This post contains material from “Church & State” magazine, September, 2020 issue, pages 16-17. The article is a review of Steve Suit’s new book, “Overturning Brown: The Segregationist Legacy Of The Modern School Choice Movement” [NewSouth Books].
Suits: “The book races the history of school vouchers since they were first used widely in Southern States in attempting to defeat school desegregation in the 1950s and 1960s and explains how that legacy continues to shape perceptions, practices and policies today.”
Suits: “It’s simply really. Today most white students attending private schools remain in virtually segregated schools – schools where students of color represent only a token portion..usually less than 10 percent…”
“..As desegregation slowly moved across the South, private schools in the region accepted a token number of students of color IN ORDER TO SAVE THEIR FEDERAL TAX EXEMPTIONS.
“Over time, the same school patterns have persisted…Once only a Southern problem, NOW IT IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM.
“It is also worth noting that the arguments today are largely the SAME ARGUMENTS that the SEGREGATIONISTS used to DEFEND AND PROMOTE SCHOOL VOUCHERS IN THE PAST.”
The “Boutwell Committee in Alabama…was the first segregationist strategy group in the South…Their segregationist plan proposed ‘FREEDOM OF CHOICE’ without regard to race. It had four basic components:
-eliminate any reference to segregation in schools..Alabama laws would “concede the right of white and negro families to send their children to mixed public schools
-remove ANY language from the state constitution GUARANTEEING A RIGHT OF EDUCATION OR ANY OBLIGATION OF THE STATE TO FUND PUBLIC SCHOOL-CHILDREN AT ANY LEVEL.
-enable LOCAL school officials to DETERMINE ‘ELIGIBILITY, ADMISSION, AND ALLOCATION OF PUPILS, INCLUDING THE POWER TO REFUSE ADMISSION….
-provide vouchers and OTHER TAX FUNDS for private schools to operate on THEIR OWN ADMISSION STANDARDS,”
Suits: “When Friedman [economist, Milton] wrote his first paper on school vouchers..he admitted he knew..Southern segregationists were proposing the same thing..admitted he..vouchers could help them maintain and advance school segregation. But..segregation was the NECESSARY COST OF FREEDOM OF CHOICE….’freedom of choice’ was more important than desegregation and was NECESSARY TO DISMANTLE WHAT HE CALLED “government schools” – a term President Trump has adopted.”
Suits: “They are using the language of civil rights to defeat the goals of civil rights”
Suits: “Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court has ESSENTIALLY ABANDONED JEFFERSON’S ‘WALL OF SEPARATION on matters of church and state.”
Suits: “U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ last words….”when you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. DEMOCRACY IS NOT A STATE. IT IS AN ACT.”
With Justice For All 