Here's my response:
"Accusing my motives as creatively disenfranchising minorities is the type of anachronistic race baiting that has deflected attention from a system which has failed and continues to fail our most vulnerable students. I don't care who controls the district, as long as it's the parents and citizens, and not the special interests which have kept us from putting students first. It hasn't been simply African Americans who have stayed with the district, but the poor because they have no real choice. It's no longer white flight, it's economic flight. Those hurting the poor minority population are those who are perpetuating a system which, because of low expectations and blaming lack of parental involvement, are not providing the great equalizer - a quality education - so all students may compete equally in America's meritocracy."We went on to have a very cordial exchange, even finding common ground on many issues and interests, while also identifying other disagreements.
The point is, those who are truly in the fight to put students first must be prepared to, not only endure the slings and arrows of being demonized as a racist or a union basher, but challenge the assertions, not by being defensive, but by not being distracted or deflected from the goal. In other words, and with maximum respect to the originator, keep our eyes on the prize.
I have first-hand experience with the transformative power of education. My own father was the youngest of ten and raised in a four-room farmhouse in the rural Ozarks of North Arkansas. Because of his skill with a basketball, he was the first and only in his immediate family to attend and graduate from college. That simple, but important, accomplishment completely changed the trajectory of our immediate family - for me, my younger siblings and our children. Dad went on to a 46-year career as a teacher, coach and administrator, culminating in 33 years as the superintendent of his alma mater. He had opportunities to go elsewhere for more money, but he chose to make a difference in the lives of his own people - the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of those who grew up in circumstances just like him. When he died three years ago, there were more people - young, middle and old - at his visitation and funeral than lived in their small town.
My father never preached or wore his faith on his sleeve, but by his actions, he did the Lord's work. I am what I am and do what I do because of his example.
Changing one life can truly change generations.
Since I am the one being discussed in this blog I thought it would be appropriate to say that I was not calling you a racist, I don't know you so I couldn't say if you were a racist. I was attempting to enter into civilized discourse about a piece of a proposal that looked suspect to me based on the 1965 voting rights act. As you said we did have a civilized discourse around other issues. We are going to have to learn to do it when race comes up too.
ReplyDeleteSomething I have noticed is that my liberal and conservative friends all want to pretend that race is not involved in this. I would argue that race and class are intimately connected in America.
The debate we are having over how to reform our schools in Little Rock is not new. I would recommend the following to see what has happened in other cities:
Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism
Joseph Crespino, IN Search of Another Country: Mississippi and the Conservative Counterrevolution
Lisa McGirr, Suburban Warriors: The Origin of the New Right
On Little Rock specifically, UALR has done a study of race attitudes on education in Pulaski County:
http://ualr.edu/racialattitudes/county/uploads/2010/03/Y4%20RA%20Report.pdf
There is also a new dissertation on race and the Little Rock School District from the 19th century to the present:
http://www.box.net/shared/hbcn3z4bu6
John Kirk has written extensively on LRSD and the African American community in Little Rock:
John Kirk, Redefining the Color Line: Black Activism in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1940-1970
Race is a part of this conversation. That does not make us racists. We are simply products of our own history. We need to know that history.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, commenting and prompting important discussion.
The post actually wasn't discussing you, but was prompted by your public comments on the Facebook post. And for the record, I never said you called me a racist.
You did, however, clearly characterize my recommendation for the people to determine how they are to be represented on the school board as "a creative way to disenfranchise minority populations from controlling the LRSD."
Is that how to begin a civilized discourse on race?
A.C.A. 6-13-631, in compliance with the Voting Rights Act, provides three options for zoned districts (those with 10% or more minority population): 1) Five Zones, 2) Seven Zones, or 3) Five Zones and Two At-Large.
In the mid-1990s, the Little Rock School Board, not the people, determined that Little Rock would be seven zones.
My proposal is simply that the people, by election, not the incumbent school board whose offices are at stake, should determine how they will be represented.
While I appreciate the recommended bibliography on race, I would ask that you stay on topic and share specifically as to why you believe the people's deciding among the three options afforded would, as you wrote: 1) "disenfranchise minority populations from controlling the LRSD" and 2) "hurt the minority populations of the city."
In my view, the current system disenfranchises and hurts the entire population of Little Rock, and if the achievement gap is any indicator, low income African Americans far more than others.
Gary
Your certainty that you are committed to a color blind act of justice by your proposal is exactly why you should read the bibliography. We are a representative democracy as you know. The board can be changed if we want to change the zones. I think a case can be made by Chris Heller that this proposal will disenfranchise much of the minority population that now controls the board. Your proposal seems to me to be a proposal that would create more white districts that would allow west little rock to control the school board. We can agree on good schools for all and allow the black majority who send their kids to LRSD schools to control the schools. African Americans want the same things we do....good schools for their kids. The answer is not to alienate them by taking away their political power. The readings give a background for all of this.
ReplyDeleteRace matters in this debate. It is the central thread that runs through American history. It is part of the question that you are trying to answer. We can not ignore race.
We agree by the way, that the current system hurts African American kids. I will gladly join you in fighting this system, but not by taking power away from the African American community. We have real structural problems that date from the mid-sixties (see the dissertation for the background.)
We have to fix our schools. There are many of us working on it. I hope we can work together.
On your final point, deal. There should be universal agreement on the ends. It's those pesky means.
ReplyDeleteAs for the others...
I remain incredulous at your continued characterizations and assumptions – the latest being my awareness of the impact of my proposal, my depth of knowledge about and commitment to racial history and equity, and your stereotyping of the citizens of West Little Rock.
Of course Mr. Heller could make the case you described. He's the attorney for the incumbent school board, which has a vested interest in preserving current members' positions.
We can't assuage ourselves that we're progressing on racial equity and reconciliation by supporting control of the district by any particular race. When only 1.6% of all registered voters are participating (last school election), it's apparent that no group truly values control enough to be engaged, excepting those who benefit most from continued low voter turnout - incumbent board members, central administrators, and the teachers union.
Which will be of most long-term benefit to students of all races and cultures – protecting incumbent governmental officials or making sure that every student reads at grade level? The latter will do infinitely more for racial equity than controlling any board or protecting any position.
Deliberately and/or by inaction, the people of Little Rock have been systematically disengaged from the governance of their schools. It is patronizing and wholly undemocratic to say that any single group, other than the citizens of Little Rock, should control the district.
Nothing should deflect or defer immediate delivery of world class education to all students.