Inadvertent Effects of Desegregation

798 Words4 Pages
Throughout history, African Americans have faced a great deal of adversity. They endured many years of slavery where they were forced into positions of servitude to the whites. After slavery had been abolished, African Americans were forced to deal with additional controversial matters such as the Jim Crow laws. These laws mandated the racial segregation in all public facilities in the southern states of the United States. These laws also created environments for African Americans that had a tendency to be inferior to those provided for white Americans. But like slavery, it was only a matter of time before segregation would become a focus within the United States. The desegregation movement brought an abundance of positive outcomes, which were intended to benefit the African American community. Although desegregation was for the overall benefit of the country, it was largely implemented in a way that was demoralizing to the African American community. In his book, Acting White: The Ironic Legacy of Desegregation, Stuart Buck states “that the “acting white” phenomenon was an ironic legacy of desegregation” (637), and that the well-intention policies that were implemented eventually led to a reversal of intention thus having an inadvertent damaging effect on African American students. In agreement with Buck’s thesis, desegregation led to the demise of black schools, and the removal of black principals and teachers who could serve as role models. It brought black students in contact with white students who made school a strange and uncomfortable environment. It also enabled black and white students to view the other race as outsiders. Because of desegregation, many black schools began to disappear. The majority, if not all, of the school boards across the south were closed, and many black schools were destroyed in order to promote desegregation. In some cases, some
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