Prejudice, Racism and Education

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