Brown Takes on Board of Education

Question: What is the relationship between the historical issues you see in the website on Brown vs. Board of Education and the contemporary issues of race that Bob Herbert and Tim Wise raise here?

        The website informs viewers of the events that took place from 1954 to today. It has all been a battle to change the way the "law of the land" affected blacks. Americans of color were condemned to second-class citizenship in the 1900's even though the end of the Civil War was suppose to bring racial equality. The website informs us that they rose to "dismantle constitutionally- sanctioned segregation." The exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History was only open for one year because of the 50th anniversary of the major turing point in history.
        Tim Wise discusses the bias in school regarding racism in schools. He feels that if we work equally hard then you should have the same opportunities. A quote from him about this is if we are " a truly equal society then we should have a truly equal society." The second video clip discussed civil rights, and voting. He kept saying that the whites are in denial. He backed this up with the fact 2/3 of whites said more blacks want to live off of welfare but only 1 out of 7 African Americans in the country received any kind of public assistance.
        Bob Herbert discusses the topic of children growing up in a poor community and how this affects how they do in school. The best teachers try to avoid these areas. The students are already behind because they do not have much assistance at home and now they are stuck with teachers who are not as qualified as they should be. His argument was that if a poor student is taken and placed in an environment with people in the middle class they tend to begin to do better in school. But depending on their race there may be racial and ethnic integration.
     In Brown v. Board of Education, a final statement was "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." The website, video and article all focus on an issue that has been affecting society for a very long time. There have been several attempts to gain equality for all no matter what race or ethnicity. Some have been successful and some have failed. Although the issues in the historical article are not as intense and terrible as they are today. I feel that teachers all need to be educated in the same way and not be afraid to take a risk and go into a poor community and make a difference.  The students are already struggling and need help and positive guidance.