Racism In Today’s School Systems
By: Robert Antwan Saunders
Despite all of the talk and new trends in our schools today, racism and prejudice against skin color still exists. We are not in a prejudice-free society now and probably never will be. The reasons for this has a lot to do with the government officials, teachers in schools, and people not wanting to take responsibility for themselves and their actions.
In Racism in America’s Schools, ERIC Digest Series, Number EA 49 it was said, “…schools still have a chance to reeducate them.”(2) This was speaking about children growing up racist. The problem with this statement is a lot of teachers and school officials have their own prejudices and views about the Black student or another student of color. Teacher’s have been reported to sit minority students in the back of the class or pay less attention to them when explaining subjects or answering questions. There was a study done by Savard and Argon in a majority white community in Oregon that found racial prejudice exists and could be rising. The study also noted racial stereotyping; racial jokes, and even violent acts were going unpunished by the school authorities. It is often thought that most racism and prejudice in schools come from white peers and white teachers not wanting the Black students and other minority students to achieve academic excellency.
The way to remedy all of that is to promote antiracism in schools. In another study done in Oregon, schools in Lane County created the Racist Free Zone developed by Clergy and Laity Concerned. It was said white students acquire a feeling of protectiveness for the zone, and minority students have a feeling of pride and security. This sort of action may work in small communities, but, on a larger scale, we have to promote diversity in all aspects of the school experience. Teachers should assign minority students and white students to do school projects together, or research and study...