It was the Friday before Election Day 2008. The sun was low in the sky. My spirits were also near to the ground. As the days focused on "change," turned to months, and near two years, I had begun to lose hope. Too much time had passed. The Bush Administration overturned too many laws. In the recent past, the country had transgressed back into the future. Others were blissful, certain a better world would come. I was not confident. Near an hour before, Eddie, a young man who has lived on Earth for less than a quarter of a century, said he may not vote. He did not have faith that we, or he, were the change a country could believe in. for Eddie, "Yes we can" equated to "No he would not."
It has been fifty years since America sought to integrate its schools. It was September 25, 1957. The Little Rock Nine, a group of young Black pupils, crossed the threshold into history. Three years earlier, the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled educational institutions could no longer remain separate and unequal. Unity in our schools was sanctioned in 1954. Brown versus Board of Education was the catalyst for change. However, even after the judgment was handed down, in actuality, few Districts altered enrollment. Assimilation was slow and frequently forced.
Today, I was reminded of how deeply divided this nation is. I read School Diversity Based on Income Segregates Some. I discovered in an attempt to offer equal opportunities, indeed, schools discovered discrimination remained a dominant force. School Boards, Administrators, and the community-at-large concluded educational institutions would be more diverse if learners were assigned to schools based on family incomes. A plan was introduced and implemented. The outcome was mixed; however, the pupil populations were less so. Some races, colors, and creeds were abundant within a given institution; others were not well represented.
I, as a white person mourn on this day, for every man and woman Black, white, brown, red, or yellow are my brethren. I feel the pain of all those that have gone before me. My heart aches most for those whose flesh is darkest. It seems, try as they might Afro-Americans can never escape the bondage, the bigotry that enslaves them. The color of their skin shades their every encounter. I recognize that only days ago, in this duplicitous land founded on the principles of freedom and justice for all, segregation was again endorsed by the highest Court in the country. The Supreme Court ruled "Schools can't use race to assign students." History demonstrates, left to their own devices whites will not desegregate.
It is official Brown versus Board of Education has been reversed. Providing equal education opportunities to all children, regardless of race, color, or creed is no longer a priority. The 1954 Court decision that invalidated the principle of 'separate but equal' was overturned on June 28, 2007. This day will live in infamy. In another of the many recent 5 to 4 split decisions, the neoconservative Supreme Court canceled the promise made to students of color.
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