children to different neighborhoods helped to integrate many school districts. But according to the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University Harvard University, mainly at Cambridge, Mass., including Harvard College, the oldest American college. Harvard College Harvard College, originally for men, was founded in 1636 with a grant from the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. , many U.S. schools are becoming less racially diverse. Since 1980, there has been a decline in the number of African-American and Latino students attending school with whites (see graph, p. 11). "Schools are segregating," Harvard researcher Erica Frankenberg told JS. "It is happening in every region of the country." What has caused this trend? Some Supreme Court decisions in the 1990s played a huge role. The decisions authorized au·thor·ize tr.v. au·thor·ized, au·thor·iz·ing, au·thor·iz·es 1. To grant authority or power to. 2. To give permission for; sanction: local school districts to send students back to their neighborhood schools. "Because neighborhoods are often segregated," Frankenberg explains, "school systems [in those areas] tend to be segregated." In 1991, in Dowell v. Board of Education of Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a wholesale, distribution, industrial, and financial center, and a farm , the Court ruled that desegregation desegregation: see integration. orders were not intended to continue forever. Since progress had been made toward diversity, it was no longer necessary to bus students to schools far from their homes. But Justice Thurgood Marshall For people and institutions etc. named after Thurgood Marshall, see . Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. disagreed with the majority decision. "I believe a desegregation decree cannot be lifted," he wrote, "so long as conditions likely to inflict the injury [of segregation] condemned con·demn tr.v. con·demned, con·demn·ing, con·demns 1. To express strong disapproval of: condemned the needless waste of food. 2. in Brown persist." According to the Civil Rights Project, such concerns were justified. A recent study by the group found that minority schools have higher levels of poverty, lower test scores, less-experienced teachers, and fewer advanced placement courses. How can we bridge the gap between races? The report's authors suggest that efforts to integrate schools be continued. And, they say, new government programs should be developed to offer low-income families more educational options. Frankenberg also advises JS readers to be part of the soludon. "Hay with all kids during recess," she says. "Sit with anyone at lunch. Talk to [your] parents about the importance of racial diversity, and continue to learn more about these issues." Overcoming Differences Do you have friends of other races? Filmmakers Marco Williams and Whitney Dow recently posed that question to students at the Buffalo Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts in Buffalo, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . The filmmakers were preparing a documentary about integration titled I Sit Where I Want. Several students claimed to have friends of different races. But when those students gathered for lunch in the cafeteria cafeteria: see restaurant. , most sat with people of their own race. "We were intrigued," Williams told JS. "If students said they have friends of different races, why did they not sit with [them]?" According to Dow, most students cited a cultural divide for the self segregation. "They would say, 'Oh, our music is different. We don't have anything to talk about. Our take on the world is different.'" During four weeks of filming, 15 students--white, African-American, and Latino--agreed to spend more time together. Some even visited one another's homes. Students discovered, Williams says, how to build friendships: find common interests. It is a good lesson, he says, for all Americans: "There are ways to bridge differences. If you understand a little about the person who is different from you, you're better able to work with [him or her] toward a common goal." OBJECTIVES Students should understand * Many U.S. schools are becoming less racially integrated today. * Supreme Court rulings in the 1990s are partly responsible for removing methods of integrating schools. TEACHING STRATEGY Ask: "Do you think that minority schools can be considered equal to schools where most or all of the students are white? Why or why not?" BACKGROUND The N, a national cable channel, will broadcast, I Sit Where I Want, a documentary that examines race relations race relations Noun, pl the relations between members of two or more races within a single community race relations npl → relaciones fpl raciales and integration from a teen perspective on May 17 at 9:00 p.m. (ET). Whitney Dow and Marco Williams produced and directed the hour-long documentary. CRITICAL THINKING CAUSE AND EFFECT: How did Supreme Court rulings in the 1990s influence the way local school districts pursued racial integration? (The Court ruled that schools had been sufficiently desegregated, and that busing students in order to achieve diversity was no longer required. Local school districts were authorized to allow students to again enroll in their neighborhood schools.) COMPREHENSION: According to Whitney Dow and Marco Williams, why did students at the Buffalo Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts self-segregate? (The students told the filmmakers that they felt a cultural divide between themselves and students of other races. However, some students discovered that such a gap could be overcome when they found common interests with teens of other races.) ACTIVITY INTEGRATION INTERVIEWS: Instruct in·struct v. in·struct·ed, in·struct·ing, in·structs v.tr. 1. To provide with knowledge, especially in a methodical way. See Synonyms at teach. 2. To give orders to; direct. v. students to interview each other, asking what others believe would be a most effective strategy to achieve racial diversity in their school or community. Students should present their findings in a written or oral report. USA: RACIAL EQUALITY, PAGES 10-11 Write the letter of the correct answer on the line provided. -- 11. Which method was once widely used to integrate public schools? A. enrolling students into schools according to their test scores B. busing students to schools in different neighborhoods C. awarding scholarships to minority students who lived in middle-class neighborhoods -- 12. According to the Civil Rights Project, what is happening at many U.S. public schools? A. Bullies are tormenting tor·ment n. 1. Great physical pain or mental anguish. 2. A source of harassment, annoyance, or pain. 3. The torture inflicted on prisoners under interrogation. tr.v. Students who get failing grades. B. Segregated minority schools cannot afford after-school programs. C. Fewer African-American and Latino students are attending schools with whites. -- 13. Why did the Supreme Court begin overturning desegregation orders in the 1990s? A. Studies proved that students attending segregated schools earned better grades. B. The Court decided that some progress in racial diversity had been achieved. C. Justice Thurgood Marshall had retired. -- 14. According to the Civil Rights Project, which best describes segregated minority schools? A. Segregated minority schools offer fewer advanced placement courses. B. Less-integrated schools have lower test scores. C. A and B are correct. -- 15. Why did two filmmakers interview students at a school in Buffalo, New York? A. The filmmakers wanted to learn about students' concerns regarding the war on terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism . B. The filmmakers wanted to know if students had friends of different races. C. The filmmakers wanted to measure the effect racial desegregation laws had on students' academic achievement. RACIAL EQUALITY In the story "Racial Equality," Which appears on pp. 10-11 of this issue, you read about efforts to promote racial diversity in U.S. schools. What have you learned about this important matter? How might racial integration affect your school or community? Use the story map below to organize some of the information you might have learned about the issues and events you read about in the story. Follow the instructions and fill out the boxes below. I. SUMMARIZE sum·ma·rize intr. & tr.v. sum·ma·rized, sum·ma·riz·ing, sum·ma·riz·es To make a summary or make a summary of. sum THE STORY Identify the main idea and concepts discussed in "Racial Equality." -- 2. WHAT YOU KNEW BEFORE READING THE STORY List some of the words and ideas discussed in "Racial Equality" that you may have already known before you read it. -- 3. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STORY List questions you may have about the people, events, and words included in "Racial Equality." -- |
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