When we hear the word equality, we think of race, religion, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, and other categories that annually reach the docket of the Supreme Court. The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, boldly proclaims: “All men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Yet for much of American history, the guarantee of equality applied exclusively to white men. That is no longer the case. But the struggle for political and social equality is often long and difficult. The problem is that although Americans support equality in the abstract, the guarantee of equality requires government action—action that often limits the liberty of some people.
The documentary for this week, “A Class Divided,” looks at how one teacher teaches her third-grade class an important lesson in race relations in the late 1960s after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You will find the link below.
1.Respond to the following discussion please answer A & B

A. To answer the question, no, The election of Obama wouldn’t be an indicator that the lesson Jane Elliott taught wouldn’t be necessary. In fact, if anything, that lesson can sometimes feel even more necessary in present day BECAUSE of that. Its a very easy, complacent attitude to fall into the idea that racism is somehow “over” in modern times, or relegated to fringe individuals that don’t have bearing on society. This attitude often manifests because of some legal protections people of color have now that they didn’t before, or milestones like the election of Obama. But though these things are undeniably really great societal progress, racism and other forms of prejudice (Homophobia, transphobia.) still exist in our institutions in ways that people are less likely to see. So I strongly believe this sort of program should be in place in schools. These issues still exist today and need to be made less abstract for more privileged people. (Now, a part of me almost wonders if the parameters of the experiment should change to reflect this more subtle but still galling prejudice. I’ve seen a more recent interpretation of this experiment with older people involved. And it definitely communicated what more belligerent, direct racism would look like, but I think this is the exact kind of racism that can be easily brushed off as fringe by people who want to be ignorant about it. I suppose the conundrum there is whether or not one can adequately demonstrate systemic racism in the more passive sense in a way that would be reflected in a classroom setting like what Elliott does.)

B. With the successful election of America’s first biracial president for two terms in office is the lesson Jane Elliott taught her third grade class in 1968, necessary today? Why or Why not?
I have read a lot of things about Civil Rights, Racism and Dr Martin Luther King Jr. We just had the Dr King Holiday so the country is aware of who he was and how he was killed. My moms paternal grandfather, from Georgia Rev Dr George L Merritt was a friend of Dr King, he died in 1994 before I was born but my moms siblings have heard a lot from him. Every time we reach a certain grade in school we are asked to write something about our family history. My cousins and myself call our grandmother.