By Roy Douglas Malonson
Continuing from last week’s editorial I am still trying to figure out just exactly what did Blacks gain from integration? In terms of integration, people look at privileges we now share with our White counterparts such as: using the same restrooms, restaurants, water fountains, residing in the same neighborhoods, and attending the same learning institutions; but do we realize that while it may appear that we gained in one area, we truly lost in another.
What a lot of people have misconstrued is the fact that when integration came into play we lost and jeopardized a great deal of our community. We gave our children’s mind to our counterparts enabling them the authority to teach and instill in them just what they wanted to.
This is in contrary to times past when we as parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents etc., were responsible for educating our own children. You have to realize there was a time when it was illegal for a Black man or woman to pursue an education. So as the generations went by Blacks had to sneak and learn in the most awkward ways.
Due to the extremities that our fathers and fore-fathers endured just to receive some form of education; the little education that they got was valued and passed on from generation to generation with no holds barred efforts.
Unfortunately, while we send our children to the White folks to be educated, we do not realize that we are loosing our own influence over our own children.
I can recall in my youth, one of the first jobs I had was working for Cameron in the Management Department. In respects to my complexion, I was chosen and offered the position of removing all of the ‘No Colored’ signs off of the water fountains, restrooms, restaurants etc. not long after the so called end to segregation. Not only that, when do you think the toilet seat covers came about? I was also chosen to install the seat cover holders. Most folks think that its done for “sanitary purposes.” The seat covers came in Corporate America shortly after integration. Most folks don’t even think about it, but I do because I know what that was all about. I hate to inform y’all that White folks was not happy about sharing the toilet for Black folks. Yes, I know a thing or two about the matter.
Another primary example that I can use to bring this thing even closer to home is I can remember in the early 1960’s when the Houston schools were first integrated.
The primary two rival schools in the Black community in the Acres Home Northwest side of Houston were Booker T. Washington and Carver; eventually M.C. Williams was added into the equation. Amongst these schools alone there was already confusion, but when integration came into play it appeared that someone had opened the flood gates. With the inclusion of integration a combination of all of the schools of the Aldine and Houston Independent School District were combined. Integration sent the children and youth to all of the schools within those zones; thereby creating several war zones which led to even more havoc and confusion for neighboring youth during that time.
One thing that we must understand is that the ultimate price that we paid for integration was almost totally destroying our own communities in the process. I know there are some readers out there that think that I’m crazy and out-of-my-mind about this. But, think about it. What is going on with most of the Black schools in our communities. They are trying to close Ryan Middle School right there in Third Ward. Do you hear about them closing Bellaire or Lamar? So at the end of the day the truth remains that although it appears that they successfully integrated the African-American community we have definitely paid a price. And oh, what a price to pay!