

“To me, it’s still a form of segregation.” “There’s still no equality in education,” said Young, a plaintiff in a lawsuit from the Southern Poverty Law Center to keep public money in two Tennessee school districts instead of diverting the funds to unaccountable private schools. What’s more, children of color are caught in the “school-to-prison pipeline” – the harsh cycle of policies, practices and procedures that, directly or indirectly, push children out of schools and into the criminal and immigrant justice systems – at much higher rates than white children. Supreme Court decision that outlawed school segregation and declared that separate schools are inherently unequal, schools in predominantly Black neighborhoods like Young’s have fewer resources, fewer counselors and experienced educators, and, overall, lack the level of educational opportunities found in schools in predominantly white neighborhoods.Īs the nation observes the Brown decision on Sunday, May 17, schools are becoming more segregated, not less, experts say. On the eve of the 66 th anniversary of the 1954 Brown v. But when Young’s daughter has problems with her homework at night, she needs the whole textbook, not just a few pages.

What’s more, there are not enough textbooks: Teachers have to make copies of the relevant pages. There’s no air conditioning on hot days, and no heat on cold days. Apryle Young has seen the water dripping from the ceiling and the rats that hide in the walls at her children’s schools in Memphis, Tennessee.
