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| Written By Rick
Ellis, Tuesday, September 25th, 2007 If there is one indelible image from the battle to desegregate schools in the south, it is from Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Fifty years ago, on September 25th, nine black students were escorted into the school, surrounded by 1,200 National Guardsmen and an angry crowd of jeering, spitting white students. Filmmakers Craig and Brent Renaud decided to see what that school was like in 2007, the results are sad and demoralizing. "Little Rock Central High: 50 Years Later" is a documentary without narration or historical background. It's simple, moving images of what it means to attend the high school in 2007. In one scene, Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the original nine students, talks to a class about her experiences. She speaks to a class that is self-segregated--blacks on one side, whites on the other. Both sides are equally disinterested, and in fact, one of the black students seems to be sleeping. But Trickey is the only one of the original nine to make an appearance in the documentary. It is primarily a story of today, and hearing the student's voices and experiences captured in such a stark way is often unsettling. Central High School in 2007 is a generally well-regarded school that is 53 percent black, 42 percent white and 5 percent "other." It is celebrated nationally for being the epicenter for school desegregation and the promises of equal education. But things aren't nearly as promising from the student's perspective. Brandon Love is the student body president who is the only black in his advanced placement class. "Central is still pretty segregated," he tells the camera. "It is just that we do not have to have the National Guard here to get in the school and to go to school." Black students are much less likely to excel in classes, and both white and black students agree that there is less motivation for black students to do well in school. Angelica, a student who is one of the few blacks in advanced classes. She explains that many black students would rather be comfortable in classes with other black students than compete with whites. It's an amazing observation from someone who lives in a rented house without a working sink or stove. Some teachers and students contend in the film that the academic struggles are the caused by the legacy of slavery and overriding poverty. But while that might indeed be part of the cause, there is also something else going on in the student body. Among many of the black students, there seems to be no real sense of what an education could bring them. They are walking through the classes, and the result is that Central High has desegregated it classes, but left the students living in separate worlds. The documentary doesn't offer any solutions, and in many ways, Central High faces a lot of the same issues encountered by schools across the United States. But seeing the problems highlighted at a student body in one of the most notable schools in the country brings the problems home in a new way. "Little Rock Central High: 50 Years Later" is a must-see for every American. The problems faced by these students are ones that your kids are probably very familiar with at their schools. I know it's a busy week for TV fans, but this is one special you and your children shouldn't miss. "Little Rock Central High: 50 Years Later" premieres on HBO on Tuesday, September 25th, 2007. |
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