Where have I
seen evidence of inequities and systemic and structural racism in my school or
community?
This question has many answers but one that particularly struck me was the issue of the Interstate 81 viaduct that bisects the city. The viaduct’s construction in the 1960s decimated the South Side’s predominantly African American communities, which never recovered economically. When a wave of “urban renewal” projects swept the country in the 1950s and 1960s, the interstate project enabled still further discrimination. In Syracuse, I-81’s construction bulldozed the 15th Ward, exemplifying a devastating national trend in which federal and local authorities used interstate construction as an excuse to raze “blighted” neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles to Syracuse, these proved to be cities’ poor and minority communities. As James Baldwin famously put it, “urban renewal … means Negro removal” (Arcadi, 2019). Sixty-six years ago, the unanimous Brown v. Board of Education decision declared school segregation unconstitutional, but many public districts and schools remain segregated by race and socioeconomic status today as was evidenced in Syracuse. In many cases, this was an intentional result of the design of school district and neighborhood school assignment boundaries. Since 2000, for example, 128 communities in states from Maine to Utah have attempted to secede from larger school districts (2020). The secession of wealthier and whiter areas takes local tax revenue from districts and increases the number of schools that are racially segregated.
Debates about opportunity hoarding are not limited to particular regions or states. Even in areas that champion diversity, such as Montgomery County, Maryland the idea of analyzing school attendance boundaries or reassignment plans caused an uproar (2020). White and Asian parents have protested that any changes to school boundaries that would reduce high concentrations of students from low-income families is unfair to parents who have “worked hard” to live in more affluent neighborhoods. Additionally, the use of screening tests and biased admissions practices for gifted and talented programs have historically underrepresented students of certain demographics. Allies should also call on their state legislatures and local school boards to create policies that ensure equitable access to rigorous and advanced coursework for all students.
References:
Arcadi, T. (2019, Sept 18) I-81 set inequality in concrete; its replacement must spread prosperity. Syracuse.com Retrieved from https://www.syracuse.com/opinion/2019/0 9/i-81-set-inequality-in-concrete-its-replacement-must-spread-prosperity-commentary.html on March 28, 2022
Fighting Systemic Racism in K-12 Education: Helping Allies Move From the Keyboard to the School Board (2020. Jul 08). Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fighting-systemic-racism-k-12-education-helping-allies-move-keyboard-school-board/ on March 28, 2022
This question has many answers but one that particularly struck me was the issue of the Interstate 81 viaduct that bisects the city. The viaduct’s construction in the 1960s decimated the South Side’s predominantly African American communities, which never recovered economically. When a wave of “urban renewal” projects swept the country in the 1950s and 1960s, the interstate project enabled still further discrimination. In Syracuse, I-81’s construction bulldozed the 15th Ward, exemplifying a devastating national trend in which federal and local authorities used interstate construction as an excuse to raze “blighted” neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles to Syracuse, these proved to be cities’ poor and minority communities. As James Baldwin famously put it, “urban renewal … means Negro removal” (Arcadi, 2019). Sixty-six years ago, the unanimous Brown v. Board of Education decision declared school segregation unconstitutional, but many public districts and schools remain segregated by race and socioeconomic status today as was evidenced in Syracuse. In many cases, this was an intentional result of the design of school district and neighborhood school assignment boundaries. Since 2000, for example, 128 communities in states from Maine to Utah have attempted to secede from larger school districts (2020). The secession of wealthier and whiter areas takes local tax revenue from districts and increases the number of schools that are racially segregated.
Debates about opportunity hoarding are not limited to particular regions or states. Even in areas that champion diversity, such as Montgomery County, Maryland the idea of analyzing school attendance boundaries or reassignment plans caused an uproar (2020). White and Asian parents have protested that any changes to school boundaries that would reduce high concentrations of students from low-income families is unfair to parents who have “worked hard” to live in more affluent neighborhoods. Additionally, the use of screening tests and biased admissions practices for gifted and talented programs have historically underrepresented students of certain demographics. Allies should also call on their state legislatures and local school boards to create policies that ensure equitable access to rigorous and advanced coursework for all students.
References:
Arcadi, T. (2019, Sept 18) I-81 set inequality in concrete; its replacement must spread prosperity. Syracuse.com Retrieved from https://www.syracuse.com/opinion/2019/0 9/i-81-set-inequality-in-concrete-its-replacement-must-spread-prosperity-commentary.html on March 28, 2022
Fighting Systemic Racism in K-12 Education: Helping Allies Move From the Keyboard to the School Board (2020. Jul 08). Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fighting-systemic-racism-k-12-education-helping-allies-move-keyboard-school-board/ on March 28, 2022