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Black neighborhoods can’t
win for losing
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There is
situation that is currently unfolding in the Acres Home community involving the areas
schools that graphically confirms the old adage: If one forgets his or her history they
are doomed to repeat the mistakes they made. Especially when the people who cause the
problems in the first place, are allowed to also solve them at their discretion. Anyone
educated in the U.S.A, in the past 50 years should know about the lawsuit, Brown vs. Board
of Education in Topeka, Kansas, that desegregated the nation’s public schools and
made separate and unequal education a constitutional violation. Those same
history-literate readers should be painfully aware that desegregating the nation’s
schools were easier said than done.
And if there are any slow learners among our readers, I invite them to this edition’s
front page where they will find a very interesting article. The article will explain why
Aldine ISD is attempting to void the desegregation ruling that forced the district to
educate minority students better than any other district in the state of Texas. The
premise challenges articles (appearing in Houston’s only daily and many weekly
neighborhood newspapers that serve the northwest Houston/Aldine area) that assert that the
desegregation plan has worked so well until it’s no longer needed.
The mere logic of the Aldine officials, who are petitioning the federal court to eradicate
the desegregation ruling and let them run their school district as they see fit is
ludicrous. Some of the same African- Americans who suffered as children, in Aldine’s
separate but unequal schools, have so completely forgotten their history until they
actually believe that the powers that be will do the right thing. Yet, there is no
historical evidence, to support the naïve assumption that people in control will make
fair and just decisions because they are citizens of good consciences.
We Must Understand, history doesn’t lie. No matter how much it is whitewashed or
cleaned up to make evil, greedy people acceptable heroes and role models for future
generations to read about in books illuminating America’s glorious history.
Conversely, the nation’s history dictates just the opposite, therefore it becomes a
real problem when our young people aren’t encouraged to learn their people’s
true history. It becomes an even bigger problem for African-American News&Issues, when
African-American educators and community leaders, who were part of that history, fail to
teach that truth to our clueless kids.
Even worse, some of those same shameless African-American educators and/or community
leaders, who are still being discriminated against, have the gall (or perhaps stupidity is
a better word to use here), to take sides with the people who were responsible for the
unfair treatment that our neighborhoods received in the past without any assurance that,
if given a chance, they won’t regress back to the future. It’s a small wonder
our neighborhoods can’t win for losing, when African-Americans who helped keep Black
people down are held up by the oppressors as our leaders and role models.
Moreso, they immortalize the Uncle Toms who served them well by naming schools and other
facilities in our neighborhoods in their honor. Why do you think so many schools in
America are named after Booker T. Washington, who was hated by most Black people of his
era? I’m not saying that every Black person whose name is immortalized by mainstream
America was an Uncle Tom clone. Then again, it would be downright dumb to believe that
people who have historically disrespected African-Americans are going to honor an
African-American that hasn’t done something to benefit their agenda.
We Must Understand, for a school to be named after a Black man-- by a racist system-- is
tantamount to a Jewish synagogue being named after Hitler. But, that’s not what I was
thinking about when I named this editorial. In fact, I was simply remembering history,
going back to 1954 when schools were supposedly integrated. I couldn’t help but think
of all of our great schools, that were relegated to junior high or even elementary schools
after high school students were bused to the White high school across town. State
championships and even the accomplishments of outstanding students, became history (as in
gone) when schools integrated. We lost so much glorious history and rich tradition in our
neighborhoods, it was almost as if Black kids were born again when they were allowed to
congregate with White kids. For sure, the old black things passed away and we became new
creatures in integrated schools. There were some Black people who believed that the change
was for the better at the time. After all we are not a monolithic people who all think
alike.
Even so, I wish one of those monolithic people would please explain why Black folks always
have to give up something to make White folks right? A perfect example is a once thriving
Acres Home community that rallied behind its George Washington Carver and M.C. Williams
High Schools’ sports teams. Aldine’s White parents flatly refused to bus their
children into Acres Home no matter what the desegregation ruling was. In compliance with the
court order, Aldine simply made Carver an Academy, while HISD was downgrading Williams and
as a result, every high school kid in Acres Home was bused.
Parents began to move closer to their kids’ schools and entire communities grew up
around Eisenhower High School that served the affluent, newly developed Inwood Forest
community. Meanwhile, kids that couldn’t attend Ike were bused to other Aldine high
schools. Aldine’s sports programs became powerhouses and their surrounding
businesses, e.g., construction, boomed, due to the offspring of Acres Home natives, who
moved and left their once proud neighborhood virtually a ghost town.
We Must Understand, throughout America, as Blacks move in, Whites move out and create new
school districts, or private schools. The tax base is negatively impacted and
predominately minority school districts throughout America deteriorate. They call it White
flight.
Consequently Black neighborhoods can’t win for losing. But whose fault is that? |
