Blog #9

The name of the articles for this blog is: "One More River to Cross" Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to shaping New Remedies by Charles Lawrence and Whites Swim in Racial Preference by Tim Wise. In my opinion, Lawrence is arguing that segregation laws that were passed only applied to the school setting and that blacks were still very much segregated from whites and privilege in larger society. Brown v. Board of Education case was intended to level the field of education and opportunity between whites and blacks but as Lawrence states "If one views the Brown case narrowly, as a case intended to desegregate the nation's schools, history has proven it a clear failure." I don' t agree with every part of this statement because it sounds like Lawrence feels as if the judges decision really almost did nothing about solving the problem of racial divide, I don't have the perfect remedy for abolishing "white privilege" but I think this case provided blacks some great opportunities in a bias white society. Another quote from this text that I found interesting was on page 283 when the Warren Court said "to separate negro children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community in ways unlikely ever to be undone. This inferiority has a tendency to retard the educational and mental development of negro children." This statement does show that the judges recognize a serious issue in blacks getting a solid education and that by segregating schools you create a inferior complex within the black community. I agree that more should have been done for trying to equalize the races other than just desegregating schools and that blacks needed more intervention from a white society but I believe the judges intentions were meant in a positive way towards blacks. One more quote I would like to use in blogging for this article was on page 289 when Lawrence states "In 1954 we believed that school integration would break down racist attitudes by bringing white and black children together." I think this is true in our society in 2008, Kozol, Johnson and Lawrence have showed there are still parts of his society that treat blacks as inferior but as a country we are on the verge of electing a black president and a man that I will vote for. I think what happened in the Brown v. Board of Education has opened more doors for blacks than this author thinks and hopefully progress continues in the war against white power and privilege. In the article by Wise he shows some very glaring insights into the huge disparity of races in our society. One of the comments that was eye opening was the quote " A full time black male worker in 2003 makes less in real dollar terms than similar white men were earning in 1967." Wow! It is disgusting to think that human beings in our society would try to hold back another person's earning power because of skin color, this country is doomed if that mentality continues. Another quote in this article was taken from President Bush, who thankfully is almost done as our leader, when he attacks minorities on the case of affirmative action. The President attacked the points given out to minorities at a college university as excessive and unfair to whites when in reality whites have the opportunity to receive more credit for this college and be accepted more easily than minorities. This is typical propaganda from a person who used it to sell a war to the American people. I think the President is using his influence to support and keep alive the " white privilege and white power."