"With all deliberate speed..."

"We need to remember that the fight for school desegregation was not simply a symbolic fight for the acknowledgement of the humanity and equality of all children.  Fundamentally it was a struggle for equal access to publicly funded educational resources.  Clear that struggle continues."

I just wrapped up the introduction and first chapter of "Can we talk about race? And other conversations in an Era of School Resegregation". Dr. Tatum's swift but very informative analysis of the number of court cases that played a significant role in shaping the current educational landscape left me feeling very ignorant yet empowered to learn more.  We have all learned about Brown v. The Board of Education, but could we all cite the negative impact of Milken v. Bradley and the Board of Education of Oklahoma City v. Dowell?  Both cases illustrated the use of housing and busing policies to resegregate our communities and diminish the hopes of equal access and integration that Brown v. Board of Education attempted to actualize. In more recent news, we have seen race-conscious admissions policies being revisited at higher education institutions, however, public discourse about race-conscious policies in K-12 education  is virtually non-existent.  Ironically, any time K-12 education is discussed in the news, we disaggregate data by race and focus on what's wrong with our students and their schools.  

"Leadership in the twenty-first century requires the ability to interact effectively with people from backgrounds different from one's own - an ability that requires real-life experience."

One of the many consequences of living of racially segregated communities is the lack of exposure to and engagement with people who share different racial backgrounds.  Those real-life experiences would help the next generation of leaders dispel myths and debunk stereotypes of individuals from all racial backgrounds.  Dr. Tatum discusses the ABC approach (affirming identity, building community, cultivating leadership) as an attempt to empower leadership among our students.  If students' identities were affirmed, classrooms and schools built a community of support based on shared values and cultivated leadership at all levels, we would be taking steps to foster pro-inclusive schools and classrooms amidst the segregation that still exists. I appreciate her charge to all of us who are in the business of educating students to continue to examine and re-examine our own identities as individuals and as educators.