Talking Points #7

Charles Lawrence " One More River to Cross"

Premise

• race
• inequality
• lies
• ignorance
• truth
• realization
• North vs. South
• differences
• hate
• misunderstanding
• change

Argument

Lawrence argues that segregation is still present in school systems and in order to fully understand how to end segregation the courts and school districts must understanding the harm it causes to the black children who are being segregated.

Evidence

1. "The significane of segregation was best understood by looking at what it meant to the people who imposed it and to those who were subjected to it." (pg.282) Lawrence raises the point that in order to even talk about racism and segregation then we must gain a better knowledge of it. He is saying that just simply saying " segregation is bad and needs to stop" is not enough because then nothing is solved. In order to really understand the harm in segregation then we must understand why it started in the first place and what caused it to get so bad.
2. "Once the state has effectively instituionalized racial segregation as a labeling device, only minimal matenince is required." (pg. 286) Lawrence makes the point that after the state recognizes that segregation is actually a problem then only a few things need to be done after that. The hardest part is the state actually taking the time to know that they had made a mistake by segregating schools. Then shortly after the correct steps can be made to fix the problem not just surpressing it but unsegregating schools.
3. "The oppressor's understanding of his oppression is limited by self-interest, and ultimately we must find ways to make our oppression operate against the self-interest of those in power." (pg. 293) Lawrence is making the point that the state only understands and fixes as much as it wants. And those that are segregated must find another way to get the states attention so that they will fix the segregation.

Comments

This article was extremely hard for me to understand. I read almost every paragraph over and still had trouble with most of them. I think I got what Lawrence was trying to say but Im not sure. Segregation is not prominent in any of the schools that I have attended but when it was present it was not handled correctly. The courts simply ruled in the Brown case to just end segregation in schools, not fix it nation wide. They simply satisfied the accuser, they did not work towards understanding and ending the problem of segregation.