Integration

We live in a bubble here at school. Our school is really diverse, so it’s strange to look around and see places that are segregated and not diverse. One doesn’t have to look far: Chicago itself is a diverse, yet segregated city. There are often neighborhoods that are just one race. I assume that one of the reasons for this is de facto segregation, which is segregation that happens that isn’t required by law, usually out of habit. Once segregation ended, people were used to where they were living and didn’t want to move, so they just stayed in their segregated neighborhoods. As generations passed, there has been moving around and more integration, but many stayed in those same neighborhoods. Some people may feel more comfortable around their own race and therefore try to stay near them. Of course, this isn’t a general rule. Some people may segregate subconsciously and others may be making a conscious choice, while some people simply don’t care. I’m glad that I go to a school like Whitney Young. I think I’m much more open-minded than I would be if I had gone to a different school. I think integration starts from schools: depending on what a child is exposed to at a young age will affect their views later. Therefore schools should be as diverse as Whitney Young so that children are taught that integration is a good thing from the beginning.