The New Jim Crow Era (All Series)
Black Only |Modern Parallels
isolated school
I remember learning about the Jim Crow era as a black girl in fourth grade. Even though I was in a crowd with a white mother, I thought about what would have happened if I had gone to a school with only other black kids, so I wouldn’t have been able to get into some of her spaces. My mother’s interracial relationship was thoroughly condemned and probably dangerous for our family in the Jim Crow South.
My black father told me about being spat at as a boy in Kentucky, an experience he never imagined until he went to study abroad in Italy. There, an old Italian man spat in my face for being black or American or both. I don’t know which one. Nevertheless, it was traumatic, to say the least. When I came back from studying abroad, I thought I was glad to be living in America.
Certainly, this kind of overt racism from the Jim Crow era will never return to this country. There, black people are seen more for their skin color than for their personality, spaces are divided for specific races, and people’s prejudices exist. Does skin color trump human decency and equality? Don’t let that history repeat itself! Will we ever return to the days when standards were lowered or raised based on which color in the crayon box suits your skin?
We’ve learned from our past mistakes during the Jim Crow era, right? Or will we see a resurgence of a new type of racism that pervades most public institutions, including our nation’s public schools, not just in the South?
black people only
“Would you like to give some advice to the black gal magic club?” a colleague eagerly asked me at school one day after a long day of teaching 9th grade English learners and students with low reading comprehension skills. Ta.
“Which club?” I answered, more than a little surprised.
“I’m launching the Black Girl Magic Club as a safe space for Black teenage girls who attend Ranch.” -It was the nickname of San Juan High School.
The school’s demographics were primarily Hispanic, with a minority of African American students and an even smaller number of female students. So the proposed Black Girls Magic Club would probably consist of seven Black girls, some of them mixed race. Only black advisory teachers will be present at the meeting. The colleague who asked me to participate also created a “Black Lives Matter” lesson for all teachers to use in their homerooms, often complains about microaggressions from their colleagues, and has a large Obama poster in their classroom. He was known for putting it on. Let’s just say our skin color was one of the only things we had in common. But that was enough for her to ask me to advise the club with her, the only black teacher on campus. I politely declined the invitation.
This got me thinking. Will a white girl magic club be allowed? White students were a minority in my school district. Middle school and high school students can be brutal towards anyone, and I witnessed considerable bullying against white students. However, a white girl magic club is absolutely not allowed. In fact, if a white teacher dared to propose this idea, she would probably face repercussions, including national news coverage.
When I raise objections to this kind of separation and privilege based on skin color, the rebuttal often goes something like this: Next it’s our turn. ” This is why among progressives and leftists the word equality is rejected in favor of equity. They want to use so-called reverse racism, in other words, to justify racism against white people, to force a vision of fairness on society: equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity. For them, excluding certain races or giving special privileges to different races is perfectly fine as long as white people are excluded and minorities are given special privileges.
This is why in 2020, in the aftermath of the George Floyd riots and the Black Lives Matter movement erupting across the country, I received a gift in support of my school district simply because I am a Black teacher. A group of parents collected gifts for about 20 black teachers in the district. The items included “I love being black” stickers, “Black Educators Matter” masks, honey body wash, and a letter saying “ancient Africans.” Greetings ‘Hotep’ and a label with a black fist of power drawn along with the outline of the African continent.
The black ancestors I know are from Jamaica and India. It was an incredible gift, to say the least – the height of pandering. I wrote a letter of protest to the school board. In it, I stated that I would rather be recognized as a teacher for my work in the classroom than for the color of my skin. I also wrote about divisive ethnic studies classes that included critical race theory. Because of this, I was called “anti-people of color” by the board president. What a switch! From being honored with a special gift to a black teacher, to now being labeled a racist!
I recently spoke with a fourth-grade teacher I know in the Fresno Unified School District (who wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons). During her appearance at the district meeting, a special tribute to Black educators was held, with speakers wearing “Thank You, Black Educators” shirts. What’s interesting about this story is that there were no black educators in the room. She also said this year, as part of the district’s Rise program, all Black students are being awarded a special certificate at a ceremony. It was created to honor the accomplishments of African American students in the district.
My anonymous teacher said that students who fail multiple subjects are rewarded with academic achievement, and students with persistent behavioral problems are rewarded with citizenship. No other race in her district hosts such a special event. Exclusively for black students. Now, if you imagine reversing the races, giving special thanks to white teachers and special awards to only white students, and transposing this story to the 1940s, how easy it would be to You can see if it applies to Southern Crow.
In the next film, the so-called progressives brought back all the elements of the Jim Crow era.
