This Classic “American Life”

Part One of the “This American Life” podcast on the segregation and integration timeline on the Normandy and Francis Howell schools shows how the government fails to take action on serious topics. I can only imagine what Mah’Ria, Rihanna, and other black children who wished to get a good education went through. It shocks me how although the correct moral choice to allow black students from Normandy to attend Francis Howell is obvious, but barely any action was taking place. Although white families (especially parents) were being extremely rude and immoral and had deteriorated and immoral ideas about the situation, the government is truly at fault. Desegregation is not something people have to fight for. It is something that should already be a way of living.

According to the podcast, 1 out of 2 blacks kids lived in a district where they were “stripped of full accreditation” while only 1 out of 25 white kids were living under these circumstances. This truly emphasizes the academic segregation present in Missouri and surrounding areas. It makes me think about how at the school meeting, one parent spoke about how she, as well as the rest of the parents, believe that this was not a racial issue. However, when the statistics are so clear, how could it not be? That statement is racist in itself. White families in this area have been raised and taught by the government that the issue at hand is not racist, but a matter of safety. If this is the case, why are black students associated with “violence and drugs”? This implanted stereotype contradicts what that mother said, although she would probably never understand that.

Additionally, after so many battles, wars, and years of fighting towards desegregation, it seemed like very minimal progress has been made. By alluding this situation to the Brown v. Board of Education case, which was around 30 years prior to the Normandy battle towards integration, it shows that similar issues are still occurring and familiarizes readers with the intensity and urgency of the situation at hand.

It simply stuns me how much black families have to fight for equality, which should not be something so complex to obtain. Even after black students were allowed to attend school in Francis Howell, many students, like Rihanna, were not welcome there. She did not fit in, despite being an honor student. She was called a racial slur and said it felt like she was getting “stabbed in the back”. White parents parents were scared of violence from black students, but this bullying and racism such as this event invokes the same feeling in black people. If the government were truly doing something to help the situation, then why did they send the black students back to their original and poorly-furnished districts/communities with improper education systems as if they were “cattle being driven back”? The community lacks not only empathy, but basic moral values. Racism and lack of government impact is truly the sole reason for this desegregation.