America's Segregated Schools
Summary
TLDRThe transcript explores the ongoing segregation in American schools, 65 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Despite demographic shifts, with no racial majority in public schools today, segregation remains widespread, especially in southern states. The transcript highlights historical resistance to desegregation, particularly in southern and northern cities, where tactics like 'white flight' and suburbanization have reinforced racial divides. It also discusses how policies like school choice and vouchers, along with government inaction, have perpetuated inequality, ultimately resulting in enduring segregation in both urban and suburban school districts.
Takeaways
- 📊 America's public schools no longer have a majority racial group, although white students remain the largest group with approximately 23.9 million students.
- 📉 The percentage of white students in public schools has declined to around 48.4%, largely due to birth rates and immigration changes.
- 🌎 Latino student enrollment has been growing significantly and now makes up more than half of the students of color in the United States, totaling approximately 13 million students.
- 👩🏾🏫 Segregation in the U.S. persisted long after the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision, with states and local districts implementing various strategies to resist desegregation.
- 📜 The Jim Crow era saw the rise of legally enforced segregation, and by 1915, white supremacy, racial violence, and discrimination became entrenched in the Southern U.S.
- 🏃🏾♂️ Massive migration of African Americans from the South to the North in the early 20th century led to the expansion of racial segregation and discriminatory housing policies in cities like New York, Chicago, and Detroit.
- 🏫 After Brown vs. Board of Education, many Southern states resisted desegregation through freedom of choice plans and pupil placement plans to keep white students separated.
- ❌ In extreme cases like Prince Edward County, Virginia, public schools were completely closed from 1959 to 1964 to avoid desegregation, leaving African American students without educational options.
- ⚖️ Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy's intervention and federal oversight led to an increase in desegregated schools in the South by the early 1970s.
- 🚪 By the 1970s and 1980s, the rise of predominantly white suburbs and policies that protected them from integration led to a re-segregation of schools, creating persistent racial disparities.
Q & A
What is the significance of the UCLA report 'Harming Our Common Future' in relation to school segregation in the U.S.?
-The UCLA report highlights that, despite the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling 65 years ago, America's public schools remain segregated. It points out that no racial group is the majority in public schools today, with white students comprising the largest racial group at 48.4%. The report underscores the demographic changes caused by immigration and birth rates, particularly the rise of Latino students.
How have demographic shifts impacted public school enrollment in the United States?
-Demographic shifts, largely due to immigration and changes in birth rates, have led to the decline of white students as a majority in public schools. Latino students now represent over half of the students of color, with roughly 13 million students, making Latinos the second-largest racial group in schools.
What were the effects of Jim Crow laws on African American education in the southern United States?
-Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation, especially in public schooling, which significantly limited educational opportunities for African Americans. By the late 1800s, African Americans had lost many civil rights, including access to quality education, forcing them to migrate north in search of better opportunities.
How did public education differ between the North and South prior to the Civil War?
-Public schooling was virtually non-existent in the South before the Civil War due to slavery and the fear that enslaved African Americans might gain literacy. In contrast, the North had begun to establish public schooling systems funded by the state. After emancipation, the South developed dual systems for white and black students, heavily favoring white schools.
What were the consequences of resistance to the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in southern states?
-Many southern states actively resisted the Brown decision by implementing freedom of choice and pupil placement plans that allowed whites to continue sending their children to segregated private schools. Some states, like Virginia, went as far as closing public schools entirely rather than integrating them, which left African American students without education for several years.
How did residential segregation impact public schooling in northern cities?
-Residential segregation in northern cities resulted in racially segregated schools, as African American families were forced into segregated neighborhoods. Despite desegregation efforts, such as inter-district plans, white families often moved to the suburbs, exacerbating school segregation in both cities and suburbs.
What role did the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 play in school desegregation?
-The ESEA of 1965 played a crucial role in enforcing school desegregation by allowing the federal government to withhold education funds from districts that continued segregation. This federal oversight helped increase the percentage of black students attending desegregated schools, particularly in the southern states.
Why did desegregation efforts face resistance in the suburbs of northern cities?
-Suburban resistance to desegregation was largely due to white families' reluctance to participate in desegregation plans that required sending students from cities to suburbs and vice versa. This resistance led to more 'white flight,' where white families left public schools to avoid integration, further segregating schools.
How did federal desegregation laws evolve after the 1970s?
-Federal desegregation efforts slowed significantly after the 1970s. Under the Reagan and Bush administrations, there were no major expansions of federal desegregation laws, and the focus shifted away from active support for integration. As a result, segregation spread to suburban areas and became a persistent issue in many parts of the country.
What was the outcome of desegregation lawsuits outside the southern United States after 1973?
-After 1973, the Supreme Court opened the door for desegregation lawsuits outside the South, including for Latino students. However, the court imposed a higher burden of proof for violations, making it more difficult to implement desegregation remedies, especially in suburban areas where segregation continued to grow.
Outlines
📊 Changing Demographics in U.S. Public Schools
A UCLA report titled *Harming Our Common Future* highlights the changing racial composition of U.S. public schools. While white students remain the largest group, they no longer constitute a majority, making up 48.4% of students. This shift is driven by declining birth rates and immigration changes, particularly the growing number of Latino students, who now make up more than half of students of color. Black students are the third largest racial group, followed by Asian, multiracial, and American Indian students. The U.S. is now a multiracial society, contrasting with the demographics during the *Brown v. Board of Education* decision in 1954.
📚 Segregation and Resistance to Integration in the U.S. South
The legacy of segregation in the South persisted well after the *Brown v. Board of Education* decision. Christopher Spann's article highlights how Jim Crow laws cemented segregation until 1915, leading to deep racial divides. From 1877 to 1901, African Americans lost many post-emancipation rights, forced to live as second-class citizens. Violence and systemic racism in public schooling were used to prevent African Americans from gaining mobility and equity. This led to significant migration of Black families to northern cities. Segregationist policies, including unequal school funding, and racial gerrymandering ensured continued educational inequities for African Americans.
🏫 Defiance of Desegregation and School Choice Movements
Many Southern states and school districts resisted desegregation efforts after the 1954 *Brown* decision. Some adopted 'freedom of choice' and 'pupil placement' plans to circumvent integration, diverting public funds to private schools for white students. Virginia, in particular, closed its public schools rather than comply with desegregation, leaving Black students without educational options for years. This resistance laid the groundwork for today’s school choice and voucher movements, which were originally rooted in efforts to avoid desegregation. Federal intervention and threats to withhold funds were eventually used to enforce desegregation, particularly in the 1960s.
🏙️ The Rise of Suburban Segregation and Resistance
In the 1970s, as Northern cities became majority Black and Latino, white families fled to suburban areas, leading to segregated suburban schools. Efforts to balance demographics through inter-district desegregation plans faced significant resistance, resulting in further white flight. Despite major civil rights breakthroughs in the South, integration efforts outside of the region were less effective. Suburban schools largely remained segregated due to residential patterns, and by the 1980s, political resistance to desegregation intensified under the Reagan and Bush administrations, halting further progress. Today, segregation affects not only cities but also suburban and small-town schools.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Segregation
💡Brown v. Board of Education
💡Jim Crow Era
💡White Flight
💡Freedom of Choice Plans
💡Racial Gerrymandering
💡Great Migration
💡Civil Rights Act of 1964
💡Prince Edward County School Closure
💡Integration
Highlights
America's public school enrollment no longer has a majority racial group, although white students are still the largest group.
White students now make up 48.4% of the public school population, reflecting a decline influenced by birth rates and immigration.
Latino student enrollment has grown significantly, now comprising more than half of the students of color in the U.S., with approximately 13 million Latino students.
Black students are the third-largest racial group in schools, with around 7.5 million students, followed by Asian, multiracial, and American Indian students.
At the time of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954, the U.S. had a different racial makeup compared to today’s multiracial society.
During the Jim Crow era, segregation laws were enforced in the South, leading to intense racial discrimination and violence against African Americans.
By 1895, formerly enslaved African Americans in the South lost many of the civil rights they had gained after emancipation and were forced into second-class citizenship.
Public schooling in the South lagged due to the region's efforts to maintain a racial caste system, preventing African Americans from achieving equity and mobility.
Between 1915 and 1920, around 500,000 African Americans left the South for better opportunities in the North, followed by an additional million by 1930.
In response to the Brown decision, Southern states and school officials established dual school systems, funding schools for white students while underfunding schools for black children.
In Virginia, Prince Edward County closed all public schools between 1959 and 1964 to avoid complying with desegregation orders, leaving African American children without schooling options.
After the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the percentage of black students attending desegregated schools in the South increased significantly by 1973.
By the 1970s, Northern suburbs had become predominantly white, exacerbating school segregation despite attempts to desegregate schools in cities.
White flight to suburbs intensified school segregation, particularly in Northern cities, where demographic shifts made desegregation efforts increasingly difficult.
By the 1980s, the Reagan and Bush administrations began dismantling federal desegregation efforts, and by the 1990s, most court orders enforcing desegregation had ended.
Transcripts
according to a ucla report
titled harming our common future
america segregated schools 65 years
after brown
our nation's public school enrollment no
longer has a majority racial group
although white students still comprise
the largest racial group in our nation's
schools
roughly 23.9 million white students
after nearly half a century of decline
in the percentage of the overall
enrollment it is notable that white
students
no longer account for the majority of
public school students
which is roughly 48.4 percent in the
united states this is largely due to the
impact of
birth rates and immigration changes in
our country
the latino student enrollment has been
growing tremendously
so today more than half of the students
of color
in the united states identify as latino
so approximately 13 million
students black students account for the
third largest racial group which is
roughly 7.5 million students
followed by asian multiracial and
american indian students
so our society is truly multiracial
which is quite different from the
demographics at the time
of the brown versus the board of
education decision in 1954.
in the article post-slavery
post-segregation
post-racial a history of the impact of
slavery
segregation and racism on the education
of african americans
by christopher spann he states that the
jim crow
era which was segregation by law was
firmly locked into place in the south by
1915
so between the period of 1877
and 1901 america had entered into its
lowest point in american race relations
so in the south whites imposed an
unrestrained form of white supremacy
violence segregation
and racial discrimination unseen
in the history of the nation
so by 1895 formerly enslaved african
americans across the south
lost many of the civil rights they
obtained after emancipation
and were forced to live as second-class
citizens in the region
so if people were to aspire
african-american people were to aspire
for anything more
they really needed to look for options
outside of the south
um due to the unrestrained and
unmitigated violence perpetuated against
them
during this time also the south lagged
in their development largely because of
its preoccupation with
reestablishing and maintaining a racial
caste system
to prevent free african americans and
their children
from mobility and equity following
emancipation
particularly in the area of public
schooling
as the idea of public schooling at the
expense of the state
took root in the northeast and the
midwest in the early to mid 19th century
this option was virtually non-existent
in the south prior to the civil war
slavery and the fear of enslaved african
americans
acquiring any degree of literacy limited
the creation and implementation
of public education in the south
legalized racism de jure segregation
and limited or denied schooling
opportunities
forced a number of african americans to
migrate out of the south
so between the period of 1915 to 1920
about half a million african americans
left the south
to pursue better opportunities in
northern cities and by roughly 1930
another million born african americans
also migrated north
so as the rise of the public school
system swept across the south
in the first decade of emancipation the
south developed what
already existed in the northeast the
midwest and the west
which was a dual system of schools one
for white
students and one for colored students
and by the start of the 20th century
southern states and school officials
established systems that funded schools
for whites
at the expense of funding schools for
black children
the migration of southern african
americans to the northeast
the midwest and the west resulted in the
expansion
of anti-black sentiment laws and housing
policies
that purposefully segregated blacks and
their children
if the neighborhoods they were forced to
move into were segregated
the neighborhood schools also would be
segregated
school districts use racial
gerrymandering to preserve
racial separation so this means that
every northern city
from mid-sized cities like cleveland
columbus detroit philadelphia
and sacramento as well as large cities
like new york chicago and los
angeles redlined african americans into
racially
segregated areas brown versus the board
of education
that supreme court ruling in 1954 was
supposed to
immediately in segregation yet that did
not happen
in the south where did your segregation
remain the law of the land for three
generations
massive resistance campaigns were
launched to ensure
that the supreme court decisions would
not be implemented
documented within the previously
mentioned article
by christopher spann local officials and
school board members
heeded calls for defiance of the court's
rulings
so throughout the south school districts
developed
freedom of choice plans and pupil
placement plans or private schools to
avoid compliance
with desegregation efforts and this
allowed whites to use
monies collected for public schools for
the purposes of sending their children
to private schools of their choice
now this is important to note um that
this whole notion of school choice and
voucher movements
that some of you may have read about or
have heard about in history classes or
in private readings
these ideas are prevalent today because
largely due to resistance to integration
as a very interesting example of this
time period in these issues
the state of virginia took the most
extreme action
in regard to integration in 1956
two years after the brown decision the
state legislature
passed a law that sought to close any
school
that attempted to comply with brown
after the virginia supreme court struck
down the law in 1959
school officials and prince edward
county
voted to close all public schools so to
completely close them
off rather than comply with the law of
the land
consequently all schools were closed in
the county until 1964.
in the interim whites enrolled their
children
in prince edward academy and used
tuition grants from public money so
public dollars
for them to attend private segregated
schools
and this this issue is documented in the
work of christopher spann
so with no alternative schooling options
african americans who remained in the
county
had no schools for their children to
attend for five years
after the schools reopened in 1964
less than two percent of african
americans in the county
attended a desegregated school and there
are numerous
examples of such actions that took place
in different parts of the country
to undermine the brown decision
before the passage of the elementary and
secondary education act what we call
e-s-e-a of 1965
no southern state in any meaningful way
attempted to comply with the brown
decision in 1954
case in point between 1955
and 1964 the number of african-american
students
attending schools with whites in the
former confederate states
only rose from zero to two percent
and it was concluded that at that pace
full integration would not be achieved
for at least 500 years and this is
documented again in the work of scholar
christopher spann
some states made absolutely no effort at
all to comply with the law
given this resistance and the slow pace
to comply with the brown decision
then attorney general robert f kennedy
removed desegregation complaints from
the courts
and placed them under the authority of
the department of health education and
welfare
which was a cabinet level department in
the u.s government from 1953
to about 1979. kennedy demanded that
the office the department of the hew
would threaten to withhold education
funds from
any districts that continue to practice
segregation
so due to this authority at the federal
level and that type of
oversight the percentage of southern
black children
in desegregated schools began to rise
so roughly um 1 1.18
in 1964 to 6.1 percent in 1966
to roughly 90 percent by 1973.
at the same time what was happening in
the suburbs of these major cities right
whether it be small or major metropolis
so this is interesting
the rise of the suburbs around major
northern cities
exacerbated this issue of school
segregation
so by the 1970s the demographics of
america's northern cities were rapidly
becoming
majority african american and latino and
less white
the opposite was occurring in the
suburbs of the large cities
so the demographics of these areas and
their schools
were almost exclusively white as white
families moved to suburban areas
to avoid being part of desegregation
orders affecting cities
so despite the efforts to desegregate
public schools in northern cities and
their suburbs
it became increasingly impossible to
achieve
these demographic balances due to
residential shifts so some school
districts even went so far as to adopt
inter-district desegregation plans
across the city and suburban lines so
sending students from the suburbs
to the cities and from the cities to the
suburbs
but the efforts to do this was met with
massive resistance
which resulted in more white flights of
white
families leaving schools and taking
their children elsewhere
after more than a decade of resistance
campaigns and very limited change in the
united states
the passage of the most sweeping civil
rights law in u.s history
enforcement by then president lyndon b
johnson's administration
and powerful unanimous decisions by the
supreme court
there was a huge breakthrough and the
southern schools became the most
integrated region of the country for
several decades
19 years after brown versus the board of
education
in 1973 the supreme court
opened the door to desegregation
lawsuits outside of the southern united
states
for both black and latino desegregation
but it also created a far more demanding
standard for proof of violations
of students rights than what was ever
the case in the southern united states
so
in 1974 the courts protected
the suburbs from involvement in
desegregation remedies
although many central cities had already
lost the great bulk of their white
student populations
by the 1980s there was a full-scale
attack on integration plans by both the
reagan
and the bush justice departments since
the early 1970s
there have been no expansions of federal
desegregation law
and no real creation of federal programs
or policies
to support the immigration of schools
and neighborhoods
segregation has thus engulfed central
cities and has spread
far out into sectors of suburbia and is
now
a serious problem not only in
metropolitan cities
but also small towns most court orders
in large districts
ended in the 1990s
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