Racism in America: The Public School System

Ever since the Brown vs. The Board of Education decision, the fight for true equality has been a steep battle. Though laws have been passed to combat this, loopholes and the justice system have prevented real change. Society is shaped by the people and the people are shaped by our education system.

In recent years, the system of our society has been evaluated and reflected on because of the lack of inclusivity it brings to minority communities. Systemic racism is when racism is weaved into our institutions. Systemic racism originates within our public school system. Systemic racism starts within the schools because of the lack of funding to minority-based schools, the purposeful dividing of areas to create a division where white children automatically go to better schools, and the white-oriented basis of curriculum within the public school system.

There is a long and detailed historical explanation to the lead up to where we are. For further information see History.com.

The overall budget of our public school system is racially biased but, it has been posed as if it is based on the class of that school. Research from a data analyst, David Mosenkis, displayed by The Atlantic, shows how the levels of economic status have nothing to do with funding. Monsenkis says this about his findings, “If you color code the districts based on their racial composition...At any given poverty level, districts that have a higher proportion of white students get substantially higher funding than districts that have more minority students..” (White). Essentially, the research conducted in Pennsylvania shows that funding in the school system is based on race.

To fix systemic racism, the focus on dividing districts and creating inclusive curriculum has been presented. Integrating races together and creating curriculum with more minority writers and teaching history as it is instead of having a white narrative could change the way we think of race. The Center of American Progress

has been working on reform and presenting research on the different factors of systemic racism and what can be done to fix it.