RACE, ETHNICITY AND LANGUAGE IN CLASSROOMS

Segregation Ruled Illegal in U.S. (1954): In 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case determined that "separate but equal" was constitutional. The opinion of the Supreme Court stated, "A statute which implies merely a legal distinction between the white and colored races -- a distinction which is founded in the color of the two races, and which must always exist so long as white men are distinguished from the other race by color -- has no tendency to destroy the legal equality of the two races, or re-establish a state of involuntary servitude."

On May 17, 1954, the law was changed. In the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision by ruling that segregation was "inherently unequal." Although the Brown v. Board of Education was specifically for the field of education, the decision had a much broader scope.

Although the Brown v. Board of Education decision overturned all the segregation laws in the country, the enactment of integration was not immediate. In actuality, it took many years, much turmoil, and even bloodshed to integrate the country.

Yes, it is now unconstitutional, what should never have been allowed in the first place is now deemed illegal. The decision that acted as a spring board for civil rights all across America and which changed America started no where other than in  a public school, this factor serves as a powerful reminder often underestimated in today's society. The classroom is where we start to build the future of tomorrow, the leaders, the citizens and where we build the world as a whole. Therefore, we must understand the importance of teachers in ensuring that the classroom remains a free and fair environment where individual or physical differences must be respected, accepted and appreciated. Before I go further, we have to set the record straight by defining the term race . Race is a classification system used to categorize humans into large and distinct populations and groups by heritable phenotypic characteristics, geographic ancestry, physical appearance, ethnicity and social status. Note the last factor, social status, this is often associated with race and ethnicity, unfortunately in the US, students who belong to a certain race and ethnicity (blacks and Hispanics) are less likely to graduate from high school not to talk of going into college compared to their white counterparts, there lies the problem of race and social status. As a teacher, the classroom should be devoid of all these "criteria" for success and should be focused on creating equal and equitable opportunities for  all. 

Our input in the lives of our students must be one that should teach them that the classroom is just the beginning of life on the outside. We must remind ourselves and students that the classroom is considered a "mini society" which shapes and re-shapes the characters that we see on the outside. The classroom is a place where differences are heard and given equal considerations, it should be a place where issues are discussed and resolved, it should be a solace for everybody irrespective of race, ethnicity or social status. No student should ever feel insecure or left out in the classroom, it is the taj mahal of equality and justice. 

 Finally,we know that change does not come easily, just as it was witnessed even after the supreme court decision made segregation illegal, it took years of turmoil, confusion and bloodshed for  the oppressed to be vindicated. Keeping that in mind, it is our duty as teachers to start making a change right from the cradle, in the classroom, among our peers through laying a foundation of respect and equality for all individuals by creating an atmosphere of appreciation, unity and cooperation in a free and fair environment.  (O.O)