it's been 16 years since the Supreme Court ruling in brown V the board of
education
and it's important to remember that even know that was
a very important ruling that helped to desegregate many of our schools
throughout the country
the reality is many schools are still very much segregated and we have been
slowly passing certain laws that helped to
set us Aggregate our schools so proper public I did a really great
expose on this and what they found was their number of different laws that have
been passed the number different
our regulations or political ideologies that have been enacted
that leads to the segregation that we see in some States
now let me give you some specific numbers before we get to the reasons in
the south and nationwide most black and brown children attend schools were
ninety percent or more on the students look like that
they also found that in Tuscaloosa today nearly one in three black students
attend the school that looks
as if Brown v Board of Education never happened
and also forty percent of the variation in per-pupil spending occurs
within school districts so lot built up there will be an argument saying like
well you know if you look at
a particular state that has issues with segregated schools
it's because r-1 School District is located in an area that's predominantly
black
and that's what but no it'll be an area that has
of people from all different backgrounds but for some reason you'll see that some
other schools within those districts
will have a majority black students and other schools will have majority white
students now why is this happening
well one reason is the privatization public education and also charter
schools
when you have something like a charter school or when you have private
education
it insures that the people running the charter school only enroll
people with a certain background in a lot of cases it's I students that are
white
are when you have private schools obviously you have to pay to go to a
private school
in most cases and what happens is arsons
why people tend to be from a higher socioeconomic status they can afford to
go to those schools
leaving minority students behind out there's also the issue I love the
no integration policies that have been passed throughout the country
and that basically means that certain courts have ruled that schools
should not be obligated to integrate our students
in other schools elicits a majority white school you can't
of course the integration a black students with an that's cool
I'm so those are some of the issues that come into play
obviously socioeconomic status is a huge reason for this
but it's important to draw attention to this issue because when you had the site
when you have segregated schools
oftentimes there's a double standard in the way that those students
are being treated and there's a double standard in how much funding goes
into those schools so you can imagine a lot of times
per-pupil pay or funding
is much lower when it comes to black students as opposed to white students
not
that was really surprising when are reading this reading further into this
you know that
ninety percent or more that that the spending per student
I is is Justin bike ninety percent more in some cases for
but for some students in especially white students and predominantly white
schools
handed the idea that we have you know this the
the ending a forced busing you know that was a huge a social issue you know they
were right at the Boston when they tried to integrate schools reported by saying
and I think it was back in the seventies when they did that and when we see now
looking at the demographics and and the the statistics from the pope pro
public a an alice is I'm I'm rather shocked I really had personally bought
that oh good we're really proud of this year you know we r problem the school
funding may have a problem with either a segregated school funding where you have
different districts that don't have the same amount of funding as as white dress
districts do
but I was really shocked to read all this in very disappointed to read on
because I I really had that we would like further than that and not slip back
quite as much yet you know what I was reading this and an anti-serb alluded to
this
it interesting how you really can't separate socioeconomic status from race
because every part of this piece that I was reading I kept thinking what is this
really about
just economics but then underlying that of course
israelis and I think that that's what makes this so so interesting we keep
coming further and further
I suppose with that racial equality and then you see things like this and it's
sort of hard to believe
that they're still going on but it's because it the best ages the
socio-economic stuff from from fifty years ago out and before that
yeah and and you know a lot of times people say it's not about race it's
about socioeconomic status but obviously the two
art definitely connected there's no question about it oh yeah and and it's
only
I'm perpetuated by you know certain institutionalize issues like
our justice system black people getting prosecuted at a higher rate than white
people for the exact same crimes
I you look at the school to Prison Pipeline and the type systems that are
more likely to be sent to juvenile detention centers for nonviolent
criminal offence nonviolent offenses
you look at the way our drug policies are enforced that kinda thing
so those issues all play a role in the socioeconomic status because it helps to
keep
why not heart society down while the other part of society is able to prosper
and continue break you know I was even thinking if you were
to go to a school that has my more minorities more black kids
and its lower socioeconomic Lee will that the parents probably have to work
two jobs they're not even available to be around to be more
involved in the student education so that if we really becomes the sort
himself filling prophecy
that they can't get out of this loop the things not getting better
anyhow I also bought interestingly about this about the impact of charter schools
and private schools and how that was
determined to be a factor in this room is backsliding into resegregation
you know that that charter schools as you say and also private schools are
allowed to discriminate
on admissions they are allowed to pick and choose which students they're going
to bring and so
that is something else that is perpetuating this segregation because
public schools are not allowed to do that there yeah they have to take all
takers method the glory and the beauty
and the that the the security a universal education for everybody it's
one of the things that were
a and a democracy requires
for everyone to be at least you know minimally literate now but we have this
problem we have a problem with this
economic segregation and there doesn't seem to be a direct correlation
that can be explained completely through the socio-economic funding and the
school's run
just because you know like some schools for example Rian taxes there
rhyme from they are the schools are funded based on property taxes so if
you're lucky enough to live in a
wealthy property tax district where the property values are very high
than your school get a lot more funding and if you are unfortunate a lot enough
to live in an area where the property values are low
then your school is a black it has a huge black a funny it it's a horrible
despair you and they have failed to
really addressed very well in taxes and it still happening now what really
struck me as a third of the schools in this analysis
a third of the schools with the highest percentage of black and Latino students
don't offer chemistry yeah
they don't offer algebra 2 this is shocking and astounding to me that this
this were supposed to be
you know educating kids for our future and if you have a third on the school's
not offering
the standby asses we are in trouble yeah I know we wonder why we're last in their
laughter at the bottom a ball the
the you know developed countries in terms a math and science why are they
schools offering these these classes you know how was even allowed to do occur as
far as national education standards go
I think that we've lost our priorities in the country because they're used to
be
this sense that investing in the future was worth it right there was
this emphasis on ensuring that everyone had this right to education
because that's really the great equalizer are used to be the great
equalizer the country
if you go out there noon education if you're driven if you're persistent if
you work hard
you will get outta any type of socio-economic situation you're in
but now it's become an obstacle to get that kind of education if you're living
in a poor area
your school is likely to be funded by property taxes
so if the properties in that area art not expensive
and that the taxes are significantly lower than your school not gonna get the
funding necessary to pay for the chemistry class is boring book
co-authored the book
exactly what I i grew up in your seat and receipt doesn't like the poorest
area don't get me wrong
be out there were constantly funding cuts at the housing there is much
cheaper than the rest the Los Angeles you can compare it to beverly hills or
something like that
and somehow the school the beverly hills are going to be way better the schools
in
tarzana california are gonna be relatively better
and so I remember my mom like lied about where we were living just like get into
a better school
and we did a story about a black woman who did the exact same thing
and she got prosecuted for that she had to be some serious consequences for
doing that all she wanted was a better education for kids
that double standard shouldn't exist we shouldn't have different educational
opportunities
based on how rich or how poor you are unfortunately that's just what happens
in the capitalistic society that has no regulations put in place
to help people out when they're born in a poor situation