15 year-old Dorothy Counts, the only Black student in her newly desegregated school, is harassed by white students. Family friend Dr. Edwin Tompkins accompanies her. North Carolina, USA, 1957

submitted 6 months ago by

15 year-old Dorothy Counts, the only Black student in her newly desegregated school, is harassed by white students. Family friend Dr. Edwin Tompkins accompanies her. North Carolina, USA, 1957

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So, back then, they had white schools with white students and white teachers, and black schools with black students and black teachers.

I saw an interview with some black teachers from back then, and apparently, the black teachers recommended that the teachers be integrated before the students. Start with adult black teachers going to teach at white schools. Adults who truly knew what they were getting into. Adults who could pave the way and make life slightly easier for the children to follow.

It’s hard enough being a kid to start with, but intentionally putting children into such situations seems so obviously intentionally cruel.

grue@lemmy.world

6 months ago

And thus you explain why they didn’t do that.

Trying to sabotage a thing they can’t prevent entirely by forcing it to be done in the worst way possible has been a political tactic since forever.

idiomaddict@lemmy.world

6 months ago

That’s only part of it. These vicious morons also truly believed that black teachers were worse and therefore didn’t want their children “disadvantaged.”

NABDad@lemmy.world

6 months ago

Also, after integrating the schools, they didn’t need as many teachers and administrators as they did before. Guess which people they kept.

III@lemmy.world

6 months ago

Isn’t it comforting to know that in today’s world we would just fire the ones making the most money or replace them all with an overly expensive AI? Progress…