Little Rock Central High School: The Case Of Minnijean Brown

Part I: In these two lecture sessions, Dr. Jendian talked about the invisibility of racism in the United States and how we have not been trained to recognize racism. To give an example of this, Dr. Jendian showed us a few minutes of the movie Dumbo. Although this movie seems to be innocent, it shows racism against black people. For example, the people who are putting the tents are black people, and they do not have a face. The song that the “workers” are singing, only has racist phrases such as “harry apes.” On the other hand, textbooks also hide facts about the United States history. According to Loewen, the authors write how slavery affected African Americans; however, they minimize white complicity in this cruelty. For example, Loewen (146) explains that, “[Textbooks] they present slavery virtually as uncaused, a tragedy, rather than a wrong perpetrated by some people on others.” In fact, Dr. Jendian and Dr. Cornel West explained that textbooks try to justify and not recognize that slavery was a crime against humanity. For example, Loewen mentions that nine of eighteen books do list racism, racial discrimination, or race prejudice in their indexes. However, Dr. Jendian explained that in several books these concepts never appear in their text. As Loewen explains, we have molded our concepts on African Americans to justify our actions. Inclusively, Dr. Cornel West explains

“A racist system inevitably destroys and damages human beings; it brutalizes and dehumanizes them, blacks and whites alike” (Kenneth Clark). Kenneth Clark was a very important person in helping the Brown V. Board Of Education case win. Winning that case was important because a state law came into place that said separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. A Raisin in the Sun shows how Clark was right; a racist system affected the way the Youngers’ lived. The Youngers’ apartment in the Southside of Chicago: in the 1950s; significantly affected the Youngers’ lives.

The Tinker versus Des Moines court case involved three minors, John Tinker, Mary Beth Tinker and Christopher Eckhart. These three wore black armbands to their schools to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended following this action. Circuit courts and the Court of Appeals in Iowa ruled that the black armbands were inappropriate attire for school. This case was then brought to a higher-up court. Eventually, this case was brought before the Supreme Court. The students believed that in appealing to the rulings of the separate courts they were protected under the 1st Amendment to show their freedom of speech and symbolic freedom as well.

In Des Moines, Iowa, a group of individuals met at a home to discuss ways to protest the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The group decided beginning on December 16th and lasting until New Year’s Day, the members of the group would fast and wear black armbands to show their opposition to the war. School officials became aware of the students’ protest and implemented a policy that any student wearing a black armband would be asked to remove it. If the students did not remove the armband, then the student would be suspended. The suspension would last until they returned to school without the armband. Three students were suspended until they returned to

In the 1950’s through the 1960’s if one was an African-American one would have to walk three to four miles in the scorching heat to go to their all black school. Jim Crow laws were designed to segregate African-Americans and whites. Before, May 17.1954, the court would use the phrase “separate but equal” to justify excluding blacks from white facilities and services. In one Supreme Court case called Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, the Chief Justice and the other eight Associate Justices on the Supreme Court ruled that all U.S. schools had to integrate. Some schools integrated while other schools did not. Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas is one school where 9 black students volunteered had to go up against the chaos of integration.

This case Tinker v. Des Moines Schools was a very interesting case argued in 1968. A lawsuit was filed against the school after three students, Two of which in high school and one in middle school were suspended from school. The school suspended the students for wearing black armbands protesting the Vietnam war. Two other students wore armbands, but were in elementary school and weren't suspended. The students were fifteen year old John Tinker, sixteen year old Christopher Eckhardt, and thirteen year old Mary Beth Tinker.

The equality of black and white people has been a social injustice for many centuries. In 1957, nine black students were involved in the desegregation of Little Rock Central High (Little Rock Nine). The Little Rock Nine were the most influential group of students involved in the civil rights movement which is shown by the great impact they made making their legacy still stand today.

Winter of 2008, Black History Month, and my third grade music teacher, announces, “Stand up if you would have been a victim of segregation,” following with, “Now, everyone look around.” February. The month of Rosa Parks, “I Had A Dream,” marches, and sit-ins. The month I had begun to despise greater each year. The month where I would be chosen to lead many readings and join classroom discussions, as if my being ‘black’ would provide some clarity that would enhance the learning experience for my fellow peers.

“I might sign to be killed. I believe the white people is trying to fool us (Source 1).” The Reconstruction was an era after the civil war for rebuilding the United States. Colored people were telling the whites that they were free and could go where they pleased and work for whoever they wanted (Source 1). A few years after the Civil War, there were Black Codes passed restricting the rights of African American men and women (Source 2). In the twenty-first century the Blacks education is more segregated than it was during the Reconstruction (Source 3). I argue that the Reconstruction did not successfully solve problems of segregation, Ku Klux Klan, and freedom caused by slavery and the Civil War.

When history is whitewashed, it is filtered to hide marginalized groups and oppression. Recently on the news, textbook company McGraw-Hill stated that the company will rewrite a portion of their book which referred to African American slaves as workers and immigrants (McAfee, 2015). I was offended by the fact that McGraw-Hill even published a book that slaves were called workers and immigrants. To say that African Americans were workers and not slaves changes the whole fundamental history of enslaved populations; workers implies a willingness, when in fact, African American slaves were not willing participants. When you change the wording in textbooks, you change people’s views and perspectives of historical events and their everlasting effects on cultures.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education paved the way for a new level of opportunity for others that followed by making segregation in schools illegal, providing better conditions in the classroom, and providing African American students with more opportunities for the future. In the summer of 1950, 13 African Americans parents tried to enroll their children in an all-white school for the upcoming year. They were of course denied, being that at the time schools were segregated. One particular child really stood out in this case, his name was Linda Brown. Brown had to travel a large distance to attend Monroe Elementary--one of the four black elementaries in the town. On February 28, 1951, angry parents filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education. Brown and his parents were listed first in the lawsuit, which was why it is named after him. The parents were ruled against, but were told that segregation did have a bad influence on African-American children. Finally, on October 1, 1951 the parents and the NAACP

This shows how the freedom of speech the students had was good for them in the future and also our community. “An amicus curiae brief filed by the U.S. National Student Association, composed of college student governments said that allowing more freedoms to students would get them ready for college and make them better citizens” (The First Amendment: Tinker v. Des Moines). According to the brief, more freedom equals better community and better college preparation. This helps the students do better. By giving them more freedom it makes a better future community. This case doesn't only affect the tinkers but also the students at school. If the school district took back the Tinker’s suspension, it would be exposed to the other students which would tell them that there is freedom. By letting them being exposed to more freedom there would be a better community and they would have a better future. Schools are supposed to help students become better at what they do, help them prepare for the future, including college, and teaches students to be "better citizens” and make a better community. In order to do that, school should give students, including the Tinkers, freedom in order for them to succeed in their future. Since giving freedom to the students is good, the Tinkers should not have been suspended for wearing the black armbands. John and Mary Beth tinker should had been allowed to wear a black armbands to school protesting the Vietnam War, which include symbolic speech, and that giving freedom to students will help students have a more successful

(Flanagan vs. Canton Cent. Sch. Dist., 2009). However, on the day Brendon Flanagan was injured, the teacher had to suspend class activities and lecture the students because of their rowdy behavior. The teacher owed a greater duty of care to the students and because of the rowdy behavior, should have foreseen the need to supervise the students inside the locker room. For these reasons, the Appellate Division, Third Department reversed the trial court's decision.

In Longtown, Ohio there is a small town where white and black people for nearly 200 years. I was amazed by this because 200 years ago anywhere else there was segregation against the blacks and they didn’t have the freedom they would have had if they lived in this certain town, I also wondered why they let the two races mix freely. Though now Longtown’s history is fading away because there are biracial relationships and people are forgetting that it doesn’t matter what color you are we are all the same. So the founder of Longtown’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson Connor Keiser is trying to keep that history alive. He says he remembered his childhood with cousins of all colors. The government has considered an original

“I think Jim Crow law should have never happened”, says Mitchell Drumright of my class. I agree with him. Just because Jim Crow is long gone,does not mean that laws of segregation don’t affect us today. Jim Crow’s laws still affect us in the forms of racism, systematic racism, and stereotyping. Though we try to deny it, everyone is affected by systematic racism. Jim Crow either influenced, or started everything in this essay. I hope that you have gotten the gist of the valuable things in this