Friday, February 24, 2012

The More Things Change, The More Things Stay the Same?

I watched a small portion of a program this morning on the History Channel about desegregation and it was fascinating because we are, to this day, still striving for the equality that the Brown v Board of Education decision in 1954 should have brought with it.  We may not all be separate, but we are still not equal.  Yes, after the law was passed, they shifted black children into white schools and vice versa.  But merely forcing the physical blending of different backgrounds does not invoke equality or necessarily better anyone's situation.  Tolerance for diversity is the real problem.  I think there should be a tolerance class taught to children at an early age because I think it's much harder to change adults that are set in their ways.  If we start with the young, it will be a normal part of life and we can almost wean it out of our culture.  Of course, teaching a class in diversity in a school that has no actual diversity would be fruitless.  And sadly, the program pointed out that much of the landscape of the city public school system now has returned to the way it was PRIOR to the 1954 landmark ruling.  Most all of the white children left and went to private schools or moved to other areas.  So, it seems we're at another stalemate once again and as long as we have areas with such divides, everyone will have a greater chance of growing up with less tolerance. 

It still feels so foreign to me that a mere 60 years ago there were signs with the words "Coloreds Only"  plastered everywhere.  And the truth that they could not even share a bus ride, a water fountain or sit in the same vicinity as a white person is truly mind-boggling.  And it was a normal part of daily life.  When you look back on history and see all the injustices our nation did to all kinds of different people and cultures, it's a wonder how the words, "I'm proud to be an American" can be so boldy and confidently stated by some.  "I'm proud to be in a nation that is trying to learn from it's mistakes" may be a better slogan.

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