Segregation Still

Segregation Still

Due to overcrowding in the schools of Tuscaloosa, a well diverse city in Alabama, a couple of parents who happen to be white, complained to school authorities about these conditions. In result the school authorities come up with a rezoning plan to move hundreds of children to other schools. Although this seemed to have been a good solution to a bad problem, many black parents seemed to think otherwise. It so happens that not only is the majority of these children who have been moved are black, but they also been moved to all black, low-preforming schools. The parents of the rezoning children are now calling it resegregation, and illegal at that, for moving students from good schools to worse ones is simply against the law. The parents are now using the federal No Child Left Behind Act as their weapon. This law allows students in bad schools the right to move to better ones. The schools superintendent, and president , who are both white, are claiming that their goal was to " Draw more whites back into Tuscaloosa’s schools by making them attractive to parents of 1,500 children attending private academies...." Currently less then two percent of our nations population are taking advantage of the No Child Left Behind Act, and because of this many children are not receiving the better education that they deserve.

This events could be best compared to the events occurring in the 1950's and 60's when our nation, more notably the south was filled with escalating racial tension and a policy of racial segregation was practiced in the schools. Then, whites received better books, desk, classrooms, supplies, and ultimately the better education, leaving the worst for the black and other racial minorities. During this time was the Civil Rights movement, this time was noted for the many African Americans who stood up for their rights and protested the many injustices that was occurring throughout their cities and towns. One of the most infamous stories concerning racial segregation in the school system was the story about Rudy Bridges. She was the first black person to ever enter in an all white school in the south. This she accomplished at the very young age of 6. Although we, as a nation, have come a long way since this time, there is still evidence of racial segregation in our schools today. Even with the laws protecting people's right, many people's rights's, however, are continuing being over looked and abused.