« A new direction | Main | School board research recap »
September 24, 2007
Nine of one, half dozen of another?The Little Rock Nine are marking their 50th anniversary today. This courageous group of students were the first to integrate Little Rock's Central High School in 1957, and had to be escorted to class by federal troops amid those protesting the school's integration. The original nine commemorated the anniversary at a ceremony today, but also noted that there are significant strides that still need to be met.
"I really didn't understand at 14 we were helping change the educational landscape here in America," LaNier recalls. "All we wanted to do is go to school."When Faubus pulled Arkansas National Guard members from blocking nine students from entering the school, an inflamed crowd gathered to keep the black students out.
Relman Morin, an Associated Press reporter standing outside the school at the time, described the chaos as a "human explosion" when the nine students were slipped inside during a melee.
In an editorial in the Washington Post, Spelman College President Beverly Daniel Tatum draws similarities between the Little Rock Nine and the Jena Six (see past BoardBuzz coverage here). She points out, "The two cases are divided by context, circumstances and 50 years, but at the heart of the conflicts is a fight over something as fundamental as space in a toxic racial climate. In 1957, the contested space was a white school that was formally placed off limits to black students. In Jena, it was the "white tree," a privileged spot of shade from the hot Louisiana sun. It seemed to have been reserved for white use only and it was part of the series of events that led to the Jena controversy."
Tatum wonders what sort of dialogue might have prevented the situation in Jena, and others possible simmering below the surface in communities across the nation. In reference to the noose hanging that started the mess, she says,
Instead of suppressing dialogue, Jena could have treated the noose incident as a teachable moment -- a catalyst for important discussions about the history of race relations in Louisiana and beyond. For instance, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana could have explained to the Jena assembly why she introduced a resolution on Feb. 7, 2005, apologizing that the Senate hadn't passed anti-lynching legislation despite repeated attempts throughout the 20th century.White students might then have realized, in the words of her resolution, that "the crime of lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following Reconstruction." They could have begun to understand why the hanging of a noose could never be seen as an innocent prank.
BoardBuzz agrees with Tatum that a sound, frank dialogue on the topics of slavery, racism, and segregation is necessary to build a culture of understanding and tolerance in our schools and our communities. And if situations similar to that of the Jena 6 happen in other communities the open discussion must be a part of the solution.
But we will never know what might have been accomplished. What is certain is that in the absence of dialogue, violence erupted. The school burned, multiple fights broke out, whites and blacks were injured, and the lives of six young black men were placed in limbo.In the end, the tree -- the source of shade and the symbol of separation -- was cut down. Now there is no refuge for anyone, and it feels like Little Rock all over again.
How is your community contributing to the dialogue? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
Posted September 24, 2007 4:56 PM | Students
Trackback Pings
BoardBuzz Feed
