When my grandmother was a child, “separate but equal” was the law of the land. It meant everything was segregated — from railway cars to restaurants to buses to schools. I, on the other hand, benefited from wonderful, integrated schools with great teachers who helped me recognize and reach my potential.
This dramatic shift within just two generations would lead some to believe that our country’s racial divisions are behind us. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Opportunities still aren’t allocated equally, and not everyone’s family story is like mine.
Despite a nearly 70-year-old U.S. Supreme Court decision that deemed ‘separate but equal’ unconstitutional, the truth is that for too many children in this country, the future is still determined by ZIP code; not potential. And so, the question remains — how do we support and guide these students?
None of us has the precise answer, but we do now know that affirmative action may no longer be part of the equation. That’s because the Supreme Court recently ruled that race-conscious college admissions are no longer legal. The ruling essentially guts affirmative action and compels colleges and universities to determine how to meet their diversity goals in other ways.
As a country, if we’re serious about ensuring that every student — regardless of the color of their skin, their background, or their socioeconomic status — can grow and thrive in the classroom and beyond, we must also ensure that every student has equal opportunities to succeed.
This moral endeavor necessitates that we rethink our approaches to educating our nation’s 50 million plus K-12 students first. This approach could mean finally fixing the digital divide and using online learning to provide better access to courses and academic resources not offered at a student’s local school. It could mean increasing investments in workforce development programs and hands-on learning opportunities like internships, apprenticeships, and job shadowing. And it could mean providing more equal access to mental health support, services, and resources.
Of course, no single approach will help level the playing field when it comes to the persistent inequities that are embedded within our country’s education system. However, we simply cannot afford to sit on our hands and do nothing. Because the truth is — the lack of opportunity for generations and generations of Black people directly impacts the workforce today.
It’s important to put this issue into historical context. For example, only 76 years ago, Princeton University graduated its first Black undergraduate student: “more than two centuries after the school’s founding.” Only thirty years ago, the first Black woman was elected to the U.S. Senate. And today, Black people represent 13% of the population “but account for only 8% of employees in professional roles.” These facts and numbers don’t reflect the capacity or aptitude of Black people to do well in college or in careers. Rather, these numbers are a byproduct of a twin issue: lack of access and lack of opportunity.
That’s why we must take swift action to ensure we don’t repeat the mistakes of our collective past by turning a blind eye to the voiceless. We must work together to ensure that every student can compete in our increasingly competitive world.
Many of us have been conditioned to believe that there isn’t enough room at the top for all of us. Some of us buy into the idea that some people are deserving of opportunities, and others less so. When we finally realize this is a damaging fallacy rooted in a legacy of bigotry, we can have the capacity to enact real change.
Until then, it’s important that we learn from our history and acknowledge the risks we take if we refuse to heed its lessons. My grandchildren’s — and your grandchildren’s — future is calling on us.
bofoi