Talking Point #7 - Lawrence

"One More River to Cross" - Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown:

A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies

Charles Lawrence

Author's Argument: Lawrence argues that Brown v. Board of Education case was a failure. There will always be something else to be done. "One more River to Cross." Lawrence also argues that the Supreme Court failed to recognized the real meaning of racial segregation.


Quotes:
1. "There would be no final victory in their lifetimes. Each step forward was just that, a step. There would always be one more river to cross."

I can see how this could be true. Regardless of the decisions made, there would always be something else to be done. There would always be some problems and issues to be resolve. At the end of the article Lawrence is also stating that we need to be clear about the nature of racial segregation, otherwise we will never be able to reach the other side of the river.

2. " Blacks are kept separate from whites not because it promotes efficiency in records keeping, or because their proximity produces toxic fumes that are harmful to the environment. They are kept separate because the separation labels or classifies blacks as inferior beings."

I don't really like this quote just the fact that there might be people who think that blacks could be harmful to the environment make me feel sick. It is ridiculous to think that they need to be separate just because their skin color, but I guess that it how the "the culture of power" works.

3. "Once blacks are labeled as inferior, they are denied to access to equal societal opportunities."

I agree with this quote and I think that it not fair. I can connect this quote with Delpit's and McIntosh's article. It's all about "the culture of power" and "white privilege."

Comments/Point to Share: This article was long to read and I think that the author repeats himself a lot, maybe that was his way of emphasized and proved his points. However, I think that the article was very interesting and informational. Sometimes we think that once a law is implemented it will take effect right away. In the Brown case I could see that it takes years and years to see the results.