I grew up in a rich Boston suburb (25 miles out) in the 1970's and our town had 1 black family (the Robinson's). But kids from the inner city were bused out to us through the METCO program. So, I went to school with a number of black kids. I don't recall any racial incidents at all at school. The kids got a decent education, in a nice environment.
Given a choice between attending some "Martin Luther King HS" in Roxbury, or attending a "white school" in the suburbs, anyone of intelligence would hope that their kid could attend a primarily white school.
Yeah - it was all great and nice - except for the part of your parents paying outrageous taxes for this and the part of busing whites into failing schools...
But I am sure it made you feel good
We had metco kids in my high school, too. I do recall some incidences of violence. The problem with Metco is that it doesn’t fully reimburse the host towns for the per pupil cost. I noticed with most of the kids that were bused to my town didn’t really want to be there.
Hmmm, I agree about having the children attend white schools, but it probably has more to do with demographics other than race. I’m very much aware of the fact that 100% of the kids in my children’s classes come from homes that have a mother and a father. I know, personally, that some of these marriages are not perfect. I’d be the first to admit that neither is mine, but it makes such a difference. If I trumpet this issue among public schoolers (I don’t anymore), as being a “positive phenomenon”, it is not necessarily very well received. I think it has an awful lot to do with it though.
A previous poster credits LBJ. Go BIG society! I think children anywhere, be they rich or poor, black or white or whatever will do well if they come from 2 parent homes. When this is impossible - as unfortunately can be the case - when they are the product of 2 very involved parents living separately. This makes me the master of the obvious, but it is curious how the topic is not discussed.
I grew up in a predominantly white community and I have known racists in the schools and in the workplace, but I’ve never found an overwhelming number, or enough to make any kind of difference. I graduated high school in 1982, in a class of 90 with no blacks, “off colored” humor may have been acceptable, but a genuine hatred for blacks or minorities, left one colored as a bit of a kook. Not even mean or evil, simply an oddity to be avoided.
I went to school in Philly and definitely ran into some racial issues as I commuted via bus and train through predominantly black areas. I was on the receiving end.
When I worked in Baltimore, I nearly expected that I would be treated differently because I was white in a predominantly black area. I was happily surprised that no one in my building cared the least bit about my race, at least not that I knew of. It simply wasn’t an issue.