Critical Reflection: A "Dream Deferred"

Since the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954, the courts, communities, and countless individuals have made efforts to abolish racial segregation in schools through the process of desegregation. This process experienced tremendous gains through affirmative action policies in higher education and race-conscious decisions in school assignments for K-12 education. Yet, while it is clear that such strides have been made towards realizing the vision of Brown, a lot of work remains to be done. Under a closer examination of the judicial system’s role in desegregation, a degree of ambivalence and inconsistency emerges as a racial hierarchy has not only lasted but also thieved in our society over the last sixty years. Moreover, with a lack of equal opportunity in under-funded urban public schools, Brown fails to be fulfilled in education on several accounts. Not until more individuals, dedicated and mobilized to demanding immediate equal opportunity, will we progress towards erasing de-facto school segregation from the American consciousness and instituting a more equitable system of education in its place.

Two major areas of education reveal progress towards integration--- affirmative action initiatives in higher education and race-conscious school assignments in K-12 education. Since the 1964 Civil Rights Act, many statues and court decisions have sought to ensure that minorities have equal opportunity in higher education (Johnson et al, 2008, p. 198). This movement finds its legal basis in Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and in Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, and involves designating a specific number of places for minority students in college admissions (Johnson et al, 2008, p. 198). In 1978, the Bakke case held that, in a similar interest for diversity, race could be considered among other factors in an educational admissions policy. Years later, in Grutter, the University of Michigan Law School Admissions policy, which gave special consideration to racial minorities, was held constitutional as well (Smith, 2008, p. 301). With a related effort in K-12 education, race-conscious school assignments, including consideration to race in magnet schools admissions, have experienced some success in creating student diversity as well (Johnson et al, 2008, p. 197).

Despite such evidence of progress forward, the distance towards the ideals of Brown in American education remains great. De-facto segregation re-inscribes the lack of equal opportunity in public schools, separating races and classes while building psychological barriers that are perhaps harder to tear down than legal ones. Gary Orfield’s study reflects the continued struggle to provide equitable education in public schooling as he investigates the de facto segregation of urban schools (as cited in Russo, 2004, p. 187). In his most recent study, based on data from the 2001-2002 school year, Orfield reveals that the end of court-ordered de-segregation initiatives resulted in a dramatic increase of re-segregation (as cited in Russo, 2004, p. 187). His work also discloses that while about one-quarter of students live in states comprised of a mostly non-white population, the majority of heavily segregated schools, which service primarily minorities, exist in communities of poverty--- a horrific fact that only compounds educational inequality (as cited in Russo, 2004, p. 188). With almost 50% of school funding coming from inequitable, local property taxes, it seems just to assume that according to the system, “the quality of a child’s education [may be viewed as] a function of the wealth of his parents and neighbors” (as cited in Johnson et al, 2008, p. 170). Simply put, de-facto segregation, operating under the constructs of an inequitable system of school funding, will continue to perpetuate educational inequalities for minority students within these communities of poverty--- unless the psychological barriers of racism are overcome.

Personal experience can further inform a discussion on de-segregated and segregated sectors of education. Graduating from the University of Michigan, I was fortunate to attend an institution of higher learning that promoted diversity on campus and assumed one of the leading roles among institutions of higher learning to not only encourage but actually look to institute equal opportunity. Entering as a freshman, the university functioned under an affirmative action admissions policy with a ranking system that gave automatic points to all racial minorities (Smith, 2008, p. 301). The benefits of this system were enormous, as various backgrounds, cultures, and life-experiences were brought together to enrich the classroom and campus community. During the spring of my freshman year, however, in the landmark case of Gratz, the University of Michigan undergraduate admissions was held unconstitutional for not considering race on individual determinations (Smith, 2008, p. 301). While the university received this devastating blow to its mission to promote equality, many supporters within its community refused to be discouraged by the set-back. Efforts to promote diversity on campus in the following years remained high, continuing as one of the primary objectives of the institution. With a message of equal opportunity not lost on its students, many advocated race-conscious admissions.

Drawing on my personal experience as a teacher, however, I have also witnessed the damaging effects of segregation in urban public schools. Some schools I have visited lack the basic essentials such as textbooks, paper, a copy machines available to teachers, computers with functioning printers, and an updated library. This limited supply of resources is a direct function of insufficient funding--- a relationship that denies the basic right to equal opportunity. Psychological effects of this function are devastating and far-reaching, suggesting to a child that his/her peers from a wealthier community somehow “deserve” a better education. Furthermore, the environment of such urban schools is as Kozol suggests, “ by and large extraordinarily unhappy places. With few exceptions, they [are reminders] of ‘garrisons’ or ‘outposts’ in a foreign nation” (as cited in Schultz, 2001, p. 362). Without providing these students with a better learning environment, or more generally, equal opportunity in education, we only further inscribe our educational system in segregation, widening the achievement gap rather than closing it.

It is evident that while steps towards realizing the vision of Brown v. Board of Education have been made, particularly in the race-conscious admissions processes of higher education, and consideration to diversity in school assignments of K-12 education, much work still needs to be done towards integration. De-facto segregation pervades society, particularly as seen in the re-segregation of urban schools in recent years (as cited in Russo, 2004, p. 187). This segregation only further perpetuates the lack of equal opportunity for students and leaves potentially damaging psychological effects. In order to move towards a more equitable system of education, and realize the vision of Brown, we must look, as educators, to promote diversity in the classroom. Reflecting on personal experiences in both de-segregated and segregated sectors of education, it is clear that in an atmosphere, which not only encourages equal opportunity but actively looks to realize it, a spark will emerge for a dedication to this ideal as a fundamental right of all students. Ultimately, it is my vision to see this “dream deferred” finally become a reality… where this small spark demands larger, more immediate social change towards an equitable system of education.



References

Johnson, J. A., Musial, D, Hall, G.E., Gollnick, D. M., & Dupuis, V. L. (2008). Introduction to the foundations of American education. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

Russo, Charles. (2004). Brown v. board of education at 50: an update on school desegregation in the u.s. Education and the law. 16 (2-3) 183-189.

Schultz, Fred. (Ed.) (2001). Notable selections in education (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Dushkin.

Smith, Bryant. (2008). Far enough or back where we started: race perception from brown to meredith. Journal of law and education. 37 (2), 297-305.