Today in my multicultural education we watch a film called Road to Brown. It was about the segregation that the African-Americans faced in the 1950s. The main case the we learned about was Brown vs. Board of Education. This man, Charles Hamilton Houston played a major role in preparing for this case, which led to the desegregation of schools and equal educational opportunities for African-American students, for the most part. I just couldn't imagine being a teacher back then, and seeing these black students not receiving the best education possible. They showed film of these students before the case, and after. You could really tell the difference just in their faces when they combined and were equal. This case overthrew the Plessy v. Ferguson case which stated that as long as the separate facilities for the separate races were "equal," the segregation did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment ("no state shall... deny to any person... the equal protection of the laws.") To me, "separate, but equal" contradicts itself. How could you possibly say that these kids were receiving "equal" education when they had separate schools. That is just ridiculous. I'm sure many people don't know who Charles Houston is. I didn't until today. But he has become a hero to me.
Another thing. I don't understand why this was even an issue when Congress passed the 14th Amendment more the 50 years earlier. As stated above, it guaranteed equal protection of the law to each American citizen. Weren't these people concidered citizens? I think they were. Anyway. It is sad that we still live in a world were people face racial discrimination. I live up to what our Founding Fathers said in the Constitution, that all men are created equal. We shouldn't judge people based on their race, or what I would rather call it, ethnicity. We are all of the same race. We are all human. Well, that's all I have to say about that...
4 comments:
Being a minority, in Canada has allowed me the enjoyment of feeling like an equal in most situations. However I know it has not always been this way and for that reason, I appreciate what others have done before me. I think it took a long time for people to come around to the idea of thinking all men are equal because it was only a handful in a large country that felt the way you do today. Somethings are harder to accept after a lifetime of living in ignorance. Wrongs have been committed over the years, some long before we were born and some still happening today, but change comes one person at a time. You being an educator will facilitate that change as well and so all those who stand for equality and fairness now have one more believer like you to fight the cause.
Aww Nater, you're MY hero! Thanks for working so hard in your classes. You're gonna be such an awesome teacher....just hang in there a few more years! Cam, Allie & I love you!!
We've been talking about similar issues in my education classes and I completely agree with you! One thing my teacher pointed out was that those early African-American parents/students were especially brave and self-sacrificing - could imagine going to a school and having the whole community/teachers/students protest against you and then going back the next day!?! Absolutely crazy. I think the little six year old girl who the whole Brown trial stemmed from is my hero!
That is amazing...people like that are truly heroes!
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