How did this happen following years of sacrifice by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others? People of many races and cultures joined together to challenge the Supreme Court to improve our public school system by removing segregated conditions. Now, in Columbus, Georgia, several public schools are 1 to 2 percent short of operating as a totally segregated school. One school board member told me it was okay because the neighborhoods are populated that way. She failed to realize that those were the conditions of segregation. Adult professionals feel diversity is important for growth, but for some reason some feel it is okay for children to spend the first five years of their public school experience surrounded by children that represent their same race. Since 2006, I have presented the Brown v. Board of Education Public School Award to the county superintendent recognizing schools with the most diverse student population. He or she has never presented the award publicly during their televised awards ceremony. I wonder why? This year I recognized eleven schools with the most diverse student population: Midland Middle School, Blackmon Road Middle School, Northside High School, Double Churches Middle School, Midland Academy, Arnold Middle School, Britt David Elementary Computer Magnet Academy, Johnson Elementary School, Allen Elementary School, River Road Elementary School, and Gentian Elementary School. Do you feel it benefits a child to attend a segregated school in such a diverse society? Are we preparing the children for the future without demanding change? A recent exercise on the negative impact of race shows that there is a need for change. Black and white students involved in the test revealed that people of color were perceived to be bad and less literate. The darker the color, the more prevalent was the perception of the subjects of the study/test.
Public School Segregation
Sunday, May 30th, 2010How did this happen following years of sacrifice by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others? People of many races and cultures joined together to challenge the Supreme Court to improve our public school system by removing segregated conditions. Now, in Columbus, Georgia, several public schools are 1 to 2 percent short of operating as a totally segregated school. One school board member told me it was okay because the neighborhoods are populated that way. She failed to realize that those were the conditions of segregation. Adult professionals feel diversity is important for growth, but for some reason some feel it is okay for children to spend the first five years of their public school experience surrounded by children that represent their same race. Since 2006, I have presented the Brown v. Board of Education Public School Award to the county superintendent recognizing schools with the most diverse student population. He or she has never presented the award publicly during their televised awards ceremony. I wonder why? This year I recognized eleven schools with the most diverse student population: Midland Middle School, Blackmon Road Middle School, Northside High School, Double Churches Middle School, Midland Academy, Arnold Middle School, Britt David Elementary Computer Magnet Academy, Johnson Elementary School, Allen Elementary School, River Road Elementary School, and Gentian Elementary School. Do you feel it benefits a child to attend a segregated school in such a diverse society? Are we preparing the children for the future without demanding change? A recent exercise on the negative impact of race shows that there is a need for change. Black and white students involved in the test revealed that people of color were perceived to be bad and less literate. The darker the color, the more prevalent was the perception of the subjects of the study/test.
Tags: Columbus Georgia, Diversity, Education, Equal Opportunity, Integration, Puclic Schools, Segregation, Sudents
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