Segregation Later, Integration Now?

There is a school in Lancaster, PA that is segregating its students by race and gender.  If you want to read the full story you can check it here: PA High School Defends Plan to Segregate Students by Race & Gender.  In a nutshell though, the black students in this school were academically behind other students, so this experiment was a way to try and improve their performance.  The black students are separated by race and gender for six minutes every day and two 20 minute periods each month. (I think it's just the black students.  The article is not clear on whether or not white students are also further separated by gender.) According to the principal, research has shown that same-race classes led by same-race role models leads to better academic performance and higher self-esteem.  The article also gives examples of how teachers saw tangible evidence that the students are improving.

Of course, this experiment is causing lots of controversy.  Is it better that we recognize an environment, albeit a racially segregated one, that creates a more positive atmosphere for students? Or is it better that we continue in the same integrated atmosphere because morally and ethically it is correct, even if it's at the detriment of our children's education and self esteem?

Can you tell by my phrasing of those questions which side I'm leaning towards?

I agree with the experiment.  I do NOT agree with segregating our schools.

The reason I agree with this experiment is because it is only for small amounts of time.  There is not a white school and a black school.  There is a school with both white and black students who interact with one another on a daily basis except for six minutes every day.  I do not believe that is the same as total segregation.  If these six minutes a day make for a better environment for the rest of the day and the rest of their lives, I see no harm being done to these students. 

Several years ago, I was in a controlled environment with about 50 white and black peers of mine.  We were discussing several controversial topics, including race.  One of the topics I inquired about was, "I don't understand why there are groups like the Black Caucus.  If a group of white students had a similar group it would be considered racist, but we're supposed accept a group like the Black Caucus.  How does that fit in with a society that has worked towards equal rights?"

A black woman responded that the Black Caucus and like groups are necessary because blacks need a place to go where they feel accepted and safe.

I'll admit at first I was not happy with that answer.  Why can't I, as a white person, have that same camaraderie with a group without it being considered racist?  Why is the white race forever damned to be considered racists because of history?  At what point can I not be considered the bad person because I have an opinion, good or bad, on race?

After thinking about it though, I realized maybe she's right.  Maybe every race needs a place where they can go and feel comfortable.  And maybe that's not racism.  Maybe that's just human nature.  For like to seek out like.  If you go beyond race, you find that we do that all the time:  fraternities and sororities, Republicans and Democrats, Alcoholics Anonymous, VFWs, SAHMs and WOHMs, AARP...

We're constantly looking for a group of people that have similar interests and desires.  A place where we won't feel judged for just being who we are and saying what we feel. 

What I think is important to remember though is that these groups should be about growth and seeking to make each member better than who they were when they joined.  Groups that seek to destroy another group are racists and/or bigots.  That is an important distinction.

(That being said, am I just as guilty of discrimination if I do NOT accept groups that have a different opinion of race than what I believe?  I struggle with that one.  When am I just as small-minded as those that I call small-minded?) 

I want my child to grow up in a world where it doesn't matter what color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or age his neighbor is.  I want him to learn to accept all humans regardless of what they look like or what they believe.  If the acceptance of another human being means recognizing that we are different and that sometimes, even just for a few minutes, we each need to go our separate ways, I'm okay with that.

If these students are performing better academically and are able to hold their heads higher because for six minutes a day they feel more comfortable in their environment, I don't believe this is taking a step back.  It's taking a step forward.  We can't run from race differences because it's politically correct to pretend they don't exist.  We need to embrace the differences, like this school is doing, learn from those differences and create a stronger environment that includes ALL children and ALL races.

How do you feel about this issue?  Is this school taking a step forward or is it at risk of creating a pre-civil rights environment?

Please remember that while I encourage debate and constructive comments, I will NOT tolerate meanness.  If your comment offers no other purpose, but to put someone else down, I will delete it.  My blog, my rules.