Legacy of Brown v Board

Listen to the podcast The Daily by the New York Times, March 30, 2018
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?mt=2&i=1000407816179

Answer the following questions based on the podcast. This assignment is worth 5 points.

1. What made BvB significant?​ It emphasized that it was the separation in and of itself that
is unconstitutional - it doesn’t matter whether the facilities are equal or not; it’s the
separation that degrades black children and stigmatizes them.
2. What made it successful? How was the north the same, and different? ​What made it
successful was law enforcement through the federal government and Supreme Court
rulings, to ensure that the south follows the law. They made regulations through
desegregation orders to make sure that schools were integrating. The north was happy
with BvB at the beginning because they thought it would only apply to the south. They
were satisfied as they believed that the south was barbaric and primitive. In this sense,
they were different because they believed that segregation was immoral. However, the
north was just as segregated in the north as in the south. Segregation occurred through
housing - when blacks moved to north, the cities reacted confining African Americans to
housing. There was no need for laws to segregated schools if blacks lived in segregated
neighborhoods and as a result, attended segregated schools. White people lived in white
neighborhood, and hence, attended all white schools.
3. How does BvB apply to northern ghettos? ​NAACP showed how federal state and local
officials conspired to make segregated housing - they would gerrymander attendance
zones. They built schools in segregated blacks/whites neighborhoods so that those
children were imposed to attend those schools. They closed schools that were close to
integrating, and meanwhile opened another school in segregated neighborhoods.
4. When is the highpoint of integration? ​1988. From this year forward there were more
African American kids being enrolled in segregated schools than ever before.
5. What are the challenges mentioned regarding the future of integration? ​The recurring
resistance of whites stretched on for decades. Even today, it’s more the parents than the
children that are the reason for continued racism. Our society will face a constant
struggle to make white parents at peace with the integration of white and blacks,
especially within schools. African Americans who endeavor to persuade white parents
that integration is important and healthy will begin to question whether it is truly worth the
fight. These white parents were raised in communities that promoted the disposition that
sitting with African American kids in the classroom and growing up with colored people is
an unhealthy environment. It is an incredible challenge to change a mindset that is so
deeply rooted within people’s beliefs which have been set for centuries.
6. What is the doll test and what does it mean about who needs the attention for
integration? ​The doll test was conducted by Kenneth Clark and tested the stigma of
African American children. It tested two groups - white and black children. Each group
 was shown a black doll and a white doll, and asked to choose which one had better
attributes (smarter, more capable, etc). All white children chose the white doll, and nearly
all black children chose the white doll. Some black children chose the black doll, to which
they attributed negative or inferior qualities. This proved the theory Kennel was testing,
which was that the separation of races (regardless of the separate facilities or services
being provided being “equal”) degraded black children. Knowing that they were
segregated had further implications than simply being separated; they acknowledged
that they were different and inferior to the white children. They considered themselves
unworthy of receiving the same education and facilities which the lighter skinned children
were receiving. Moreover, they accepted that they were being deprived of every human’s
basic right; the access to education. This speaks volumes on the concept of the
American Dream and individuality. The American people claimed to have a free,
democratic state where one can attain their goals while simultaneously promoting the
systematic discrimination of African Americans. The doll test also indicated that white
children needed just as much (if not more) education on their worth in society. We must
help white children develop a positive, healthy sense of their own being as well as
self-respect. Racism is indicative of a lack of self respect about all groups: if you do not
respect yourself and have positive feelings about yourself, then you cannot respect other
groups as well.
7. Have we really tried desegregation? ​No, not truly. Some schools did not require
segregation, and despite this, Linda Brown was still able to prove that the segregation
was still unconstitutional. This is the segregation that African Americans continue to face
and it is still largely accepted by society today. We haven’t truly accomplished
desegregation; restructuring how a school is run is not the answer and does not truly
desegregate.
8. How should we tackle racism for the future? ​We should teach kids the importance of
equality, and possibly enroll them in racially integrated schools. Kids that attended these
schools did well on the doll test and were more likely to have more relationships with
other races. They also often lived in multiracial neighborhoods. We should also
encourage parents to teach their children to respect themselves and others.