Blog #4 1950-1980- Separate and Unequal Reflection

    This section went into the gritty aspects of desegregation during and after the civil rights era. I've learned of this era in elementary school like many other students, but various deeper details were never mentioned before. My knowledge of desegregation for education only really extended to Brown v. Board of Education. In this section, I really noted the number of groups desegregation actually encompassed, the extent of federal intervention, and segregation's lingering effects.

    Desegregation was a combined effort of multiple oppressed groups fighting for their fair share of high-quality education. Before desegregation, top-tier education was limited to white students. Everyone else was given lower-quality lessons and facilities, which significantly restricted these children into their preconceived roles in society. As education got better, but mainly only for whites males, this gap grew further and further until it was too much to ignore. African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, women, and the disabled all par-took in this era but differently. From Brown v. Board of Education to Crystal city to Title IX, these groups fought for more funding and resources. 

101st Airborne Division escorting Black students into Little Rock school.

    Government intervention had a very prominent force that isn't really mentioned outside the elementary teachings of Brown's case. Besides the court ruling, the government had to do a lot more to actually make states abide. Little Rock Nine is one of the few historical instances where the government called upon the federal army to enforce a law. I found it very interesting how national funding school was used as an indirect measure of making states comply. For the States, it meant complying and getting more funding or disobeying and going broke. This intervention made me realize the political importance of bussing. I always thought of bussing as a simple transportation method rather than a tool for desegregation. Government intervention was a significant component in making these reforms actually go through. Despite all of these actions, it can be argued that the government hasn't done enough to really enforce desegregation. 

The proposed City of St.George, as seen in the documentary

    The most major takeaway I had with this section was the lingering effects of segregation. It was mentioned in the book, the documentary, and the TED Talk. The gerrymandering of school districts led to minority communities being resegregated and losing much-needed funds. Not enough was done to stop the unofficial segregation that's formed out of tricky policy decisions. The issue itself is tragic due to how much more complex the problem is. The documentary showed how there were motivations outside of race that promoted these policy decisions. Some people simply were just selfish and wanted all their funds to make their child the best. Sadly, this issue is still seen today. 

    As a group, we came to the same conclusions quite quickly. We wanted to highlight the struggle for desegregation. Creating the poster was a fun but challenging way of trying to represent this era of reform.