Charlie Macchia

Professor Morales

English 101

21 October 2020

The Effects Of Segregation In Schools

Racial segregation in California schools has existed since 1846 and it had powerful repercussions

on the educational system of California, traumatizing children. Thankfully, efforts are being made to undo

the effects of racism in our schools. Let’s see what segregation did to the schools of California.

Segregation has always been an unpleasant thing, and it has existed everywhere, especially

schools. These schools were first built “in an adobe near Santa Clara Mission in December 1846”(Wood).

By the mid-1970s, schools had fallen prey to the horrible idea of segregation. According to a survey, the

number of minority students attending minority public schools in California increased. Almost half of all

black students were in predominantly black schools. Between 1973 and 1977, African-Americans

attended more heavily segregated schools than Hispanics. What kind of abuse could mentally scar those

children for life?

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-busing-schools-los-angeles-harris-biden-20190628-story.htm

The horrific abuse of racial segregation has caused many children belonging to any minority to

have low self-esteem and caused significant psychological scars. In the worst cases, segregation may

cause “depression, intrusion, vigilance, anger, loss of appetite, apathy and avoidance systems and

emotional numbing”(Wortham). This has happened in many schools in California and all over the United

States and it has happened even now. So what is happening in the schools of today?

Schools have improved but the trauma still lingers. Some are even still segregated, and minorities

are not completely safe because there are many students with racist mindsets and “the promise of

integration and equal opportunities for all black students remains an ideal rather than a reality” (Garcia).

According to the graph below, black people are just as likely to attend schools that are segregated. Some
black children might find that the segregation may continue when they are older and they will be beaten

to jobs. But don’t worry! There are efforts to undo the horrors of segregation.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/03/school-segregation-is-not-a-myth/555614/

Desegregation in schools in California is still happening. It was “part of broader integration

efforts, including the elimination of redlining, which kept black people and members of other minority

groups from living in white neighborhoods”(Blume). However, Californians didn’t get the idea on their

own, because “several Los Angeles administrators and two members of the Board of Education-Julian

Nava and Kathleen Brown Rice-have visited Dallas and have been impressed not only by the

desegregation plan but by the community acceptance it seems to have gained”(Trombley). Let’s hope that

they keep up the good work and finally stamp out segregation for good!

So as you can see, racial segregation in California schools has existed since 1846 and it had

powerful consequences on California’s educational system, traumatizing children, scarring their minds

and robbing them of a chance of being successful in their lives. Thankfully, efforts are being made to
undo the horrific effects of racism in our schools. Let’s hope that we Californians will live in a brighter

future that we will share with all residents of the world!

Works Cited
Wood, Will, “Early History Of California Public Schools”, ​http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist3/schools.html

Wortham, Jenna, “Racism’s Psychological Toll”,

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/magazine/racisms-psychological-toll.html​,

Stancil,Will, “School Segregation Is Not A Myth,”,

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/03/school-segregation-is-not-a-myth/555614/​,

Blume, Howard, “School busing and race tore LA apart in the 1970s. Now, Kamala Harris is reviving

debate”,

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-busing-schools-los-angeles-harris-biden-20190628-story.htm

l​,

Trombley, William, “Dallas Busing Plan Attracts Interest in LA”,

https://search-proquest-com.libwin2k.glendale.edu/hnplatimes/docview/158214254/24F9ADC276744984

PQ/9?accountid=27372​,