In the history of the United States, racial #discrimination and injustice have played a remarkable chapter. Racial discrimination is a century-old practice and is difficult to abolish. Events surrounding Jacob Blake and George Floyd shook the nation and received worldwide criticism. The roots of racial discrimination are profoundly linked with segregation in schools.
New York City is the most segregated city for Black people in the United States and the second most segregated city for Latinos. Since the establishment of New York City, the racial policies and practices have built on each other to create deep inequity. Despite its diversification, New York City remains more segregated than most metropolitan territories in the United States.
A decade after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the situation in NYC has not improved. Rather, schools are becoming more segregated because of school choice policies. Many schools in NYC are disguising themselves as special schools to justify segregation.
School desegregation plays a decisive role in ousting the matter of segregation as a whole in New York City. It needs concrete policies and programs to address the root cause of segregation.
Desegregation is perceived as a troublesome task to achieve, but various directions on the right path make it possible. There is an urgent need to reform high-school admissions policies. By investing in recruiting, hiring, and supporting teachers of color, children of color will have teachers with whom they feel more comfortable and confident, helping to aid in fighting disparity.
Access to high-quality coursework, tutoring, extra support, bilingual education, and special education services will help bolster underserved students to close the education gap. Proper implementation of civil rights can create justice and equity in multiracial democracy, and integrating neighborhoods and new house policies will ultimately lead to desegregated schools.
Eradicating all discriminatory admissions screens, including state exam scores, GPA, attendance, punctuality, zip code, portfolios, in-person interviews, auditions, and specialty exams, could lead to an increased number of diverse students in school. Opportunities should be provided to all students for internship programs that will match students with positions that align with their interests in school and extracurricular activities and help develop their skills. High schools could employ a full-time college-and-career counselor to ensure equal and individual opportunities are presented to each student, regardless of race and socioeconomic background.
By creating a comprehensive plan, NYC can address systemic factors that have led to a lack of resources for schools, jobs, and public amenities in communities of color across New York City.
