I currently teach US History and Civics to 11
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and 12
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grade students at a predominantly African American, Intra-District Magnet High School. This is an inclusive educational environment, and my role as a PPT Chairperson is to provide support for special needs students with challenging behaviors and low-academic performance. This is an alternative placement, where students come from "sending schools" throughout the district, where they have experienced very little success in their educational environments. Our school diversity is as following, 71% African Americans, 28 % Hispanic, and 1 % white with a total of 99% minority enrollment. At our school, the students flourish and benefit from a small and flexible learning environment, a nurturing administration, as well as having the opportunity to build on small successes. Our mission statement is that the staff will engage, value, challenge, and provide success to all of our students. Our vision is that our students can grow to higher levels of achievement in spite of other challenges that they face.
Good things are already happening at our school. We provide a mentor program, volunteer service credit program, shadowing and internship opportunities, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training programs, school to career counseling, flexible scheduling, smaller class sizes, individualized attention, community support for the student and family, and leadership training with emphasis on character, growth and future planning. Our graduation rate deserves mentioning; out of 66 graduates, 63 pursued higher education.
As a History teacher, I found that the students are lacking knowledge in many turning points in American history, including knowing about efforts of a pan-humanistic organization like the NAACP. When I asked the question "who can tell me about the NAACP?" Only one student said that he had heard of the group. I realized there was a disconnect of the past with my students while they were watching the documentary, Little Rock, 50 years later. Over sixty years ago, Little Rock Central High School became a symbol of the struggles and hopes of the Civil Rights Movement in regards to education. The NAACP played an imperative part in providing legal support and advocacy to integrate schools.
The disconnection exists when discussing the past role of this organization and many Civil Rights activities. I recognize that students don't see the advantages in fighting for civil liberties until it directly affects their welfare. One of my students asked,"Why is the NAACP needed at this time?" He stated, "Black people don't have the same problems now, like back then". It occurred to me that this could be a "teachable moment", and an excellent opportunity for the students to answer, "Is the NAACP needed at this time?" This unit will explore the history of the NAACP's landmark cases concerning Racial injustice in Education and Mass Incarceration. The students will determine the present needs of the organization, if any, and debate about whether the organization is necessary at this time.
"Is the NAACP needed at this time? The NAACP has been very successful in making major changes in this nation. Their track record speaks for itself, an organization that took on both policy and cultural concerns. No other organization can compare to the NAACP with promoting civil liberties for the citizens of color in the United States. The past need for the organization has been to address white racism in the school house, court house, jail house, Black house (African-American Community) and in the White house. The idea of the American Dream did not include all Americans until the NAACP fought for equal opportunity through racial justice and integration. The NAACP's vision reflected the principles that the Constitution was founded on; which demands Justice for All. Some of their successful outcomes were:
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1915 The NAACP's successful first brief in Guinn v. United States, in which the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that states may not grant a "grandfather exemption" allowing whites to bypass voter literacy tests.
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1923 The next successful landmark NAACP case was Moore v. Dempsey, in which the Supreme Court ruled that cities may not legally ban African Americans from purchasing real estate.
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1954 The NAACP's most famous case was Brown v. Board of Education, which ended government-enforced racial segregation in the public school system
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1958 The NAACP's string of legal victories caught the attention of the Eisenhower administration's IRS, which forced it to split its Legal Defense Fund into a separate organization. Deep South state governments such as that of Alabama also cited the "state's rights" doctrine as a basis for restricting the personal freedom of association guaranteed by the First Amendment, banning the NAACP from legally operating within their jurisdiction. The Supreme Court took issue with this, and ended state-level NAACP bans in the landmark NAACP v. Alabama (1958).
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When there was a problem in Black America, The NAACP was an integral part of the solution like when;
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- Linda Brown, Ruby Bridges and The Little Rock Nine integrated schools
- Supporting Rosa Parks'refusal to give up her seat on a bus
- Exposing the murder of Emmit Till
- Litigating for unfair housing practices which kept African Americans from buying houses in the suburb
- Speaking out against the injustice which took place in the court room
- Stopping discrimination which occurred in the work place.
Is the NAACP needed at this time? A poll was given to my two classes on this question; the poll revealed14% said yes the NAACP is needed at this time, and 86% indicated the NAACP was not needed at this time. That is a pretty "commanding" class response, and when asked why or why not? The students responded that African Americans have progressed on many levels since the inception of the NAACP. African Americans have better chances in employment, education, housing and legal representation. They don't have visual reminders like signs posted stating "Whites Only". Interracial marriages and relationships are common, and more African Americans are on TV, pursing higher education, winning in politics, and controlling Corporate America. I suspect why the students believe the NAACP is not relevant is because their issues are different now, like hunger, poverty and parenting, or other things that the NAACP has no special ability to speak to such as cyber bullying. The fear of being lynched is a thing of the past, and African Americans can roam the streets freely without being attacked by white Klansmen. Churches are not being bombed, and they see very little racial disparity in healthcare, schools and transportation. African Americans are now part of the upper and middle class social economic status, and Black pride is very popular within the community.
Today, the education system is a vivid reminder of the complicated road to equality, because African American students are still in crisis when compared to other students in surrounding districts. In many districts, white students matriculate to some of the most prestigious colleges in the country, while many African American students cannot pass basic reading requirements. In a world that is technology driven, why are the affluent communities resources more advance than the low performing schools? Schools which do not have comparable resources to the affluent schools are failing the students. The resources in question are resources such as science labs that assimilate walking on mars to having I-pads and smart boards in every classroom. For low income schools not to have access to these resources is a travesty to the educational system, and all students are not receiving equitable education. To be competitive in this society students need integration of resources and technology. The students will explore why or why not?
One of the major issues with school culture in 2000 is "cyber-bullying" and technology. Albert Einstein stated, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." But at my school, our mission is to meet students where they are. Under these circumstances, school climate and culture must be restructured to address a wide range of student needs. The administration needs to be equipped with the tools to deal with students who are affected by homelessness and hunger, an increase of student suicide rate, influences of technology, suffering with their terminally-ill parents, parental abandonment, incarceration of students and parents, lack of respect for authority, and gun violence. Students have a need for security, self-esteem and belongingness. In addition, schools must instill in students a sense of community and participation that are sorely lacking in today's society. In the case of individual perception, I suggest inviting motivational speakers for career day, place posters up that reflect the positive images of the students, or have awards assemblies for small successes. In the locus of control, administration can't change the environment, but can find resources in the community to help students to be successful in school. The NAACP needs to continue to push for legislation to integrate technology in all schools and services.
