Still Separate, Still Unequal Quotes

Samantha Moniello
Professor Young
ENGW 1100, Writing Skills Workshop
14 October 2016

"In the typically colossal high schools of the Bronx, for instance, more than 90 percent of students (in most cases, more than 95%) are black and hispanic. At John F. Kennedy High School in 2003, 93 percent of the enrollment of more than 4,000 students were Black and Hispanic; only 3.5 percent of students at the school were white"(Kozol 41).

This quote will help me portray in my essay the idea that a lot of schools contain a minority but also have a struggle with learning. Although there is a lot of schools containing minorities that have learning issues, being a minority doesn't make you not have the ability to learn.

"In San Diego there is a school that bears the name of Rosa Parks in which 86 percent of students are Black and Hispanic and only some 2 percent are white"(Kozol 42). 

This quote shows how its ironic that the name of the "Rosa Parks School" is mostly consisting of minorities rather than an equal place of all races. Not that this means schools can't primarily be a certain race because of the area they are in but these schools should be more diverse especially with that name.

"It's as if you have been put into a garage where, if they don't have room for something but aren't sure if they should throw it out, they put it there where they don't need to think of it again. I asked her if she thought America truly did not "have room" for her or other children of her race. "Think of it this way," said a sixteen year old girl sitting beside her." If people in New York woke up one day and learned that we were gone, that we had simply died or left for somewhere else, how would they feel? "I think they'd be relieved"(Kozol 43).

This quote I found very interesting. There is so much happening in the quote and the girl who the author interviews really feels like she doesn't belong. Her analogy of the garage and being "thrown away" really makes you feel for her and her situation. I think that this might be a good example because maybe minority students feel like they don't belong, hence making them do worse in school.

"Dear Mr Kozol,wrote the eight year old. "We do not have the things you have. You have Clean things. We do not have. You have clean bathroom. We do not have that. You have Parks and we do not have Parks. You have all the thing and we do not have all the thing. Can you help us?"(Kozol 44). 

This quote portrays the way a eight year old feels. I think that this quote can show a great example of the pain and stress these minorities are going through. It's not fair that they feel that they are not equal, especially an eight year old.

Works Cited

Kozol, J. (2005). Still Separate, Still Unequal. Harper's Magazine 311 (1864). http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2005/American-Apartheid-Education1sep05.htm This article was adapted from Kozol, J. (2005). The Shame of the Nation: The restoration of apartheid schooling in America. New York: Crown.