When students in a New Jersey public middle school decided to learn about their community's history of desegregation through a unique language arts and social studies project, no one imagined how powerful the experience would be for everyone involved. In addition to researching newspaper articles and historical documents, the students conducted…

This interdisciplinary two-week unit simulates a trip to South Africa as part of a U.S. delegation sent to observe what is happening politically, economically, and culturally in the post-apartheid transition. Students explore and experience a number of real-life events and situations which might be encountered on an actual trip. The tasks…

Class, culture, and race have influenced the educational experiences of children for centuries, and they are gaining importance in the increasingly diverse American society of today. This reference work explores the critical importance of these issues to American education and uses historical, anthropological, sociological, and theoretical…

An Arizona study examined whether charter schools contribute to the racial/ethnic segregation of students in publicly funded schools. Data included Arizona school enrollment data for 1996, 1998, and 2002; school addresses for 2002 charter schools; and other relevant information specific to charter schools, obtained from the Arizona Department of…

This report describes recent patterns of racial enrollments in private K-12 schools in the United States. It includes data from the federal government's most recent Private School Survey, which covers 1997-98. Results indicate that segregation levels are quite high among private schools, particularly among Catholic and other religious private…

In the 1950's, Charles S. Johnson, the first black president of Fisk University (Tennessee), greatly expanded the institution's international program, attracting many foreign students to the school and creating a milieu that gave American blacks the benefits of integration. This paper examines how the presence of outsiders and outside influences…

This paper presents the history of diversity, equality, and black studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston from the perspective of a professor who helped found the Black Studies Department and worked to promote gender equity. When he first arrived in 1970, Boston was segregated, and there were few black faculty members. He joined forces…

A study of Black high school graduates found that school desegregation influences expectations of individuals entering the highest level occupational categories; however, when other occupational socialization factors are considered, the relative effect of desegregation on expectations of entering a nontraditionally Black occupation is significant…

The incidence of racial violence and bias crime has increased dramatically in New York City in recent years, the result of a volatile mix of social, political, and economic factors. Worsening racial tensions can be traced to "hypersegregation" and polarization, poverty, homelessness, family breakdown, and failure of the education system.…

Examines the construction of racial scientific discourse within the milieu of an extremely racially segregated society. Traces the influence of capitalism, racism, Social Darwinism, eugenics, and "racial science" on the pedagogy of modern apartheid in South Africa. Finds evidence of pervasive effects of "scientific" ideas on…

Blacks in cities remain segregated and economically disadvantaged. Differences between races are far more important than social stratification in Blacks' deteriorating economic condition. Because the spatial and political containment of Black populations has actually reduced their effect on cities' economic fortunes, political strategies for Black…

Presents a message to young people from Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa. Calls for a bridge between the youth of Africa and the United States. Asserts that racial divisions in the United States are major social issues that must be solved. (CFR)

Provides a tribute to the legacy of Thurgood Marshall through an examination of Marshall's key role in the history of desegregation. It focuses on his position as lead counsel for the NAACP assigned to argue Brown v Board of Education before the Supreme Court and his subsequent influence as a member of the Court. (GR)

Analyzes Thurgood Marshall's role as a critical jurist, especially in light of recent criticism directed at Brown v Board of Education. It discusses the separate-but-equal doctrine of Plessy v Ferguson and Marshall's underlying strategy that such a doctrine was harmful to black children. It concludes with the author's interpretation of Marshall's…

Introduces 21 papers on racial inequality, examining 2 documents that significantly influenced American aspirations early in the century--"An American Dilemma" (Gunnar Myrdal) and "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." The article discusses the impact of racial inequality on public education and the role of public…