In 1940, stamps cost 3 cents, the first Social Security check was paid, the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series, psychologists Dr. Kenneth Clark and Mamie Clark conducted a “doll study” However, alarming results were obtained. A study of children ages 3 to 7 tested children's racial perceptions using four identical dolls except for their color.
The majority of children expressed a preference for white dolls and considered it to have positive characteristics. The Clarks' husband-and-wife team concluded that “prejudice, discrimination, and segregation” created a sense of inferiority among black children, which negatively affected their self-esteem.
Fourteen years later, Dr. Kenneth Clark was called to testify before the Supreme Court in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case argued by attorney Thurgood Marshall, head of the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In its Brown decision, the Supreme Court cited Dr. Clark's 1950 article, stating:
“To separate [African-American children] Being discriminated against by others of similar age and qualifications solely on the basis of race creates a sense of inferiority in one's position within the community, which is irreversibly eroded in one's heart and mind. It may have an undesirable impact. ”
›While true, that was only part of the study. Dr Clark was concerned that the court had failed to cite his two other conclusions that he had reached. The idea was that racism was essentially a system unique to America, and that school segregation also stunted the development of white children.
“The court's decision to send black children to white schools is a grave affront to the findings of Brown v. Board of Education,” said Dr. Kevin Washington, former national president of the Association of Black Psychologists, in Final. told Cole. “This resolution has not been adequately addressed.
This led to unfair treatment of black people. The repeated attacks on the curriculum and the banning of books are a throwback to what was actually happening at the time. If the message was about inferiority, blackness, or anything that started promoting something differently, it was challenged,” he said.
“Seventy years later, we are still in a situation of identity confusion. There are some educators who have strong teaching models, but it has always been an attack on the system. Simply sending their children to white schools was not the solution.
The real victory comes when the curriculum changes and its content is positive for Black children from all walks of life. They can see themselves as powerful agents of change and agents of their own destiny. ”
Dr. Washington added: “This is a big issue when we talk about Brown v. Board of Education. The principles on which it was based were flawed, and the environment black students were in was inherently inferior. rather than viewing the conditions in which they live as detrimental to the development and formation of black and brown children's identities.
Black vs. Black Education
In the past, black children were taught only by black teachers. Then, in May 1954, the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education allowed black children to attend white schools. Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick's study, “The Ugly Backlash to Brown v. Board of Education That No One Speaks About,” shows that 100,000 highly qualified black principals and teachers were summarily fired.
White superintendents, school boards, and parents did not want black teachers in their children's classrooms. They also did not want a black principal to lead the school or supervise white teachers.
Fast forward to 2024. Black children attending schools with white children fail to provide Black families with a rich and well-resourced educational environment, an appropriate curriculum, safety, and freedom from white supremacy.
Almost 80 percent of public school teachers are white, but more than half of public schools are filled with nonwhite children. However, research shows that Black teachers produce better academic and behavioral outcomes for Black students than their white counterparts.
The importance of having black teachers dates back to Caroline LeCounte in Philadelphia in the 1800s. He said, “Colored children should be taught themselves.”
A University of North Carolina study found that having a black teacher had positive effects on black students, including higher educational attainment and less discipline, with the effect being strongest for black men from low-income households. I know.
Their research shows that the benefits of having a Black teacher are so significant that students with one Black teacher are more likely to attend college, more likely to graduate from high school, and less likely to drop out. was found to be low. Black boys living in poverty who had only one black teacher were up to 39% less likely to drop out of school and 29% more likely to enroll in college.
Black educators have mixed feelings about Brown v. Board of Education. “I think it certainly helped Black students by giving them access to predominantly white institutions.
I similarly believe that attending a predominantly white school does not necessarily prepare you better than attending an all-black school. I think it comes down to having the resources and enough surplus resources,” middle school math teacher Ashley Cobb told The Final Call.
“Some of us learn in a way that makes us want to be active. The first year I taught was at a freedom school. There is no predominately white institution that can replicate a freedom school.
I also believe, contrary to or contrary to Brown, that some white students would benefit from attending predominantly black institutions, and this trend is now becoming more pronounced. Masu. ”
Kashawn Merritt is a high school math teacher. She told The Final Call:
Before that decision we were doing our own teaching, but we didn't necessarily have upgraded materials. We didn't have the best resources at our disposal. I think the passing of busing and other bills has given opportunities to kids who otherwise wouldn't have had them. ”
A major concern for parents is the high suspension and expulsion rates of black children in American public schools. A study on suspensions and expulsions by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights found that although black boys make up nearly 8 percent of public school enrollment, they account for 25 percent of boys suspended from school and 26 percent of students expelled. It turned out that there was.
Black girls made up 8% of enrollment, but 14% were suspended from school and 12% were expelled. Black children attending public schools are also experiencing an increase in in-school arrests.
“Black students who have Black teachers are less likely to experience unfair discipline or over-policing,” Simon Miller, a middle school special education teacher, told Final Call.
“They are less likely to be suspended, expelled, or even referred for disciplinary issues. Black teachers are also more likely to push Black students into more rigorous classes, such as AP programs or International Baccalaureate programs.
Brown v. Board of Education made black children a target of surveillance for non-black teachers. A study by the Upjohn Institute found that non-black teachers have significantly lower expectations for black students than black teachers. These effects are greater for black male students and math teachers.
White teachers were less likely than black teachers to predict that black students would graduate from college. Research also shows that black students, on average, have lower test scores, attend schools with fewer resources, and are less likely to graduate from high school or college than white students.
Tiffany Harrell, an elementary school teacher, is concerned that states won't follow Brown's order. She told The Final Call: “I feel that many states are not following and complying with the law.
This means that there are still many schools that are disadvantaged by urban schools that don't have the right textbooks, the right technology, and don't offer the same types of courses. ”
“If you go to a predominantly white suburb, you have all the technology you need and your parents have a lot of money. Many states in the South are eliminating many AP classes for African Americans and African American Studies.
A better and more positive outlook
Dr. Washington explained that having a Black teacher is even more valuable in helping students hold their own during class. Seeing a Black teacher tells students that they have value, value, and a visible glow. Black teachers work diligently to understand and unlock the potential of their students throughout the process.
Therefore, students feel connected in the educational context. Moreover, rather than simply disseminating information, it is fulfilling its original purpose of bringing out its high potential.
“When we talk about education, we know that education has three effects on them: it gives them a sense of identity; It tells them what they value and value. It gives them an idea of what they can be and what is possible by seeing educators who are similar to them.
Then they will also understand what they can become. The third issue is that educators are usually able to teach from a culturally relevant perspective. ”
When the Nation of Islam began in the 1930s, its members were instructed to remove their children from the public school system and educate them at home. In 1931, a truant police officer knocked on the door of Prince Elijah Muhammad and his wife Clara.
Officers demanded that the children be returned to Detroit public schools. They, like other Muslim families, refused.
In 1934, Professor Emeritus Elijah Muhammad and 18 other instructors at the Islamic University were acquitted of charges of contributing to the delinquency of minors. However, Muslim families paid a high price to educate their children at the time.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, in his book Torchlight to America, explained that the true purpose of education is the proper cultivation of individual gifts and talents through the acquisition of knowledge.
“We need our own teachers because they think like-minded people and have a desire to give kids what they need,” said Shahid Muhammad, a math teacher at Chicago's Muhammad Islamic University. We need teachers who have that,” he told Final Call. “Black teachers understand their learning styles. They are more likely to have a love for their students and a desire to see them excel.
“The enemy school system centers white supremacy. Many European teachers do not see black students in the right light. Because of their minds, they don't think they are capable of superiority.When black children are in a classroom with a black teacher, they have a better outlook, a more positive attitude toward their students. They tend to have a point of view.”
›