The NYT piece on busing is, like most of Ms. Hannah-Jones' work, inspirational and outstanding. Since you posed questions in the newsletter, I'll share my own small story as a tiny part of the wider picture.
I grew up white in a white, wealthy corner of Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill - in the 1970s. I attended the neighborhood elementary school, Whitman (since closed down as a school and turned into a community center). For me, it was my neighborhood school - I frequently walked to school with my friends. The school was clean, and nice, and staffed with excellent teachers - just what you would expect in that kind of neighborhood.
Every morning, three busses of black students pulled up, part of Pittsburgh's desegregation efforts. I had no idea where they came from - my guess today is Wilkinsburg, which isn't really that far away but may as well have been Mars for all that the rest of our lives were segregated. The kids from Wilkinsburg and the kids from Squirrel Hill were integrated throughout the school - in the same classes, eating lunch in the same spaces, playing on the same playgrounds. That doesn't mean there was much social integration - I was one of few white kids who made some friends with some of the black kids. They were nice, and they treated me nicely - better than some of the white kids from my own neighborhood. That, all by itself, was a huge benefit to MY education.
I never saw that school as a failure, then or since. It made my education better, and I suspect it was better for my black classmates too. I certainly hope so. Those of us who lived through it couldn't see it as a "failure".
But then, as Ms. Hannah-Jones and so many others have pointed out, there's a big difference between what actually happened and what we "remember" happening. I'm still working on understanding the former and letting go of the latter.
Bravo Nikole Hanna-Jones and Austin Channing Brown! (And white women, Holy Agitate.. Revolt against these oppressive patriarchal systems... we gotta look deep at our ways, own the garbage & lead our people of all of this created white race crap that is still not right!! Integrate your lifestyles, find yourselves a resonance group and go... the time is Now!!!)
I live in Raleigh, NC and the yo-yo tenure debacle was the major topic for weeks. When Stacy Abrams lost her election for governor, I was disconsolate but I saw a meme that said, "When you throw me to the wolves, I'll come back leading the pack" and it will be the same for Nikole Hannah-Jones. Her influence will rise exponentially and her star will shine brighter. BTW, your book, I'm Still Here, was required reading for my church's 2020 Sankofa trip and is again for the one next year. I can save you a seat if you want to come ;-). Blessings!
I live in NC and the Nikole Hannah-Jones story was in our news daily for weeks. I was very proud of her for turning it down. The students are still having conversations and protesting and hopefully making changes.
I live in NC, so of course this has been in the news. I admire so much that Nikole Hannah-Jones turned them down. I think it prioritizes her mental health and her dignity in a way that is so important for all of us to see. I was also glad that she included Charlotte in the piece that you linked. I attended Charlotte public schools in the 1980s when they were integrated via busing and it was a very positive experience for me as a white kid to be in a diverse classroom. These days I will note that white parents will have their kids ride the bus for a long time for them to attend a magnet school but didn't want their kids to have to ride to the school across town for integration purposes. It says a lot.
Yes! I have thought about her article in the NYT about school integration for a long time and it has been a guiding force in deciding where to live/send my kids to school. Also, I cannot wait to read Rachel's book. I bought What Is God Like? and sobbed while reading it alone. I miss her terribly, and we only ever briefly interacted on twitter, but her faith is often the brightest light shining in the confusion of my soul.
I was in junior high when they started bussing what was then called "Chicanos" into our all white school. It was 1972. There was no discussion, no preparing of any kind. I was young,innocent, and ignorant. None of us were prepared. The bussed in kids didn't want to be there and the white kids had no idea how to respond. It was a mess. Fighting,bullying and ill equipped teachers are what I remember of my junior high years.
The NYT piece on busing is, like most of Ms. Hannah-Jones' work, inspirational and outstanding. Since you posed questions in the newsletter, I'll share my own small story as a tiny part of the wider picture.
I grew up white in a white, wealthy corner of Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill - in the 1970s. I attended the neighborhood elementary school, Whitman (since closed down as a school and turned into a community center). For me, it was my neighborhood school - I frequently walked to school with my friends. The school was clean, and nice, and staffed with excellent teachers - just what you would expect in that kind of neighborhood.
Every morning, three busses of black students pulled up, part of Pittsburgh's desegregation efforts. I had no idea where they came from - my guess today is Wilkinsburg, which isn't really that far away but may as well have been Mars for all that the rest of our lives were segregated. The kids from Wilkinsburg and the kids from Squirrel Hill were integrated throughout the school - in the same classes, eating lunch in the same spaces, playing on the same playgrounds. That doesn't mean there was much social integration - I was one of few white kids who made some friends with some of the black kids. They were nice, and they treated me nicely - better than some of the white kids from my own neighborhood. That, all by itself, was a huge benefit to MY education.
I never saw that school as a failure, then or since. It made my education better, and I suspect it was better for my black classmates too. I certainly hope so. Those of us who lived through it couldn't see it as a "failure".
But then, as Ms. Hannah-Jones and so many others have pointed out, there's a big difference between what actually happened and what we "remember" happening. I'm still working on understanding the former and letting go of the latter.
Bravo Nikole Hanna-Jones and Austin Channing Brown! (And white women, Holy Agitate.. Revolt against these oppressive patriarchal systems... we gotta look deep at our ways, own the garbage & lead our people of all of this created white race crap that is still not right!! Integrate your lifestyles, find yourselves a resonance group and go... the time is Now!!!)
I live in Raleigh, NC and the yo-yo tenure debacle was the major topic for weeks. When Stacy Abrams lost her election for governor, I was disconsolate but I saw a meme that said, "When you throw me to the wolves, I'll come back leading the pack" and it will be the same for Nikole Hannah-Jones. Her influence will rise exponentially and her star will shine brighter. BTW, your book, I'm Still Here, was required reading for my church's 2020 Sankofa trip and is again for the one next year. I can save you a seat if you want to come ;-). Blessings!
I live in NC and the Nikole Hannah-Jones story was in our news daily for weeks. I was very proud of her for turning it down. The students are still having conversations and protesting and hopefully making changes.
I live in NC, so of course this has been in the news. I admire so much that Nikole Hannah-Jones turned them down. I think it prioritizes her mental health and her dignity in a way that is so important for all of us to see. I was also glad that she included Charlotte in the piece that you linked. I attended Charlotte public schools in the 1980s when they were integrated via busing and it was a very positive experience for me as a white kid to be in a diverse classroom. These days I will note that white parents will have their kids ride the bus for a long time for them to attend a magnet school but didn't want their kids to have to ride to the school across town for integration purposes. It says a lot.
Yes! I have thought about her article in the NYT about school integration for a long time and it has been a guiding force in deciding where to live/send my kids to school. Also, I cannot wait to read Rachel's book. I bought What Is God Like? and sobbed while reading it alone. I miss her terribly, and we only ever briefly interacted on twitter, but her faith is often the brightest light shining in the confusion of my soul.
I was in junior high when they started bussing what was then called "Chicanos" into our all white school. It was 1972. There was no discussion, no preparing of any kind. I was young,innocent, and ignorant. None of us were prepared. The bussed in kids didn't want to be there and the white kids had no idea how to respond. It was a mess. Fighting,bullying and ill equipped teachers are what I remember of my junior high years.