Racism In Our Colleges Essay

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Racism has been a steady problem all through time. One of the most troublesome

areas of racism is in places of education. Finding a cure for this would be a major step

towards ending racism in general. No one has ever thought of a solution yet, and racism

will be strong as long as there isn't one.

It all started back when the colonists traded certain goods for slaves. They had

never seen a black person before and thought of them as lower human beings because they

did all of the colonists' work for them. Since blacks were so low, they were never given a

good education.

This lack of education continued throughout the centuries. Even in the 1700's

slaves were never taught how to read or write. In the 1800's everyone's feelings about

slavery, good or bad, culminated in one big war, the American Civil War. During this

period, the slaves really tried to break free from their past stereotypes. A small percentage

of them taught themselves to read and write and they began to teach others.

Some blacks even fought in the Civil War. The most educated were selected and

several black units were formed. Once the North had defeated the South in the war, the

slaves were freed from bondage, however, that did not mean that they would be free from

the terrible prejudice that still permeated the country.

Schools sprang up in all black areas but were not given the public funding that they

needed and deserved. They were usually only one room and very dirty. They were given

the oldest and most worn out books and equipment that were available. There weren't even

many teachers who were qualified and were willing to teach at an all black school. Even

though education was instituted for African Americans, which was a step in the right

direction, it was a very small step and still didn't give blacks the education they deserved.

This treatment prevailed for many years after the Civil War. A new concept,

segregation , evolved and was predominant from the late 1800's through the first half of the

1900's. Whites assumed that they were better than black people and didn't want to be

around them in anything they did. For example, in buses, whites were given privileged

seating in front; but blacks had to sit in the back. Moreover, if there were not enough front

seats whites could preempt blacks from their back seats. There were separate restrooms,

drinking fountains, stores and, of course, schools.

Segregation remained the same for many years until one day in 1955 a black

woman named Rosa Parks sat down in the front of a bus where all of the white people

were sitting. When she was told to move to the back of the bus, she refused to budge. This

action set off an uproar among blacks who questioned their rights for the first time.

In the 1960's, the governor of Alabama, George Wallace, was a militant supporter

of segregation. In 1963 two blacks, Vivian Jones and James Hood, sought admission to the

traditionally segregated University of Alabama. According to legislation at the time, they

had every right to go there; but since the governor was so anti-black and pro segregation,

he didn't like it one bit. As the two black students prepared to enter the college, George

Wallace stood in the doorway, blocking their way addressing the need for segregation. He

refused to move, so the national guard was called in to restore order and admit Jones and

Hood to the University of Alabama. This was an important moment in black history

because it marked the first time a black person had been admitted into an all white college.

Although laws pertaining to civil rights were enacted that ended segregation, hatred

and racism still continued; and it appears to be even stronger now than it ever has been.

Today there is no legal segregation in colleges but a recent study revealed that most

southern colleges remain segregated.

In this day and age, there are many diverse ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds

that populate the same colleges. With this great amount of people, there is naturally much

tension between the many groups. From this tension arises the hate groups on college

campuses. Whether they are against whites, blacks or any other groups, they cause many

problems in the steady flow of education.

Although everyone has the freedom of speech, even if the majority disagrees with

it, they do not have the freedom to do whatever they want to fellow human beings. These

hate groups become uncontrollable when they assault or desecrate things that other races

value. In October 1995, two black students from Rowan College in New Jersey were

beaten on the college campus by a couple of white football players. The fight occurred at

the Study Hall pub when racial slurs were used against the black students. When the black

students asked them to quit with the verbal assault, the football players drug them out to

the football field and began to beat them until someone saw it happening. It was stopped

immediately and the football players were escorted away. The two students suffered minor

injuries and have recovered. The football players were kicked off the team and may even

be suspended from the college if charges are filed.

This is just one example of the racial prejudice in colleges, even in a small college

of 9,000 students. In a larger school the problems are understandably magnified. At

Rutgers University in February, the school was racked with controversy. The president of

Rutgers, Francis L. Lawrence, was caught saying that black students do worse on the SAT

tests because they are genetically inferior to other students, particularly white ones. This

incident spurred a protest on the floor of a basketball game between Rutgers and UMass at

half-time. Soon hundreds of classmates streamed onto the court, forcing the suspension of

the game. The one black woman, who started it, is now known as the Rosa Parks of

Rutgers. Lawrence was not reprimanded for his comments but this shows that even the

leaders of schools are not free of prejudice.

But, most of the time it does not matter how large the school is, just how many

students are involved in the riots. Probably one of the biggest school riots in history was at

the University of Massachusetts on October 27, 1986. The World Series had just ended,

where the New York Mets beat the Boston Red Sox. Hundreds of students, many of them

drunk, came pouring out of their dorms. White Red Sox fans began taunting and shoving

black Mets fans. After a while, a huge mob of 3,000 whites were running all over the

campus, chasing and beating anyone they saw who was black. Luckily, only ten of the

black students were severely injured, but that was ten too many.

Black students now are facing the same oppression in schools as there was many

years ago. Groups such as the Nazi skinheads make it very difficult for blacks to get a good

education because they are constantly worried about being verbally or even physically

assaulted. This, however, could be part of the problem says Shelby Steele, a black

professor of English at San Jose State University. He says that because of black feelings of

inferiority, people have exaggerated the level of racism on some campuses and that blacks

should try to move on with their lives rather than be pulled down to a lower level of petty

fighting. "Instead of demonstrating for a black 'theme house,' black students might be better

off spending their time reading and studying."

This kind of hatred is not peculiar to the colleges alone. Many teenagers who are

either in the hate groups or have a lack of faith in equality are made this way through their

high schools. Many high schools are either all black or all white and influence the way that

teens think. The all black schools even resemble the schools of old. They have minimal

funding and...

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