Historical Spotlight: The Hidden Cost of Integration
Families around the country are gearing up for a brand new school year. From checking off supply lists to meeting faculty during open house, August is a busy time of year. Educators spend a massive amount of time with children and often leave lasting influences on their growth and development. For Black Americans, it’s important that our children are around adults who will advocate for their safety, progression, and well-being while in a school setting. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on the impact of integration on the public education system and how it led to over 40,000 Black teachers getting pushed out of the classroom.
When we think of integration, we immediately see all of the positive benefits like better facilities, unrestricted access, and improved conditions, but we often gloss over the very real negatives that unfortunately cropped up too. Some studies show that integration pacified the Black community a little too much and took the fire out of putting foot to pavement before every initiative was fully accomplished, thus limiting the potential growth that could have been achieved.
There was also an increase in racial hostility and violence simply because Black Americans demanded and received better restrooms, schools, public transportation, and other basic liberties that were supposedly already guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. There was little to no reprimand for the harassment from the dominant society and many Black Americans learned how to travel, look out for each other, and move around to avoid unnecessarily becoming targets.
One thing that is rarely highlighted is just how deeply integration impacted schooling for Black children. We all know that education and learning was deeply discouraged during slavery, so much so that the slaves developed their own languages and taught each other in secret. Once slavery was outlawed, learning was still suppressed since Black children were forced to go to underfunded schools that were often short staffed and lacked appropriate resources.
Segregation led to numerous Black-only schools opening around the nation in order to ensure Black youth got access to education that was banned for many of their parents and grandparents. Black schools like 33rd Avenue School in Gulfport, Mississippi supported a community of kids with teachers and staff members who genuinely cared. Even once they were adults, the alumni of the school recall the strict disciplinarians that made home visits about disruptive classroom behavior, the camaraderie created amongst their classmates, and the life lessons that have stuck with them over time.
Many of the Black schools during Jim Crow operated from the 1920s up until 1969 and educated thousands of children while creating a sense of community pride. Since most of the schools were located right in the neighborhoods of the kids, they were integral to combating the rampant racism and discrimination that kept them out of the other school systems.
Lifelong lessons like typing were learned within walls that were often overlooked by the dominant society. The children who were lucky enough to experience Black teachers and staff that looked like them were greatly impacted and prepared for dealing with society as a whole.
There were some programs like Mississippi’s School Equalization Program that increased spending on Black schools in an effort to avoid integration but it often still wasn’t enough to make the underfunded schools educationally competitive to the predominantly white ones that received more funding.
Once the Civil Rights Act of 1964 cut off federal funding to school districts that continued to practice segregation, public schools were forced to change their rules. In the districts with primarily white attendance, many parents fought tooth and nail against any Black children or even Black teachers interrupting their homogeneous ecosystem. There were mobs and violence targeted directly at elementary-aged Black children like the Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges simply because of their skin color.
Even though integration increased opportunities for Black children on paper, once they were switched over to the predominantly white schools, they often weren’t graded fairly or allowed to participate equally in activities. Many Black children were also bullied and harassed while walking to school through white neighborhoods.
On the flip side, many of the already struggling Black schools were forced to close their doors after some of the staff left in hopes of joining better funded school systems. Unfortunately, discrimination often reared its ugly head and white superintendents refused to hire Black teachers to appease parents who didn’t want them in the classroom.
By 1970, almost 40,000 Black teachers had lost their jobs. Integration dwindled the number of available positions for Black teachers drastically and effectively removed the alternative of Black-only schools. Many Black teachers who successfully moved to predominantly white schools were demoted even despite years of experience, advanced degrees, and time in the classroom. They often had to work under younger, less experienced white colleagues and were disrespected by the white children they were expected to teach.
Jim Crow forced Black professionals to be twice as educated to get half as far with meager positions. Most Black teachers had advanced degrees and many were unable to put them to use after integration forced them out of the classroom.
The fact that Black children were forced into tumultuous and often violent situations in predominantly white neighborhoods and schools was controversial since integration didn’t work in reverse. There were very limited white children who were forced to switch to predominantly Black schools, which might have helped reduce the volatility of change.
The effects have continued through history and are a major contributing factor for why 82% of public school teachers today are white. The low starting wages for educators is also a huge barrier for young Black teachers to jump into the field and many refuse to get involved unless it’s truly their passion.
Black schools were a very valuable part of the Black support system that has unfortunately been lost over time. There have been studies that have shown that Black students perform better when learning from Black teachers, but unfortunately, only a small segment of Black children actually get to experience those ideal conditions. Even today, predominantly Black schools are few and far between and you still have to do your due diligence to provide your child with a steady, consistent environment to learn.
As you gear up for another year of academia, remember that discrimination, segregation, and unfortunately integration all played a role in why there are so few Black faces in classrooms today. While the system has always tried to minimize and prevent Black kids from getting an education, it’s important to nurture their reasoning and complex thinking so they can grow into happy, healthy, productive adults.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
