Toto, we're not in Topeka anymore...

I read recently about events in the school board of Omaha, Nebraska. It has been proposed that the public school system in the city be divided into three geographical zones. However, as is the nature of most American cities, this zoning just happens to correspond broadly with the black, hispanic and white concentrations of the school-age population. While the stated intention is to deal with inequality for African-American schoolchildren by creating what in Britain is called an 'education action zone', this version seems to neglect the fact that funding for public schools in the USA comes primarily from the district itself. Remove the wealthier white districts from the taxable base for northern Omaha City, and lose the biggest slice of funding for those who most need it. Even on an educational level, the proposal seems flawed, since unlike in UK models, where it is easier to find a mixture of communities and schools in a fairly compact area, I cannot see how the important partnerships between 'successful' and struggling schools will occur, when geography and a divided education authority are acting as barriers. Already, it is admitted that the simple act of busing of students has long since been abandoned. So, if other public schools will have no incentive to assist each other, the shortfall in funding is going to have to come from the commercial sector, unless the black and hispanic communities can muster the talents and resources from within themselves. And if they can do that, and I believe they can, why did local politicians not support them long ago, rather than wait to support zoning changes?...

It is interesting to see that the chief proponent of this change is Senator Ernie Chambers, an African-American who has a long distinguished career serving his community, a voice of the dispossesed and discounted. "There is no intent to create segregation," says Sen. Chambers. He has long criticised the lack of resources for the northern part of town. He hopes for more local control of what happens there. He may have walked right into a trap white conservatives might never have dreamed was possible. Or, perhaps not. Sen. Chambers is known as "The Defender of the Downtrodden", and has a penchant for plain speaking as he unapologetically fights for his corner of the city. He decries 'color-blind' politics that really mask the inequalities around us, and would rather say things out loud if it will help get things done. So, to find out more about Ernie Chambers go to his page at the Nebraska State Legislature, and also read this fascinating and entertaining interview with "The Maverick of Omaha" at MotherJones.com, where he sets out why children's education shouldn't be left in the hands of the cosy "Repelicans and Demagogues".

Today's recording is linked to this theme, and is taken from the recording of a speech given by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr at the Detroit Freedom Rally on June 23rd 1963. In this segment of his speech, he discusses what African-Americans can do about segregation in the South, in which he reminds them, of course, about the ever-present ...

Segregation In The North - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr (Gordy Records G906 1963)

Incidentally, I remember that my local record dealer had found this record on a trip to Arizona, and was sorry to part with it. I've played it many a time to students in history lessons, so it is still playing its part in the freedom struggle!