Reflection #5

Inathaelle Pigne
EDF 2085
Prof: McNair
Wow, is the first thing that comes to mind when I read this short article. Who would have thought it would such of a hassle to acquire education because of your skin color. Yes, I have heard of blacks could not drink out of the same water fountain as whites or blacks could not sit in the front of the bus. Which reminds me of the incidence of Rosa parks when she was really tired come from work and she decided to sit in the front of the bus and a white person came on the bus and the rule is Rosa (a black) gets up her seat for that white person and heads to the back of the bus. So the story says she did not want to oblige with the rules so she was arrested. Now, back to the "Little Rock Nine" I for one would not like to be part of the little rock nine for the mere reason that what they went through being kicked out of school for just because of something so simple as skin color. But if I was part of it would have been a discouragement to want to go back to school if not a total discouragement. Since 1957 the integrations was suppose to take place but yet the school rejected 27 students tried to get into little rock all were turned down. Why were the children turned down? Was it because of low test scores? Or maybe because of misconduct in previous schools? No, Just on their appearance goes to show that even before you get a chance to open your mouth to say something words have been spoken for you. At that time the school did not have what we call intercultural competence. The only culture that was accepted by Little Rock high school and the members of that neighborhood was the U.S "white culture". Which meant if you were a different race other than their own you were wrong or you did not belong there in the school? The nine children needed to be guided by armed guards. I for one would have tried going to a different school instead of having to go through this. I would even go as far as saying that they did not have the opportunity to go to another school maybe because of transportation. That school was the only schools near them so therefore being their primary choose of choosing. How would you have reacted to the shouts and slurs of those on the streets who didn't want to see you in that building; the way I would react is I would just "keep it moving" just ignore what they say try to get the education I was looking for. In the reading it talked about this one girl out of the nine that got frustrated at how they were treating her and throw a bowl of chili at the tormentors. Well that sounds like something I would end up doing if the people still annoyed me. Not saying that what she did was the proper way to handle the situation but we are humans and things get to us and we react. Acceptance was a great issue for a lot of people not wanting to accept something or someone other than the "norm". The tormentors had preconceived notion of black people that is why it was hard for them to accept the black children in their schools. Also their point of view was shape by the person who raised them to be racist. Intergrading was a great thing that took place and hopefully one day the whole world can truly be intergraded inside and out.