Religion, Private School, and “Progressive Education”

Today we went around in a circle and stated one word or phrase that the day had made us feel. My word was “conflicted.” We drove through Montgomery and Selma, Alabama today; the streets were empty, houses abandoned, stores silent, and history looming. As we spoke to Charles Mauldin, who was a sixteen-year-old participant of the march to Montgomery, Bloody Sunday, and Turn Around Tuesday, he reinforced something we’ve seen for the past few days which was that faith came hand in hand with the movement. A lot of the time, the safe haven was the church. There would be meetings, training sessions, and planning of events in the church, and many participants of the movement relied heavily on their faith in order to keep going. It made me think about my own faith, and how although I might not believe in God all the time or believe in everything the Torah or bible might say, I do believe in my family, the future, and love. I think it takes people to identify what they fight for and identify what pushes them to be better in order for them to further a movement. 

However, my “conflict” came at dinner in church when we were told of the apparent segregation that still exists in Selma. All of the white kids go to private schools in the suburbs and the students of color attend Selma High Public School. A question was posed by Mr. Kerrington — who was around twelve at the time of the march. He asked if within in a group there are only 3 or 4 people of color out of 30, is that truly integrated? I immediately thought of my school. I couldn’t think of a single class of mine that has more than 3 or 4 black students, and that bothered me. However, how is that supposed to change if the system itself is built to keep people of color poor and out of private schools such as mine? My inner conflict came from the comfort I feel within my school, yet the discomfort I feel now knowing how I, in turn, contribute to the continued segregation of schools and of society by attending a mostly white school. 

-Noë Wolf