Vegas Sculptor’s Blog

Prior to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s education was defined by the term “separate but equal”. This was a fancy name for segregation.

The idea was that it was possible to have a school for white students and another for black students. Everyone was happy because they were going to neighborhood schools with other students from their neighborhood. If the schools were funded the same, the reasoning was, they would be educated the same.

It always seemed to me that this worked well, especially for minorities, because they were taught by African American teachers, from an African American viewpoint, subjects that were important to African Americans.

But after the desegregation lawsuits of the 50’s and the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 the all black schools were closed. Students, of all colors, were bussed to schools in various parts of town to achieve racial balance.

Whether this has resulted in a better education for anyone is debatable, but the fact remains, separate schools based on ethnicity is against the law, at least in the United States.

Now I see where trustees with the Toronto District School Board have voted to approve an “operational model” for an Afrocentric school. An article at CTV.ca called it “…a controversial plan to help struggling black students in the city’s education system”.

“‘The strategies developed by our staff following consultation with our communities, will hopefully more effectively address the needs of youth who have historically struggled in TDSB schools,’ John Campbell, chair of the board, said in a press release late Tuesday night.”

So basically what Mr. Campbell is saying is that black students can’t keep up in white schools, and that black communities want to segregate the schools based on race. Isn’t this the same argument whites used in the ‘50s to justify keeping black students in their own schools?

Now if one were prone to “conspiracy theory” it might be argued that desegregation came about, not because government was concerned about the education of blacks, but because a system run by blacks could not be controlled by whites.

Think about this, if you have black teachers and black administrators you can teach your children your view of the world and government. This would result in students who were more attuned to the problems facing them in their communities. They could then, after graduation, go back into the community, and start businesses and careers that would strengthen and build their communities.

When the white government of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s desegrated the schools was it because they were concerned about the welfare of the blacks, or were they afraid of blacks establishing their own economy and society? Were they afraid of what blacks might learn if left unsupervised?

After the civil rights movement broke down the barriers, many of the historic all black clubs, restaurants, hotels, and amusements closed. Blacks were liberated and chose to go to formerly all white establishments thereby destroying the fledgling economy in their neighborhoods.

Blacks chose, were encouraged in fact, to move out of areas that were traditionally black. This further diminished the black communities by removing any wealth that might have been there. Those that could afford to move did. Traditionally black neighborhoods became war zones of poverty, gangs, drugs and murder.

So what do we make of the move back toward segregation in Canadian schools? Is this a step backward that should be fought by everyone who believes in equality, or is it a move forward by blacks toward reestablishment of control over the lives and education of their children?