Modern Day Intergration on American Schools

The Little Rock Nine helped us get to this very big position in our society, as for many other very important people helped in the making. Schools, in specific integration in schools, the demolishing of discrimination. Although there is the big modern question I've been dying to get answered, "Are schools really integrated?", "Is there no more discrimination in schools?", or "Are we ready to be integrated or do we still have a long way to go?" When we look in to it, the answers could be really very disappointing.

Are schools really integrated? To answer this, one would say no, some schools are not entirely integrated. Some are still segregated by the choice of the children because of one's sex, sexual orientation, color, economic status, Achievement Gap, cliques and superficial stereotypes! For example, at Montgomery County High School in Mount Vernon, Ga. the students just had their first integrated prom in 2009! Also Central High School, the very high school the Little Rock Nine attended is still segregated after all that was done to integrate it. There is a documentary about Central High, and in the documentary it shows how Central high is now and how far we still have to go. The kids are separated by race. In the classes African American students are on one side of the classroom and the Caucasian students are on the other, and to see this can be very depressing. Especially the AP classes in Central High are segregated. The AP classes are made up mostly of Caucasian students, although there maybe one or two African American students.

These moments show us how far we have come and how much more we have to go. It is very sad to think about, but we must keep the progress up and some day it will pay off. I have a feeling that these events will be on the time line for a long time, but we are progressing.

-Mikiko

From the Civil War to the Mid 20th Century Timeline Summary

Once the Civil War ended the United States entered "The Reconstruction". This era was to bring the North and South back together after the war. To do this, the United States made the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. The South did not like these Amendments, so to get around them they started segregation. Segregation brings us into the Jim Crow Era. Jim Crow Laws were created by the states to enforce segregation, which is the process of isolating and separating people from the main group because of differences. Now it wasn't that easy, not everyone agreed with segregation. But, if you don't agree with a law a state made the only way to change it is to take it to court and prove its unconstitutional. So that's what they did. In the case Plessy v. Ferguson they tried to prove "Separate but equal" was unconstitutional but they failed. About a 100 years later back in the court it was proved separate was NOT equal. Schools were one of the many things that were segregated. So in the case Brown v. Board of education the NAACP ( National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) fought for schools to be integrated. One of there hardest cases they had was trying to integrate nine students into Center High in Little Rock Arkansas, but the succeeded. Those nine children were soon known as Little Rock Nine.

-Kaitlyn

Should Students Be Segergated Based On Learning Levels?

This is a hypothetical two sided conversation on a controversial question:

Well based on experience from the school I go to, my personal answer would sometimes be yes. I'm basically saying yes because to me it will help everyone learn better. With separate classes it would be better because the work won't be too easy for more advanced children and it won't be too hard for those who are behind. Then students could move on to the next level of learning fairly. Sure the answers to this question always comes with a lot of tension, but in the end people should realize what really matters.

No, of course not, that's discrimination and segregation! If you put kids in separate classes they won't learn because they would be with their friends and the teachers won't be able to handle them. Also people vote against it because it's discrimination.

As you can clearly understand these two people are getting nowhere with this conversation. Although I would much like to hear other arguments on this topic, I find it very interesting so please leave an argument in your comment.

-Mikiko

" How Did Segregation Affect The Heart and Minds of Americans?"

When I hear questions like this, I automatically think of African Americans in the Deep South. I feel that this question implies to whom and where segregation had the most impact on. The way segregation affected the hearts and minds of Americans in the Deep South was just incredible. There's just not enough words to describe the way people must have felt. Imagine if you were an African American and had to live your life in fear because there are people who are not of your race trying to hurt you. Waking up everyday with fear, fear for your own life and you families lives. Some people probably didn't want to live at all if it meant living in such fear. Children scared of gangs like KKK coming to their schools to hurt them, when all they wanted to do was get a education like everybody else. What would a mother say to her child when they start asking questions like "Why can't I go past the signs that say Whites only?" or " What does the word negro mean?" - Kaitlyn

Racial Differences Through Out The Years

Civil War Era:

• End of Civil War 1865: North vs. South, the Union wins the war against the Confederates, the victory puts an "end to slavery".

Reconstruction Era 1860-1880:

• 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments were created to bring the North and South back together.

-13th Amendment December 6, 1865: This Amendment was created put an end to slavery.

-14th Amendment July 9, 1868: This Amendment was created to give equal rights to all the citizens of the United States, born or naturalized.

-15th Amendment February 3, 1870: This Amendment was created to give the right to vote to all citizens of the United States.

Jim Crow South Era 1875-1965:

• Jim Crow Laws were created to get around the 13th 14th and 15th Amendments and keep segregation and discrimination in the south. For example, one Jim crow law states that as long as seating on trains and buses were "Separate but equal" they were constitutional. (But was it really equal or did the white people just over look that part in court? -Mikiko)
  
  
• Plessy V.S Ferguson 1895: This court case ruled that "separate but equal" was constitutional. It took 59 years until this was unconstitutional
  
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP: This association was created February 12, 1909. They were created to protect the rights of colored people.

Peek of Civil Rights Movement 1950's-1970's:

• Children's March 1963: A Major non violent act to bring freedom, equal rights, and a to end segregation. This march was organized by Martin Luther King the children in Birmingham, Alabama.
  
  
• Brown v.s board of Education: Fought in the courts that separate was not equal and won!
  
  
  
• Little Rock Nine 1957: The first nine African American students to be integrated in to all white high school. They were integrated into Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas.
  

Present day Integration status:

• American schools 2000-2010: Schools are not segregated by law or force, yet they are still segregated by the Achievement Gap, race, sexual orientation, superficial stereotypes, cliques, and economic differences.

-Kaitlyn & Mikiko

Achievment Gap Response

"Black and Latino students are 2-3 times more likely to have below basic skills in reading and math." - Found from Achievement Gap class statistic sheet.

This statistic is very...... interesting. There are many different theories why this statistic is true. Some people believe that African Americans and Latinos were born with smaller brains. As rude as that may sound many people really did and maybe still do believe that that is the case. Some people may believe it's students life at home or just the differences in race. To me it seems like a domino effect. This goes back to our first post about having a shorter life if you decide to be a high school drop-out and how high school drop-outs are mostly Black and Latino students. Since according to this statistic Blacks and Latinos start off below basic skills, so this means everything is most likely going to be ten times harder. So by the time there in high school they are going to be tired of the struggle, causing them to drop-out and most like wind up with problems with the law, causing them to have a shorter life span.
-Kaitlyn

Equality of Chances for all Mankind?

The Achievement Gap statistics we recently viewed in Humanities class :

"High school graduates live up to 7 years longer than high school dropouts."

This statistic to me would definitely go under surprising, yet I believe it belongs more in the "frightening" category when you look more in to the problem. I mean of course its surprising when you first read it, who would have known you would die early just because you dropped out of school. Although I would get the point after a few minutes of shock because looking back to what I have seen and heard of about dropouts. The thing is it's a bit of a no brainier. I guess what I mean is that in my explanation to this statistic would be that dropouts tend to get in trouble with the law, do drugs, are homeless, can't support themselves, or maybe even depressed and suicidal. Well that last part was just my opinion, but you get the point. Those also go as reason to be frightened. Although there are exceptions to these rules and statistics, like there are to all rules. This, dear readers, is definitely an example of the domino effect of life. One mistake could cause the whole set of dominoes that are perfectly set up by hard work to fall. It’s your choice, you could put your hand out to stop the next one from falling and rebuild, but whats the likelihood of that? Although there is always the question, is dropping out really the start of the effect or is there more to it? -Mikiko

This could be the beginning:

"By 4th grade, Black and Latino students are on average nearly 3 years behind their White and Asian students"

Why is this statistic on average true?-Mikiko