Talking Points #7 (Lawrence)

"One more river to cross"--Recognizing the real injury in Brown:
A prerequisite to shaping new remedies
Charles Lawrence

Lawrence argues that Brown did not eliminate racial issues but merely started the fire. Lawrence also discusses how unless there is a major movement, the country will never be fully remedied and therefore, will not be able to be a whole nation.

"There would be no final victory in their lifetimes. Each step forwards was just that, a step. There would always be 'one more river to cross'."
This quote stuck out to me for two reasons. The first is that when i was younger, I was a literal thinker. So, when I first learned about the Civil Rights movement in elementary school, I legit thought that "equality" came about and was settled by the 1970s. I thought that just because it was set, it would happen. Obviously, these are the ideas of a naive and unexperiance mind. I soon learned otherwisde, via more education about the Civil Rights movement and the African American struggle for equality (among other groups of difference) as well as in my own life. The second way that this quote stuck out to me has nothing to do with the main context it is used in but rather my own life. It just seems that this describes my homework situation. I live with roomates who "finish" homework. Like literally, they have nothing to do (or so they say). Yet, I sit there and even if I finish homework that is due for that week, I could start some and get a crack at next weeks. And then once I am done school, the way the world is going I feel like I am never going to be "done." I know, teaching is a lifelong process you learn from but I mean like done with tests and training and schooling. I just, I am person who likes to cross things off and I hate it when I just for once want an empty to do list.
"Many black schools that exsisted within the segregated school systems of the South were in fact superior to their white counterparts. It is ironic that most of these schools achieved their excellence as a direct result of the discrimination inherent in a sergreated scoeity , in that the best black professional were foreced in teaching by their virtual exclusions from other fields."
This stuck out to me because in 99% of my research and knowledge of this case, I have never heard this side played. I then did a littld digging and after finding the high school listed in the endnote (Dunbar high school, located in Washington D.C.) and here is what I found. It was the first high school for African Americans students ( I do not know if it meant in America or in DC) and is a very good school overall. Now, here is my problem. I dont really consider DC in the South. Now, that is my opinion so I researched a little to make sure my inclinations were correct and it really isnt in the "South." It is bordering below the Mason-Dixon line, so that is a confirmation in literal terms and during the civil war, if I am not mistaken, DC was considered part of the North. I mean, Abraham Lincoln was president...considering it was under his rule that the slaves in America were granted freedom, it doesnt make much sense to have Washington be confederate. Also, the states did not want a capital of their nation being in Southern territory! To me, the "South" is Tenesse, Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisana and I would even settle for Virginia (parts of it anyway) But to me, this is pushing it. Give me an example of a school in any one of those states and I would be shocked.
"But the Supreme Court has refused to recognize that segregation will not die a natural death."
I feel like this sums up a point that relates to my first quote. Im sure that there are people in the country who think that segregation or racial inequality is not a problem. Like, Im sure those girls on My Super Sweet 16 dont think about those type of issues. But for the author to make such a claim that the Supeme Court of the United States feels and thinks this way is a powerful statement. I am by no means saying I do not agree with her; in all aspects one almost has to. Its just honestly terrifying when you think about it. I mean, if the Supreme Court cannot realize this, what hope does that provide for us? These are the people who make decisions on life altering cases. And I mean life altering for everyone in the United States (abortion, Miranda rights, disproving separate but equal, etc.). Its just...scary. Its like when you hear about corruption in major corporations or rigged elections. Its just not comforting.

Overall, this article was not hard for me to read in terms of the actual content. The writing was a bit wordy and some sentences had to be reread. However, I have done quite a bit of extensive research on the Brown case. In high school, Thurgood Marshall was the focus of an extensive research paper and in my Political Science course first semester, we had to do boook reports/research papers on books on Supreme Court cases. Coincidently, I had to read Simple Justice by Richard Kluger (which is a hefty 880 page book I do not recommend) so I pretty much know the ins and outs of the case through all this research and then through learning about in history classes, political science classes and government & law classes. On a side note, I wonder what Lawrence would think of Obama's win of President elect. I wonder if he would consider this a "step" in the right direction of affirming what Brown got rolling.

Oh, and an apology now if any part of my history explanation of my reasoning of DC is unclear or in anyway inaccurate. My history is a bit rusty and its actually harder to find a clear answer online than I thought it would be.