Ep419 - Nikole Hannah-Jones | Modern Day Segregation
Feb 9, 2024
auto_awesome
Nikole Hannah-Jones, award-winning investigative reporter, discusses racial segregation in American public schools, challenges of finding integrated schools, inequities of school choice, fundraising disparity perpetuating segregation, challenges of integration and gentrification, concerns and benefits of school integration.
Parents with choice and privilege must make sacrifices for school integration.
Structural changes like challenging school zoning policies are necessary to address inequality in education.
Historical practices like redlining contribute to contemporary school segregation and need to be addressed for true equality in education.
Deep dives
The Importance of Making Personal Sacrifices for School Integration
Nicole Hannah Jones discusses the personal decision she made to enroll her daughter in a segregated school and the importance of parents with choice and privilege making sacrifices for school integration
The Need for Structural Changes to Achieve Educational Equality
Hannah Jones emphasizes the need for structural changes in the education system to address inequality, such as challenging school zoning policies and advocating for county-wide school systems.
The Legacy of Redlining and Its Connection to School Segregation
Hannah Jones highlights the historical impact of redlining and how it contributes to contemporary school segregation, emphasizing the need to address past discriminatory practices to achieve true equality in education.
Resegregation in School Districts
Many school districts across the country have seen a resegregation of schools, especially in the North. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the court order to desegregate schools was followed by the creation of a feeder system where black students attended schools that were entirely black and poor. This kind of segregation is often perfectly legal as long as it is not explicitly stated as discriminatory. The issue of segregation is not limited to individual schools, but also between school districts, with suburban districts being predominantly white while inner-city districts have a high percentage of black and Latino students.
Problems with School Choice and Vouchers
School choice, including vouchers, is often promoted as a solution for improving education, but it tends to benefit white and middle-class parents who can afford to choose schools. In New York City, school choice does not necessarily contribute to integration, as the best schools in the city are disproportionately white and Asian. Moreover, specialized high schools and gifted and talented programs often have admission requirements that favor affluent students, further exacerbating segregation and inequality. Vouchers, which use public funds for private schools, raise concerns about discrimination and lack of accountability. The focus should be on providing quality education for all children, rather than draining public resources for the benefit of a few.
Nikole Hannah-Jones is an award-winning investigative reporter covering racial injustice for the New York Time Magazine. Nikole has spent the last five years investigating how official policy creates and maintains racial segregation in American public schools.
In 2016, Nikole helped found the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, a training and mentorship organization geared towards increasing the number of investigative reporters of color. She has also authored a book that discusses school segregation entitled, "The Problem We All Live With.” In 2020, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work on “The 1619 Project”.
