Monday, May 17, 2004

end of civilization

...That's what they called it when they desegregated the schools 50 years ago. The court made the ruling and with all due haste (or something resembling it), the ruling was carried out. Circumstances, educational parity, carefully hewn social distinctions all shifted. With the frightening speed of a dodgeball game, a new way of thinking was hurdling towards the slow-to-change.

They kicked and they screamed, but they eventually relented. (Or, they went to private schools.)

The world really changed for people. They were right. Brown vs. the Board of Education ended the civil support of an unfair system. And in doing so, ended civil support for a terrible disparity.

One of the speakers at today's events in Cambridge said that many people feared it would be the end of civilization as they knew it. And the fact is, they're right.

Now it's time for a more civilized civilization.

1 comment:

  1. And the results have been just spectacular.

    ReplyDelete