How Are Schools Integrated?

 To answer this question simply, I would say our schools are not integrated. The term "redlining" plays a huge factor into why we see segregated schools even today, so let's take a deeper look into what this means, and how we can truly integrate our schools so that no child is left out. 

Decades of racial federal policies have made it so that we see majority White neighborhoods, and majority Black neighborhoods. In the 1930's FDR created loan programs to help people finance their homes. As a result of this, there were green, or "good," neighborhoods which allowed individuals to receive loans, and red, or "bad," neighborhoods who could not receive any financial assistance, therefore, creating the term "redlining." Even after these racist policies were changed, people living in the "red zones" did not have enough money to afford the increased property rates within the "green zones," so at this time there was nothing else to do but to stay and reside in the "red zones." Because of this unfair advantage people of color were subjected to live in the red areas with no other options, which meant zoning to schools with lower property tax incomes and less money to provide students with resources they need. Many people, like myself, do not realize that the government still enforces these policies, such as banks charging higher rates on loans for Black homebuyers, and it leads our students to attend majority White or Black schools. So I would not says our schools are integrated, but by becoming more aware of the racial inequalities we see homebuyers and people of color face, we can begin to make a change.

I believe one way we can truly make our schools integrated is to rethink our zoning policies many school districts have in place. We must think about equal access, and if we provided families with a lottery-based plan for where their child attends school, the diversity dynamic could be shifted so that all schools are integrated. I gathered my information from 3 Promising Models of School Integration, where Matt Gonzales, an advocate for the New York Appleseed, says "Desegregation is about creating diverse spaces and breaking down barriers to access.” “Integration is about the cultural and pedagogical school climate shifts [needed] to create a truly equitable environment.” This quote stuck out to me because of the success New York schools have had with this mindset, and I hope one day Texas can make the same changes.