In
1963 Norman Rockwell's, The Problem We
All Live With, became perhaps the most shocking painting of his then career
and possibly one of the most important paintings that depicted the struggle of
integration (Laird, 2009). He captured the scene of six year old Ruby Bridges
in 1960 entering into an all white elementary school escorted by federal
marshals. It was the most shocking
because not only was he one of the most famous artists at the time but he was known
for his conservatism (Laird, 2009). It
is the most important painting because it had as its heroine an African
American and they usually did not receive this honor and certainly did not often
grace the cover of a magazine (Laird, 2009).
In the years following the Brown v Board decision to end
segregation in schools and the event of the painting, the United States has
experienced quite a struggle in the fight for equal educational opportunity for all. There have been court cases, legislation, and
social movements that have been key in advancing this cause. In observing the painting there are some
symbols that I found to be representative of this historical crusade. So much so that I thought it would be
interesting to compare Norman Rockwell's 1963 version to Hayden Arnold's 2014
version, The Problem We Are Conquering,
as a reflection of the wrestle for equal
educational opportunity then and now.
There are several interpretations of Rockwell's
1963 painting. First, Ruby, a black
girl, is wearing white, which symbolizes the attempt at integration. Plus, the white connotes the innocence of
Ruby and students in general. But the
tomato, thrown by an angry mob, represents opposition (sometimes violent) to
integration by many Americans, even state governments. There is a crack in the
wall which illustrates the division that desegregation caused, which is why the
struggle lasted so long. One of the
objects in Ruby's hands is a ruler, this represents law and order and the
Supreme Court's heavy role in helping to equalize education. The racial slur on the wall signifies an
oppressive system where whites (and some states) are hoping to maintain
dominance by trying to make blacks socially inferior. Written on the left side of the wall is
"KKK" which epitomizes every defendant or plaintiff in opposition to
integration in the court cases. The
yellow arm bands on the marshals represent cowardice of the mobs, hence the
reason why Ruby needs security in the first place. The marshals are faceless, which puts the
attention and focus squarely on Ruby and blacks in general. Also the presence of marshals indicate that
this a forced situation. Further, the
marshals are an extension of the executive government which takes the lead in
enforcing desegregation. Finally, Ruby,
the main focus, is young suggesting that the conflict has just begun and a long
journey/struggle for equality in education lies ahead.
The
2014 painting is also a suggestive work.
Ruby's name replaces the racial slur on the wall suggesting that she has
risen above the oppressive system of inequality. In the 1963 version, Ruby was not there at
the request of the school but in the 2014 version she was invited by the school
to speak at their commencement ceremonies.
The green arm bands on the security detail symbolizes the growth that
has taken place in education since the inception of the Rockwell painting. The colorful suits of the bodyguards portray
all the groups that are now given protections for equal education. The Hollywood Walk of Fame like ground with
names of a few of the successful African American women on the stars are those
who have benefited from a desegregated America and are worthy of emulation by
all. The roses, thrown by an adoring
mob and hence the security, exhibits a love and appreciation of diversity. In Ruby's hand is her commencement speech
that represents a successful completion of school which is one of the
culminating goals of equal opportunity in education. The values of the groups that are sponsoring
Ruby are the types of values that helped bring integration. Ruby is once again dressed in white and
scientifically speaking white is the presence of all colors. In the same way all the colors are reflected
in white, Ruby is a reflection of all the court cases, legislation, and social
movements that led to desegregation. But
one final observation is the empty star which means that America still has
work to be done to fully achieve equal education opportunity.
Following
are just some of the areas that are still separate or unequal. The achievement gap, the discipline gap, and
signs of segregation returning are all problems that are present today. Testing, among other indicators, reveal that
there is an achievement gap between whites and non-whites (Nisbett, 2011). This gap should be given the highest priority
as one of the most important issues in the U.S. (Seaton, 2010). Widening the gap is the fact that black
students are disproportionately placed in special education programs compared
to white students (Brandon & Brown, 2009).
In the 1998-99 school year the total population of blacks was 14%, yet
they represented 20% of the special education population (Brandon & Brown,
2009). Brandon & Brown (2009) go on
to state that once a black student is assigned to special education, they are
less likely than white students to return to regular education. On the other hand African Americans are
underrepresented in the gifted and talented programs (Hopkins & Garrett,
2010). Also, related to the academic gap
is a graduation gap. Whites have a 20%
higher college graduation rate than that of African Americans (Akande,
2014). These gaps show that all is still
not equal in education.
It
was in 1975 that the idea of a discipline gap first came on to the national
scene. The Children's Defense Fund
(1975) found that discipline is given more frequently and severely to
non-whites than whites. Unfortunately
adults cannot often work through their cultural differences and this results in
African Americans and Hispanics being disciplined more often than whites (Losen,
2011; Noltemeyer & Mcloughlin, 2010; Shirley & Cornell, 2011). In a speech Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan (2010) stated that blacks were suspended three times more often than
whites and blacks with disabilities were suspended twice as often. Clearly a disparity of educational equality
still exists.
In 1954 in Brown v Board the Supreme Court struck down the separate but equal
doctrine in schools. In effect they
ended de jure segregation but since then, de facto segregation has become more
and more normal because of housing patterns (Richmond, 2012). Race, even more than wealth, determines where
one lives creating de facto segregation (Friedman, 2013). One study showed that the U.S. is re-segregating and another
study found that the US was more segregated at the start of the millennium than
back in the 1970s (Teaching Tolerance, 2004).
The Supreme Court had to strike down a proposal to more fully integrate
schools because it used race as a factor resulting in more segregation
(Richmond, 2012). The housing trends
which are leading to de facto segregation seem to be sending the U.S. back in
time to a more unequal era.
References
Akande, B. O. (2014). Moon goal for colleges:
Retention of diverse students. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 31(13), 22. Retrieved from
https://libproxy.lamar.edu/
Brandon, R. R., & Brown, M. R. (2009). African American
families in the special education process.
Intervention in School and Clinic, 45(2), 85-90. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1053451209340218
Children’s
Defense Fund. (1975). School suspensions: Are they helping children? Cambridge,
MA: Washington Research Project. Retrieved from: http://diglib.lib.utk.edu/cdf/main.php?bid=115&pg=1
Duncan,
Arne. (2010, March 8). Crossing the Next Bridge:
Secretary Arne Duncan’s Remarks on the 45th Anniversary of "Bloody
Sunday" at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, Alabama. [Speech
to an audience at the Edmund Pettus Bridge]
Archived Speeches. Department of Education: Washington,
DC. Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2010/03/03082010.html
Friedman,
S., Tsao, H., & Chen, C. (2013). Housing tenure and residential segregation
in metropolitan america. Demography,
50(4), 1477-98. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13524-012-0184-y
Hopkins, A., & Garrett, K. (2010). Separate and
unequal: The underrepresentation of African American
students in gifted and talented programs. Black History Bulletin, 73(1),
24-30. Retrieved from https://libproxy.lamar.edu/
Laird,
K. (2009, August 9). "The Problem
We All Live With" - The truth about Rockwell's painting. Ken Laird
Studios. Retrieved from http://kenlairdstudios.hubpages.com/hub/The-Problem-We-All-Live-With---Norman-Rockwell-the-truth-about-his-famous-painting
Losen,
D.J. (2011). Discipline Policies, Successful Schools, and Racial Justice. Boulder,CO: NationalEducation Policy
Center. Retrieved from: http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/discipline-policies.
Nisbett,
R. E. (2011). The achievement gap: Past, present & future. Daedalus, 140(2),
90-100. Retrieved from
https://libproxy.lamar.edu/
Noltemeyer,
A. & Mcloughlin,
C. S. (2010). Changes
in exclusionary discipline rates and disciplinary
disproportionality over time. International Journal of Special Education. 25(1), 59-70. Retrieved from: http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Richmond, E. (2012, June
11). Schools are more segregated today
than during the late 1960s. The
Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/
Seaton,
E. K. (2010). What the achievement gap conversation is missing. Review of
Black Political Economy, 37(3-4),
275-277. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12114-010-9072-0
Shirley, E. & Cornell, D.
(2011). The contribution of student
perceptions of school climate to
understanding
the disproportionate punishment of African American students in a middle school. School
Psychology International. 33(2), 115–134.
Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0143034311406815
Teaching
Tolerance. (2004, Spring). Brown v. Board: Timeline of school integration in the U.S. Teaching Tolerance, 25. Retrieved from
http://www.tolerance.org
No comments:
Post a Comment