My Reflection on Desegregation

             In Troy, we like to believe we're inclusive and open-minded, but we’ve also never been in a situation where we needed to prove it. The metro Detroit area is still one of the most segregated areas in the country, and Troy is no different. It's easy to point fingers at Francis Howell for being racist and closed-minded. However, what would happen if suddenly our school district was placed in the same position? 

Desegregation only works when everyone is willing to let it. The parents of Francis Howell believed  “schools failed in the past because black children were forced in… not the other part of the equation, that white families chose to leave”. In reality, “in the schools where white families chose to stay, test scores for black transfer students rose”. This proves that the issue with desegregation falls not on lower income transfer students, but the white families who refuse to accept the change in their community. This wasn't the only false belief held by the white families in Francis Howell. The parents of Francis Howell also feared desegregation because of potential danger to their own children. One mom stated, “I deserve to not have to worry about my children getting stabbed, or taking a drug, or getting robbed”. While the mother’s concern for her child is commendable, it is completely unfounded as “Normandy did not lose its accreditation because of violence”.  For desegregation to occur, we all have to possess empathy for those who live in these lower income areas, and the only way to do that is to remain educated on what their situations are truly like. Unlike the parents of Francis Howell who based their opinions of the Normandy students off of untrue stereotypes. To ensure Troy School District remains open to change, the continued education of desegregation is necessary.

Comments

  1. Ingrid HuangDecember 12, 2021 at 1:33 PM

    I completely agree with you Charlotte and I had a similar take away from this podcast! However, I only thought about Detroit being segregated, not right where are in Troy. But you’re right, we have never been put into a situation where racism has been called out, so we need to continue to integrate our school system and community to prevent this like you said. I really enjoyed this blog post, great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Riley LennonDecember 12, 2021 at 5:24 PM

    Wow Charlotte, this blog post really put into perspective the seriousness of this situation. I like how you connected it back to Troy and how we are too are guilty of segregation in our school district- to an extent. It is never really talked about or called out until someone brings it up, otherwise it goes unnoticed. I think it is important that you brought this topic up for our community, and i really enjoyed reading this blog post!

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