I went to integrated public schools in Philadelphia in the 50's, early 60's, before forced integration. My elementary school and high school were of basically the same socioeconomic group (both black and white) and there was no racial distinction nor racial problems.
We all got the same education and the behavior standards were the same for all.
My junior high, because of the city drawn boundaries, had middle class white kids (we were not rich by any stretch) and a lower class of blacks. The school fed 2 different high schools. There there were some incidents.
What I think I am trying to say is kids did better when they were of the same socioeconomic group and the only difference was skin color. We ignored the skin color since in every other way we were all alike.
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I agree with you re: socioeconomic data being more important than race. I taught middle school in a mixed school (half and half with about 10% Hispanic) and most kids were middle class. I had black students who were “nerds” and wanted to learn. They had parents who were doctors and lawyers and teachers, and were what we would consider normal. Then, the school district decided to bus some inner city kids to the school and totally changed the population. The ghetto kids were (almost to a one) perfectly described in this letter. The entire feel of the school was upended and chaotic. I was lucky because I was youngish, had long blonde hair and was considered attractive; the black boys loved me and listened to me more than many other teachers.
I had a parent conference with a black parent (lawyer) who begged me to keep his son away from “n*****s”. I was flabbergasted, but understood (his nerdy son was trying to ingratiate himself with the thugs, probably for protection). In another parent conference, some teachers and I were accused of racism because we were disciplining a “dark skinned” child. The complaint was we were mean to him because he was so dark. One of our principals said, “Ma’am, if a white person is a racist, they don’t care about the shade of black; they hate them all.”
I have a theory, and in the years since I formulated it, it always seems to bear out; liberals treat low income blacks like pets. Think of penned up dogs in someone’s yard. They open the door and throw food and treats at them, but rarely take them out for walks. They are terrified of them, but since that is the exact type of racist sentiment they blame on Republicans, they have to try and cover it up with more treats. Whenever we hear of any type of liberal placating behavior to low class blacks, my husband and I just say the word “pets”. That is all they are to those people.
I would be so angry with libs if I were a middle class black person, for giving cover to the disintegration of the black family, for excusing all bad behavior and grammar as the fault of whites. Lines should be drawn socioeconomically because it is the trash that behaves this way, not the middle and upper class blacks.