Robert Khayat wrote The Education of a Lifetime to change the public reception of the University of Mississippi, not only as a medium for higher learning, but also as a racially equal establishment. The opening chapters of Khayat’s novel chronicle his time as a student at the University. It is, however, interesting to note that he left out one very important detail about his time here as student: the segregation of the student body. Segregation was a very big part of his past, growing up in the time period that he did, which raises the question, why did he omit such a major detail from his work?
As we have discussed in class, there is oftentimes a huge line between being historically accurate and being held back by the past. I believe that Khayat omitted segregation from his book in an attempt to try to distance the University from that dark period in its history. There is no denying that desegregation is one
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The best part of this decision was that Khayat not only wanted the school evaluated, but also the symbols that went along with the school, like the Confederate flag and “Dixie”. This was a landmark decision by Khayat because it was the first time that someone not inside of the school would evaluate where the school stood publicly. The firm could provide a 100% un-biased evaluation of the University of Mississippi in regards to public perception of race relations, University symbols, and academics. While the faculty’s opinion should not be entirely overlooked, it must be remembered that much of the faculty has a lot of background in the state and, therefore, may be biased in their evaluation. An un-biased opinion, however, would pave the way for immense change to the public perception surrounding the University, and that is exactly what Chancellor Khayat used the information
Making Whiteness: the culture of segregation in the south, 1890-1940 is the work of Grace Elizabeth Hale. In her work, she explains the culture of the time between 1890 and 1940. In her book she unravels how the creation of the ‘whiteness’ of white Southerners created the ‘blackness’ identity of southern African Americans. At first read it is difficult to comprehend her use of the term ‘whiteness’, but upon completion of reading her work, notes included, makes sense. She states that racial identities today have been shaped by segregation, “...the Civil War not only freed the slaves, it freed American racism
In “Actually, College Is Very Much Worth It” , Andrew J. Rotherham opens this piece addressing the issue of whether or not college is “worth it”. Rotherham effectively builds his case that college is essentially the better choice for us. Additionally, he acknowledges opposition of those who are anti-college. He allows us to have ‘free will” in the decision-making process, but presents the information in a way we cannot ignore the obvious facts. Rotherham conveys the idea that college does not guarantee a successful entry job, but it creates a path of opportunities for us.
While Sanders’ narrative primarily focuses on the Child Development Group of Mississippi, Black Mississippians historically valued education and focused careful attention to the construction of education systems that empowered Black children in disenfranchised social systems. Their vision was clear; Black students should have access to high quality, free education that exists outside of white supremacist regulations, but also empowers those students to navigate the volatile systems of power that pervade American society. According to Sanders, “Black parents focused not on the idea of their children sitting in classrooms with white students, but rather on their children’s right to an equal education,” (2016, p. 12). Thus, Black communities in Mississippi understood “good education” not as integrated schools, but schools that directly served the various needs of the children in their
With regards to the opinion that the existence of HBCUs is in fact, a mellowed form of racism, one must first remember the history behind the origins of HBCUs Many people believe that these institutions have outlived their purpose because we live in a fully integrated society and these institutions stand as hallmarks of segregation. However, by thinking this way is not an analyzing the complete picture because one must bear in mind that HBCUs are old and hallowed institutions of higher learning established in a time when talented, desiring and tenacious Afric...
The materials that were used in black schools were different than those in white schools in order to get the students to go toward these paths and professions. These factors made it to where these black students were not interested in pursuing a higher education. Those that did pursue a formal education did not stay in the south. They went north to more “tolerant” schools. 66.
In the field of history, it is rare that an author actually comes to shape the events discussed in their writing. However, this was the case for C. Vann Woodward and his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. First published in 1955, it discusses this history of race relations in America, more specifically the Jim Crow laws he equates with the segregation of races. Woodward argues that segregation itself was a fairly new development within the South, and did not begin until after Reconstruction ended. He further argues that since the South has seen so much change, citing the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the development of the Jim Crow laws, it is possible for more changes to occur in a movement away from segregation. Though to a modern reader this seems like a logical argument following the events of history as they occurred, it must be remembered that Woodward was writing during the time period in which all of this was happening and nothing was certain. As William S. McFeely states in his afterword, what Woodward “so modestly stated, was, in fact, a call for the overthrow of what was perceived to be the very grounding of Southern society.” Unlike most historians, Woodward wrote about segregation and the Civil Rights Movement with such proximity that he came to affect public opinion of the time period as well as the final outcome of events. Furthermore, Woodward wrote with what we can now see to be accurate foresight as well as with a clear understanding of historical writing and the challenges it can pose.
In McLaurin’s hometown of Wade, North Carolina, segregation was obvious and everywhere in daily routines of life. Segregation was often meant to mean that blacks had separate facilities from whites, yet equal. However, this was often not the case. In fact, it was quite opposite. Many times, a public restroom for white was well kept, nice, and clean, whereas if it was for a black, it was dirty and rundown. A good example of the difference in facilities for whites and blacks were the elementary schools McLaurin described. The black elementary school was a one-story frame building, had no lunch program, no indoor plumbing, poor sports equipment, and hardly a playground. The white elementary school however, was a two-story brick building, “a large auditorium and stage, indoor plumbing and modern restrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, and a large dining room in which hot lunches were served daily (23).” It is clear when the two schools are compared against one another, that there is a vast difference in facilities which are for blacks, and those that a...
Furthermore, despite the Federal government’s attempts to combat white vigilance, violence was still continuously used against African Americans. Although higher education was now available to African Americans with the opening of universities such as Howard and Fisk, many ex slaves remained uneducated and therefore maintained an inferior position in society. Like French political observer Tocqueville noted, although slavery no longer existed, ‘racial prejudice’ continued. This allows us to draw the conclusion that while the reconstruction period succeeded in aiding African Americans in the fight for civil rights, its goals were not full-filled.
In 1954 through Brown V. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decided that forced segregation denied African Americans equal protection under the law as stated in the Fourteenth Amendment. Brown mandated equal access and opportunity. This decision created a wave of effects throughout the African American community. Unequal outcomes were fueled by low expectation and cultural incompatibilities along with the drainage of resources such as the removal of the best teachers through reassignment to desegregated schools or through firing (Green et al., 2005). Black students were also bused to predominately White schools disproportionately, causing many African American schools to close (Morris, 1999). Morris further state...
“Nationally, more than one-quarter of the students in the 1930s were black. Yet they received only about one-tenth of the total education revenues. Many Americans believed that African Americans were simply not capable of excelling in school” (“The 1930’s education…”). For colored women, it was more difficult to prove their abilities than any other race. For example, Asian women were not affected as much simply because their skin color was closer to that of a white’s than a black person. As black women were treated unequally in the education department, white women have also struggled in getting a higher education. “They gave young women a chance to gain the same kinds of education as their brothers without having to spend much of their time and energy fighting the prejudice they would have faced at male-dominated institutions. At the same time, they provided a proving-ground in which college administrators, professors, and students could demonstrate that women could flourish intellectually while remaining healthy and ladylike.” (“The Value
One may be very impressed with Martin Luther King’s braviary, patience, and respect towards his readers. From here on out after analyzing his piece of writing many may want to reflect back on history and the realization of this event that had taken place. This letter gives you a glimpse as to what African Americans and people of other nationalities had went through during segregational times. This letter is inspirational and one should feel so lucky to be able to have read and understand this glance of our nation’s
“How Desegregation Changed Us: The Effects of Racially Mixed Schools on Students and Society” focuses on public schools being desegregated in the late 1970’s and how the students felt when they went into school. For most of the students, this was the first time that they had gone to school with minorities. Racism was not openly discussed in the classroom as to help everyone to get along without issues. Specifically, the class of 1980 has led lives away from the diversity of their youth. Instead, as the article states, “Virtually all of them attend one-race churches or temples and share their closest friends' ethnic or racial backgrounds.” (Wells) Most of the graduates live without any sort of racial diversity, working in environments where minorities are typically not found. Instead, there’s a great deal of staying within a comfortable environment for them. For some, it isn’t intentional to try and keep away from minorities, but rather, there’s several variables that must be taken into consideration. Some feel that it is more important to have better education than to be diverse while others simply don’t get an opportunity to experience change within their community. Nonetheless, it seems as if these citizens want for a diverse society and feel that desegregation was necessary for
In order to fully understand the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as the importance of their preservation and need for continuation, one...
Roebuck, J. B., & Murty, K. S. (1993). Historically Black colleges and universities: Their place in American higher education. Westport, CT: Praeger.
During this time, the idea of segregation was a very controversial topic among the c...