Up until I saw this installment of "American Experience", I had no idea that there were STILL segregated schools in the United States in 1970. I grew up in one of the middle states, and integration has occurred back in the 1950s following the Supreme Court's decision forcing the desegregation of schools...and yet some states simply ignored this order. This episode is about a school system in Mississippi where this late desegregation occurred. The show details events and featured many interviews with folks who were there in the town of Leland in 1970.
I think the impact of this episode clearly is based on your age. I graduated high school in 1982....the same year the first integrated class graduated from the Leland schools. So, for me, this kicked up a lot of feelings and memories...about how racism STILL impacted me and my graduating class. Overall, a sad but interesting installment of "American Experience"...especially since the Leland schools and many schools across America RE-segregated in the decades following forced desegregation due to 'white flight'...white families sending their kids to private schools.
I think the impact of this episode clearly is based on your age. I graduated high school in 1982....the same year the first integrated class graduated from the Leland schools. So, for me, this kicked up a lot of feelings and memories...about how racism STILL impacted me and my graduating class. Overall, a sad but interesting installment of "American Experience"...especially since the Leland schools and many schools across America RE-segregated in the decades following forced desegregation due to 'white flight'...white families sending their kids to private schools.
