Talking Points #7- Lawrence

Charles Lawrence. "One More River to Cross"- Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies; from The Institution of Education.

Lawrence argues that the implementation of Brown vs. Board of Education was a failure. Schools across the country failed to desegregate quickly. Most importantly, the Supreme Court failed to recognize that African American students were already emotionally and physically scarred from the institution of segregation. Segregation was created to make African Americans feel inferior. This feeling of inferiority and the institution of segregation itself caused their education to be unequal.

• "The Court's failure to recognize and articulate the true nature of racial segregation was more the product of an intentional, knowledgeable decision than the result of any inability to comprehend." This quote is important because it shows that the Supreme Court refused to acknowledge that they fell asleep on the job by allowing segregation to continue for such a long time. By only ending segregation and not admitting that it was created to keep African Americans separate from the rest of the population allowed the Supreme Court to save face in the public eye. By not admitting the existence and true nature of segregation allowed the American public to feel that our country's ideals of equality and freedom for all were actually being enacted.
• "Once it is understood that the injury results from the existence of the label of inferiority, it becomes clear that the cure must involve the removal of that label. The mere placement of black and white children in the same school does not remove the brand imprinted by years of segregation." This quote is important because it illustrates the emotional scars that segregation inflicted on African American children. Removing a label does not stop a child who has been told that he is inferior all of his life from feeling inferior. The damage of segregation had been done. You cannot just remove labels from children and walk away thinking that the problem is solved. Adults and children must be educated to realize that no person is inferior.
• "But the Court has never followed its reasoning in Brown to its logical conclusion. If state-sanctioned segregation injures black children by stigmatizing them (or engendering feelings of inferiority) then they are deprived of an equal educational opportunity by segregation outside of, as well as within, the school systems." This quote is important because it shows that the Supreme Court never acknowledged the intent of segregation. Their decision was only half-complete. The Court made a decision, but they failed to acknowledge the true injustice of segregation. By not admitting the problem, you cannot fix it.

Lawrence's article was a bit long, but it proved that the implementation of Brown vs. Board of Education was a failure. By refusing to acknowledge the problems faced by the victims of segregation, the Supreme Court continued to make African Americans feel inferior. By not admitting these problems, you cannot solve these problems. If these problems go unsolved, they will continue to grow. African American children still felt inferior years after the desegregation of schools. The trauma these children experienced stayed with them as adults. Their childhood experiences had a profound effect on their educational development. This trauma caused inequalities in their educational development. The inequalities in their educational development caused African American children to unfairly fall behind white children in terms of opportunities. As teachers, we must make sure that every child has an opportunity to succeed in life. Every child must know that they are special and of great worth. No child is worth more then another. Our curriculum must include the promotion of fairness, love, and equality.