We did not have class on Friday due to a snow day.
Today, we learned about the Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African American students who attended a white school after the legal system ruled that all schools should be desegregated "with all deliberate speed." The nine students had to be protected by armed soldiers and National Guard to safely attend school in Arkansas, where racism was still an issue. Then, we were asked if segregation still exists in schools today. We read an article about an recent incident in a Southern school that would lead us to believe that segregation is still alive. Due to racism issues, a group of African American students had been severely punished for beating up a white student. Shockingly, white students at the same school did not receive harsh punishment for hanging nooses from school trees, suggesting the historic lynching of African Americans.
I do believe that schools are still segregated today. Students hold prejudices against other students for many other reasons than race, including gender, economic background, and interests. The majority of the class felt that a new student would not feel segregated from their peers if the student would approach the other students. I disagree with this point, because no matter how friendly and kind the new student is to their peers, it does not mean they will ever reciprocate. Maybe connections in an educational setting should not be based on what people have in common, but based rather on the goal of forming a welcoming, friendly environment. That mindset is needed to revolutionize our educational system and solve problems with segregation.
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