Racial, Socioeconomic Segregation Still Rampant in Schools

The impact and history of racial segregation in America is well documented. It has moved in theory from the 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case that determined that "separate but equal" was constitutional, to the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson and ruled that segregation was "inherently unequal." Although segregation is no longer the law, it is still a very real part of America, in particular in education where the Brown v. Board of Education decision was supposed to obviate such practices.


A new study based on a new analysis of Department of Education data shows that whites are still largely concentrated in schools with other whites and that black and Latino students tend to be in class rooms mostly with other black and Latinos. The report was authored by Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles. Orefield suggest that “Extreme segregation is becoming more common” in America.

The reported noted that across the nation, 43 percent of Latinos and 38 percent of blacks attend schools where fewer than 10 percent of their classmates are white. , according to the report, released last, findings suggest that blacks and Latinos are twice as likely as white or Asian students to attend schools with a substantial majority of poor children. In fact, more than one in seven black and Latino students attend schools where fewer than 1 percent of their classmates are white based on enrollment data from 2009-2010.

States such as California, New York, Georgia and Texas, and cities including include Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington demonstrated the most defined patters of racial segregation.

The report’s authors are critical of the Obama administration failure to pursue integration policies, and noted that the Administration’s support of charter schools was helping create “the most segregated sector of schools for black students.”

Ode to Miss Anne

As I have recanted an inordinate amount of time, I am a country boy. I’m proud to be a country boy and from flip flops and socks, to wearing my hair in Plats, I personify that pick-up truck driving, wild boar throat cutting while its live, Jones who owns throwing axes, rifles and 11 acres to personification.

This weekend, in-between auto junkyards looking for some parts to fix my truck, or get it fixed, I stopped by an associate of mine Birthday party. His woman had asked me to come through. Now this not one of my real folk but he my folk and I see him regularly at this little Jamaican redneck joint in Fairburn, Georgia called Latitudes. Now I’m in Palmetto, and to put into perspective it is about six miles down Roosevelt Highway from my spread.

The bar, well, they serve Jamaican food, is owned by this kat named Les who is originally from Negril, Jamaica. Like I say, he a cool kat, and a real Rum dranker. The catch is that since it is in the country, half the clientele are NASCAR, bud-drinking rednecks. And they my folk and I love them.

While at the party, one of the bartender, all of which are women, Miss Anne, had added a dish to the buffet – Brunswick stew. If you all aint never heard or tried it, let me tell you it’s the bomb. Again, from me, this country boy, for if anything, you all should know I love sports, getting head, sex, Tequila and Food.

Miss Anne is my girl, she an ole white woman that legend tells us, can cook her ass off, like all of the other r bartenders according to patrons. And I’m glad to be one. The bar is better than Cheers, I mean everybody knows your name and what you drinking. Not to mention the pool tables and DJ that be dropping the best cuts from the ATL to Memphis, as well as country music. Everybody needs a placed like this to go too. And if any yawl in town, best believes I’m gone take yawl there. Now back to this stew. The bomb in one word. And to show how country I am, it was made with pork, possum, Rabbit, Chicken and squirrel. All I could recognize was the squirrel.

Nothing soft about that

I often spend the precious pages of cyberville talking and pointing fingers at my folk and myself. It even pains me to do such. But this weekend in Atlanta, from Thursday until Saturday, I have been paid by stupidity once again. Not just because I hate how some folks promote nonsense, but also because the reality is that these folks are still my brothers and sisters.

This past weekend in Atlanta, BET hosted their annual hip-hop awards show. It wasn’t a troubled weekend with al the folks in tow but there were two events that caught m attention and the attention of the community as a whole. On Thursday night, it was alleged that J. T. Money (originally of the Poison Klan) was wanted for his possible role in a shooting at a Club in midtown called Opera. This event resulted in the death of a young man. I still can’t figure why a person who is going to a club, would take a gat. I mean it is not like one is expecting an old fashion meet me at sun down shot out.

The second occurred Saturday evening before he awards show. Atlanta’s own Clifford T.I. (T.I.P) Harris was arrested at a Walgreen’s parking lot at the corner of North and Piedmont Avenue. Not just a simple arrest but one involving two felonies including the possession of three unregistered machine guns and 2 silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Now what gives here? According to eyewitnesses, the ATF and local police swarmed the parking lot, forced TIP and his folks to the ground and did their due. I am just troubled because back in the day, a brother would never purchase a silencer. Instead we used potatoes.

Now I love my guns too, and may or ma not have some of the weapons that he was charged with having – but I ain't no convicted felon. Is it the fame, or is it down right stupidity that brings the even to the fore? I cannot figure it out. With all that loot, you think that people could move beyond that type of dumb shit. Isn’t one machine gun enough? I guess now, like cars and watches, greed and big headedness makes folks, at least some figure they have to stunt and show out and front like they are what the are not. And say stupid, because according to reports, he bought the weapons from his body guard of seven months, who was a cooperating witness in an ATF who had been caught trying to purchase guns from a under cover federal agent a few days before.

If anything can come out of this it is a message documenting the importance of education. Young boys, education is the key, Books is the key, they allow you to see the world and learn about others as well as one’s own self. Ain’t nothing weak or soft about education, books and learning. We need to get of that dumb shit and value what is really our divine right – being free, sovereign and thinking beings, or else we will never learn and will only increase the populations of prisons. So pick up a book and take your education seriously, because that’s what’s really real, and ain’t nothing soft about that. Cause now Mr. Harris faces the serious possibility of serving Federal time and may have wasted an extremely prosperous career.

watermelon man

Bridges aside, I have more pressing things on my mind and as usual they focus on my community. I’m not gonna say that we killing our own over peanuts, but it may turn out to be such if and when the assailants are caught. Yesterday here in the metro Atlanta area, a man was shot to death early while selling watermelons from the back of a truck in Chamblee.

Juan Morales was killed on his 39th birthday and lived in a rural area of Georgia were he served as the pastor of a church. They say this married father of one, was accosted by two men who asked about the prices of his watermelons. All it too was one shot. Police say four men in a silver Cadillac tried to rob them and that one of the men pulled out a gun and shot Morales.

I do not know about you, but over watermelons? Or over the price of watermelons? Is it that bad that folks are s lazy that they would rather rob and kill that put in a god 40 hrs a week? I feel sorry for this mans family and his friends and even more so for our community. I just hope when they find them, they are not Black and are not from New Orleans, because we have seen an unfortunate rash of criminal activity in the Atlanta area from the hands of transplanted folk from the boot- mostly African American males. Thanks Mr. President for saying you love the black folks displaced by Katrina. How can I belive thes when you spend more money rebuilding Iraq than you do for them?

the kind of guy u take home to momma

I do not know what to make of our incessant acts of violence and disrespect towards one another. This past week was no different. One would figure with all of the festive activities and parties and evens going on around the country.

Around a week ago, Jeezy had a party for the platinum success of his new Album at this swank ATL nightclub. From what my folks tell me, there was little incidence in which a man beat down a young woman. The alleged man is Rodney Hill and he is the boyfriend of soulstress Monica. According to reports, the altercation occurred the night of Young Jeezy’s platinum party in Atlanta, GA at the Velvet Room. They say the party was packed and everybody, especially the women, were pushing and trying to get as close to the gangster rapper Jeezy. Even in the VIP, it was reported that the party area was extremely crowded. It was at this time it is reported that a diminutive woman was said to be standing in front of Monica’s fiancé “Rodney Hill”.

After which, it is said that his glasses were caught in the young woman’s hair and he went into a raging triad while all the time the young woman was apologizing to him. Onlookers who saw the event first hand alleged that Mr. Hill then grabbed her by her hair, pushed her to the floor and started to pound on little momma. It is stated after he beat her up and when the young woman stood up, her eye had been beat shut. It is even said that he wanted or threatened to beat up a friend of the young woman with a bottle. Need I not say that Mr. Hill was not arrested for this act of manliness?

I don’t see how any woman first of all would want to marry a man that beats on women. I do not want to say this is the woman’s fault, for I feel that no man should hit any woman (unless they are giving their daughter a spanking). However, I wonder what was it that lead this woman to be so caught up to see a rapper. One could suspect she was even intrigued by his self-proclaimed thug and gangerstism, which again, I do not see what a woman would find so appealing about a man that purports a propensity and enjoyment for hurting people in his community by killing and selling drugs. I will say that It does not surprise me.

Many of these men have no home training and couldn’t even spell or use the words gentleman or responsible in a sentence. Where were the men at? I mean they so hard and stuff, they should have whipped his ass. Oh, they likely beat on women too. However, women flock to these events I guess in hope of being choose and used by a fool. Even if they know this person via their lifestyle, running back and forth to jail (maybe even prison)will likely always lie, and cheat and be unfaithful and uncaring to his significant other. I would like to think that we can all make the tiny steps to stop this nonsense. However, it seems as if we never will as long as folks like Rodney Hill and Jeezy are the kind of men women want to take home to meet their parents and our little boys want to grow up to be.

Hey Rodney, find a man to beat up on. You can step this way, but I apologize, I don't beat up on women.