Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: The busing issue is based on one unavoidable fact. [View all]StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)For example, by then, redlining was already illegal. But it had it been in place for so long that it caused massive and deeply entrenched housing segregation that would take decades to overcome. What was to happen to the kids in the segregated neighborhoods in the meantime?
Also, the attempts to equalize the facilities had been tried for decades and failed. In fact that was the very basis of the cases that eventually led to Brown v. Board of Education. Brown didn't begin as an attempt to reverse the "separate but equal" doctrine. The original cases that led to Brown were focused on doing just what you suggest - demanding that school districts provide equal facilities for black and white students. But over time, as those cases developed, it became apparent to the courts that equality of segregated facilities was impossible because the segregation itself was the inequality. By the time the cases reached the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall with no longer arguing for separate but equal facilities, but was arguing for the dismantling of separate equal. The court agreed, ruling that segregated facilities were inherently unequal and could never be equalized because the very point of segregation was to impose a badge of inferiority on black people.
(The "Road to Brown" was a fascinating journey and I urge you to read about how Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston developed the jurisprudence that led to the Brown decision. I'll get you some cites, if you like)
It's easy to look back in 20/20 hindsight and assume what they should have done, but the people involved in this were working as hard as they could under some very difficult circumstances to come up with the solutions - busing was just one of them and it only came about because so many other solutions failed.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden