In the face of systemic educational disparities, Black communities confronted numerous challenges that hindered equitable access to quality education. Overcrowded and unsafe school buildings situated far from public transportation posed considerable barriers to attendance. The lack of essential resources, such as desks and textbooks, further exacerbated the educational inequalities. Black teachers, dedicated to their profession, often received less pay than their counterparts, reflecting a stark pay gap rooted in racial disparities.

Rural Black students faced a unique set of challenges, as the demand for farm labor compelled them to attend school for only about four months a year. This limited educational access not only impeded academic progress but also underscored the economic realities influencing Black students' educational experiences. Additionally, the South witnessed a stark absence of universal secondary education for Black students until as late as 1968, highlighting the deeply entrenched segregation that persisted within the educational system.

In response to these systemic inequities, Black communities resiliently took collective ownership of their education. During the nineteenth century, literary societies, libraries, and reading rooms emerged as vital spaces for intellectual exchange and knowledge dissemination within Black communities. Black-owned newspapers played a crucial role in providing information and fostering a sense of unity. Emphasizing collective betterment, Black communities recognized education as a catalyst for individual and collective improvement. This commitment to education extended to the tradition of influential Black leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois, Anna Julia Cooper, Carter G. Woodson, and others, who played pivotal roles in advancing educational discourse and advocating for equal opportunities.

It has been 70 years since the Brown Decision, and yet, the work of desegregation continues. Test your knowledge below and learn how segregation still occurs in public schools.  

Test your knowledge: Is this fact or fiction?

Fiction:

While there is not an accurate count of how many exist, there are a number of desegregation orders still in place across the United States, with estimates ranging from 150-350 (A.P., 2019; Ujifusa & Harwin, 2018). 

School segregation largely happens due to “de facto” segregation, segregation that occurs "by fact," as a result of societal differences between groups such as race or socio-economic status rather than through the law.

Fact or fiction?

Fiction:

The false belief that “de facto” segregation is the motivation behind school segregation is a common and harmful narrative that often erases the influence of “state-sponsored” laws and policies that have created segregated schooling throughout history (Erickson, 2016; Rothstein, 2019). 

Black students were not receiving a quality education prior to school desegregation.  

Fact or fiction?

Fiction:

Even with resource disparities prior to desegregation, there were many exemplary Black schools staffed by high-quality Black teachers (Fairclough, 2004; Walker, 2000). Desegregation efforts broke up many of these spaces causing Black teachers to lose their jobs, perpetuating the false belief that Black schools were inherently lower in quality as opposed to under-resourced (Hudson & Holmes, 1994). 

Issues around segregation, desegregation, and integration are relevant in urban, suburban, and rural school districts.   

Fact or fiction?

Fact:

While much research in this area has been conducted primarily focusing on urban areas, suburban and rural districts continue to be influenced by issues around segregation, desegregation, and integration (Logan & Burdick Will, 2017; Orfield & Frankenberg, 2008). 

Schools can be integrated based on criteria that includes more than race/ethnicity.  

Fact or fiction?

Fact:

Other student characteristics, such as student socioeconomic status, Census tract data, and housing location, for example, can be used to help integrate public schools (Chang, 2018; Frankenberg, 2018). 

There is no support for school desegregation at the federal level.  

Fact or fiction?

Fiction:

In the fall of 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment reinstating the Strength in Diversity Act, which focuses on incentivizing school districts to reduce racial and economic isolation in their school buildings (Strength in Diversity Act of 2020; Ujifusa, 2020). 

We tried desegregation. It didn't work.  

Fact or fiction?

Fiction:

There are important “success” stories in regard to desegregation that are often overlooked in public discussion, such as in Louisville, Kentucky and Hartford, Connecticut. Yet, there are also examples of “failed” desegregation. It is important to remember, however, that many of these “failures” were due to issues that could have been addressed, such as undue burdens placed on Black and Brown families and resistant district leaders actively working to make school integration an impossibility (Erickson, 2016, 2019; Quick, 2016).  

Increasing school choice options creates more equity.  

Fact or fiction?

Fiction:

Incorporating “choice” options in districts does not guarantee educational equity. In fact, there is clear evidence that uncontrolled school choice leads to further segregated schools (Jennings, 2010; Shaffer & Dincher, 2020). 

School integration is a pressing issue today, even if many argue that it is only an issue of the past.

Fact or fiction?

Fact:

While current school segregation rates are still being debated in research, there is general consensus that racial isolation and segregation is a pertinent and urgent issue in U.S. education today (Johnson, 2019).