“Fifty Years After Cisneros V. Ccisd: a History of Racism, Segregation, and Continued Inequality for Minority Students”
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
“FIFTY YEARS AFTER CISNEROS V. CCISD: A HISTORY OF RACISM, SEGREGATION, AND CONTINUED INEQUALITY FOR MINORITY STUDENTS” A Thesis by JAMIE LYNN JONES *This is only for degrees previously earned! Please do not include your major with the degree name, and list the degree simply as BA, BS, MA, etc. For example: BS, University Name, Year MS, University Name, Year *International Students must include the name of the country between the school and BA, University of Texas at Austin, 2014 the date the degree was received, if it was received outside of the US. *Delete this box before typing in your information. Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in HISTORY Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas December 2018 © Jamie Lynn Jones All Rights Reserved December 2018 “FIFTY YEARS AFTER CISNEROS V.CCISD: A HISTORY OF RACISM, SEGREGATION, AND CONTINUED INEQUALITY FOR MINORITY STUDENTS” A Thesis by JAMIE LYNN JONES December 2018 ABSTRACT Throughout the history of Corpus Christi, racism has played a central role within many aspects of life including within the role of education. For many decades, students attended particular schools based upon the color of their skin, and were afforded different educational opportunities in direct correlation to their social standing within society. In Corpus Christi, three types of schools, also known as a tripartite system, emerged with one for African American students, another for Mexican American students, and another for Anglo students. This trend was challenged in 1954 with the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, which declared the “separate but equal” clause was no longer constitutional, and ordered schools districts throughout the nation to integrate their schools. Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) began the integration process soon after, but only for African American and Mexican American students, which left Anglo schools completely intact essentially creating a dual school system. However, in 1970, another court case, Cisneros v. CCISD ruled that Mexican Americans were a minority, and as a result, CCISD was segregated and needed to form a unitary school system at once that integrated all three races. This paper presents an educational history of Corpus Christi both prior and after Cisneros in 1970, and analyzes the various desegregation methods CCISD employed, including busing and the creation of Special Emphasis Schools. I argue that CCISD is still a segregated school district despite all of the various desegregation compromises and plans adopted over the years due to the district embracing the neighborhood school plan, and several free choice programs offered at different schools that encourage transfers of certain students. This paper seeks to provide an accurate history of CCISD from 1871 to the current day that reveals the reasons why schools are still segregated today. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to begin by thanking the Caller-Times, the local newspaper here in Corpus Christi, that allowed me to have unlimited access to old and new articles. I want to specifically thank Allison Ehrlich, who is the archivist, who not only helped me scan hundreds of newspaper articles, but was always there to answer any pressing questions. Many of those articles are central to this paper, and I would not have been able to provide as many diverse viewpoints without them. I want to also thank the staff at the Benson Latin American Library at the University of Texas at Austin, and specifically Daniel Arbino, for allowing me to research many different collections in a short amount of time that added great material to this paper. This paper would also not have been possible without the collections housed at the Mary and Jeff Library at A&M University Corpus Christi. Furthermore, this paper would not exist if it were not for the History faculty at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Every one of my professors provided me with immense knowledge, and in some way led me to writing this paper. A special thanks to Dr. Beth Robinson, and Dr. Anthony Quiroz for agreeing to be on this committee, and to Dr. Sandrine Sanos for stepping in at the last minute to chair my thesis as Professor Muñoz began her new role at a different college. I want to thank Dr. Laura Muñoz for not only chairing this committee, but for providing me with extensive professional guidance, and for continually challenging me to achieve my absolute best as a student. You allowed me to write a thesis I am proud of, which I will be forever thankful for. On a more personal note, I would like to thank my classmate and dear friend, Jennie Syamken, who was always a call away, and provided me with support when I needed it most. I would also like to thank Christina Hunter, who was there for me throughout this whole process. I vi also am thankful for my family, including my Mom, Dad, and brother, Wes. This would not have been possible without your love and support. Thanks for always listening, and for always encouraging me to achieve my best. Finally, I want to dedicate this paper to my students, both past and present, who were not only the inspiration for this thesis, but also the reason I decided to write this paper. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I: A History of Racism and Neglect within CCISD:1871-1968 ................................ 15 CHAPTER II: The Cisneros Court Case: 1970 ............................................................................ 58 CHAPTER III:Desegregation, Busing, and Special Emphasis Schools: 1970:1985 .................... 98 CONCLUSION: The End of Cisneros and the Lingering Evidence of Racism and Inequality . 143 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 164 viii INTRODUCTION In June of 1990, Nelson Mandela traveled to Madison Park High School in Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, which was his first trip to the United States since being freed from prison in South Africa. In front of a massive crowd composed of teachers, students, and other onlookers, he famously declared, “Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.”1 Throughout the history of the United States, the role of education has served three purposes, which firstly, was to develop a citizenry that was educated in order to participate in the democratic process. Secondly, it served as a tool for assimilating immigrants into American society that would teach them the American language and culture. Thirdly, education allowed the United States to develop a workforce that could physically contribute to the United States economically.2 However, the role of education within American society has often undergirded exclusionary, racist principles and ideologies that has ultimately prevented certain racial groups from attaining full citizenship and equality. The history of racism and inequality within education is long and complex, and has happened throughout the nation in order to continually subjugate people due to their perceived inferiority within society. This thesis centers on the history of racism and segregation in the Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD), beginning in 1871 and continuing to the 1 Peter Schworm, “Nelson Mandela’s 1990 visit left lasting impression,” Boston Globe, December 7, 2013, Accessed April 23, 2017, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/12/07/mandela-visit-boston-high-school-left-lasting- impression/2xZ1QqkVMTbHKXiFEJynTO/story.html. 2Victoria-María MacDonald, “Demanding Their Rights: The Latino Struggle for Educational Access and Equity,” in American Latinos and the Making of the United States: A Theme Study (Washington, DC: National Park System Advisory Board, 2013), online through the National Park Service at http://www.nps.gov/ history/heritageinitiatives/latino/latinothemestudy/pdfs/Education_final_web.pdf. 1 current day. One of the reasons I chose to focus my analysis on Corpus Christi was due to the fact the district segregated students based on the color of their skin, having separate schools for African American, Mexican American, and Anglo students. This system of segregation of minority school children would ultimately be overturned by Cisneros v. Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970)—the focal point of this thesis.3 In years after Cisneros, the school board decided upon different methods of desegregation in order to achieve a unitary school system. CCISD re-assigned thousands of students to different schools in order to achieve an ethnic balance among the three predominant races—Mexican American, African American and white—in order to not have more than 75% of one ethnic group at one school. CCISD eventually adopted a busing plan that required students of different races to be bused to various schools throughout the city in order to achieve this ethnic balance. The busing of students began in 1975 and continued until 1985, which not only impacted school