Letter to Arne Duncan

This is a letter I wrote when I was in 8th grade. It is regarding school segregation. I felt that it should post it since I am feeling a resurgence of activism.

Cortez A. ,US

Arne Duncan July 17, 2006

CEO of Chicago Public Schools

Central Office

Chicago, IL 60603

Dear Mr. Arne Duncan,

My name is Cortez Alexander and I am a 14 year old ninth grade student at Jane Doe Magnet School. I recently graduated from an John Doe Elementary School on Chicago’s Westside. A few weeks ago we were having an in class discussion about school segregation. From this discussion I have concluded that schools are still segregated. Segregation is when there is only one ethnic group in a facility.

School segregation is currently done now because of segregated residential areas. Due to the fact many African Americans live in segregated areas, we are now stuck in segregated schools. There should be some way to allow students to attend schools out of their area. It may also be necessary to look into why Chicago continues to be one of the most segregated cities in America.

The difference between now and the past is that it was involuntary. When segregation was legal, kids did not have a chance to interact with different ethnic groups. They had to sit there and miss learning about different cultures. Now that segregation is illegal, it seems kids cannot interact with different ethnic groups.

Segregation has made a negative impact on today’s youth. There were countless children marching for the change of segregation. That tells me if we want change, we as children are going to have to act on the problem. Which brings me to my next question why are schools still segregated, and what will it take for them to become truly integrated?