Have we come full circle? On May 17, 1954, in a landmark decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the U.S. Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for students of different races to be unconstitutional. The decision dismantled the legal framework for racial segregation in public schools and Jim Crow laws. It was the decision of Brown II in 1955, that delayed its immediate implementation. In Brown II, the court ruled that school districts in the 17 states that required segregation and the four that allowed it (including Kansas) integrate their school systems “with all deliberate speed.” The ambiguity of the phrase encouraged many school districts to strongly resist integration, often by shutting down public schools and financing private schools (which were not affected by Brown) for white students. In some places, it took more than 10 years for public schools to become integrated. The impact of the 1954 decision didn't reach the schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the capitol of Louisiana, until 1963. In 2007, a divided Supreme Court ruled that public schools “cannot seek to achieve or maintain integration through measures that take explicit account of a student’s race.” Today, it has been shown that our public school system in neighborhoods of our nation’s cities are more racially integrated than at any time since the early 20th Century. So, what we are experiencing today started way before the election of 2016. Let me say that this is not a Democratic or Republican Party problem, but an American problem that we have failed to truly address.

Although, II must admit that my leanings are more to the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. However, I do find myself more and more of an Independent these days. I wish we could start over and eliminate the present two-party system. As they say, power corrupts and ultimate power ultimately corrupts. There seems to be no place for moderates in either party, but I have to say it has gone to the extreme on the Republican side. Elections have become more about how many negatives you can throw at your opponent and see how many stick rather real solutions.

I want those that take the time to read this, and aren’t just followers, to heed the words of Lyndon Baines Johnson. In fact, these words hold truer with each passing day. LBJ, who grew up in the South and understood the politics of racism from the inside, saw the use of race in part as a ploy to divide and conquer. He once said “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” I must admit the Democratic Party, for the most part, has taken people of color for granted, promising a lot for the masses, but only delivering for a few. However, compared to what the majority of the present day Republican Party has to offer, I have to say is far better than has been sen under their leadership.. However, I have to admit that such has backed fired in the long run and help create the environment we are now living in. An attitude of "Why vote?" that has led to the present-day election consequences. Looking back at our history. To me, the election of 2016 comes close to the election of November 7, 1876 and the end of Reconstruction which ultimately led to the dismantling of the initial attempt to have a real multicultural society.

Now, the current decisions are giving evidence to dismantling of Reconstruction II. And I see the upcoming election continuing to lead us down the path started with the election results of November 8, 2016. As a history buff, having focused on Reconstruction,. I am finding so many similarities of history repeating itself

To refresh your memory about the presidential election of 1876, it is not disputed that Tilden, the Republican candidate outpolled Hayes, the Democratic candidate, in the popular vote. There were wide allegations of electoral fraud, election violence, and other disfranchisement of predominately-Republican Black voters (today this would be people of color and other marginalized communities). After a first count of votes, Tilden had won 184 electoral votes to Hayes's 165, with 20 votes from four states unresolved. In Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina, both parties reported their candidate to have won the state. In Oregon, one elector was replaced after being declared illegal for having been an "elected or appointed official." The question of who should have been awarded those electoral votes is the source of the continued controversy still today.

An informal, "back-room" deal was struck to resolve the votes: the Compromise of 1877. In the deal, the Democrats conceded the 20 contested electoral votes to Hayes, resulting in a 185-184 electoral victory; in return, the Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South, marking the end of Reconstruction and ending effort to protect the right of Blacks and allowing white supremacy to begin to flourish again. I ask you, does this resemble today?

Again, elections have consequences. Today, it’s the Republicans (who were then the Democrats) in the late 1800’s, that are playing the role that the 19th century Democrats played in ending Reconstruction. If you trace history from then until today, basically it's the same people, just with different titles and different political parities.

Here is just one example that I believe proves my point, the Civil Rights Bill of 1875. First introduced by one of Congress’s greatest advocates for black civil rights, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, in 1870, the original bill attempted to outlaw racial discrimination in juries, schools, transportation, and public accommodations. Republican leaders were forced, however, to chip away at the legislation’s protections in order to make it palatable enough to pass in the face of growing public pressure to abandon racial legislation and embrace segregation. A record number --seven African-American Representatives--carried debate in favor of the bill, offering personal accounts of discrimination on railroads and in restaurants. “Every day my life and property are exposed, are left to the mercy of others, and will be so long as every hotel-keeper, railroad conductor, and steamboat captain can refuse me with impunity,” Representative James Rapier of Alabama said. He later added, “After all, this question resolves itself into this: either I am a man or I am not a man.” The weakened legislation—which only passed after all references to equal and integrated education were stripped completely—failed to have any lasting effect. The Supreme Court struck down the 1875 Civil Rights Bill in 1883 on the grounds that the Constitution did not extend to private businesses. Now fast forward to 2022, do we see anything differences? Today, rather than talking about Democrats taking away rights, we are taking about Republicans. Which brings me back to another statement LBJ was reported saying, whether true or not, the fact is that after signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “There goes the South.” And he was absolutely right: the fact is that as a reaction to Johnson’s act of courage in signing the legislation, the South turned Republican immediately, overnight, instantly.

Here we are again at the gates of decision. I see both parties as faulty. But the past week has sent one party's potential to make those back-room deals again to gain power. For instance, as several conservative Republicans have said, "I don’t care if he paid for an abortion or not, I want control of Senate. " What happen to moral values? If you have them, but are willing to side-step them to gain power and you have already demonstrated that you are willing to take rights away just because you don’t agree with the majority of Americans, including those in your own party, how can you ask me to trust you? But it goes back again to my first quote by LBJ - “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” Unfortunately, this can now be extended to any white person, or any person willing to demonize issue around inequities to farther their quest for power. They might not necessarily be bigoted, but their philosophy “gives aid and comfort to the racists among us for their own selfish reason to the detriment of us all no matter what political party they belong to. And ask yourself this question: how can you have a multicultural society, if we live in a segregated and unequal society from K thru 12?