The early 1950s were the start of modern American education, and many problems arose as a result of the changing school system. The Civil Rights movement was at its culmination and thus there was much controversy regarding segregation in schools. In the '50s, there were many violent confrontations at schools, and it wasn't until sometime in the '60s that schools truly started to become more integrated.
The picture on top shows multiple black people, both adults and children, fighting for their right to be educated in an NAACP rally. This is taking place in the 1950s, when segregation was still a major issue. The fight for integration was long, but eventually helped people understand that more racially and economically diverse schools fared better than segregated ones. The fight for integration was a facilitator in many education reforms.
"School Segregation Still Impacts African-Americans’ Minds Decades Later."
PRN.FM, AAAS / EurekAlert, 11 May 2015, prn.fm/
school-segregation-still-impacts-african-americans-minds-decades-later/.
Accessed 16 Jan. 2017.
"School Segregation Still Impacts African-Americans’ Minds Decades Later."
PRN.FM, AAAS / EurekAlert, 11 May 2015, prn.fm/
school-segregation-still-impacts-african-americans-minds-decades-later/.
Accessed 16 Jan. 2017.
The picture right above is an image of a general school building for black people in Camden, Massachusetts. As you can see from the outside, the building is very run down and not anywhere near the quality of white school buildings. By 1900, whites enforced an idea of being "separate but equal" which claimed that black people's education, among other things, was separate but equal in quality to whites. Clearly, that was never the case until real integration of schools.
A Century of Racial Segregation, 1849-1950. Brown v. Board at Fifty: "With an
Even Hand", Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/
brown-segregation.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017.
A Century of Racial Segregation, 1849-1950. Brown v. Board at Fifty: "With an
Even Hand", Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/
brown-segregation.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017.
This is an image depicting George W. Mclaurin in a classroom with white people when he was reluctantly accepted to the University of Oklahoma after being initially denied due to his race. After he was denied, he filed a complaint against the University and won. Although Mclaurin came out on top in this case, he was still segregated in the University classrooms as you can see above. While all the white people sat close together and were interactive, Mclaurin was essentially shut off from the rest of the class and sat in a lone desk in the back. It wasn't until several years later that integration in Universities was established.
A Century of Racial Segregation, 1849-1950. Brown v. Board at Fifty: "With an
Even Hand", Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/
brown-segregation.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017.
A Century of Racial Segregation, 1849-1950. Brown v. Board at Fifty: "With an
Even Hand", Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/
brown-segregation.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017.