Ilov80s 0 Posted May 9, 2006 This is a bit old, but I haven't seen it discussed here. "OMAHA, April 14 — Ernie Chambers is Nebraska's only African-American state senator, a man who has fought for causes including the abolition of capital punishment and the end of apartheid in South Africa. A magazine writer once described him as the "angriest black man in Nebraska." Ernie Chambers, the only African-American in the Nebraska Legislature, was a major force behind a law enacted this week that calls for dividing the Omaha school district into three districts defined largely by race. He was also a driving force behind a measure passed by the Legislature on Thursday and signed into law by the governor that calls for dividing the Omaha public schools into three racially identifiable districts, one largely black, one white and one mostly Hispanic. The law, which opponents are calling state-sponsored segregation, has thrown Nebraska into an uproar, prompting fierce debate about the value of integration versus what Mr. Chambers calls a desire by blacks to control a school district in which their children are a majority. Civil rights scholars call the legislation the most blatant recent effort in the nation to create segregated school systems or, as in Omaha, to resegregate districts that had been integrated by court order. Omaha ran a mandatory busing program from 1976 to 1999." Law to Segregate Omaha Divides Nebraska Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toro 1 Posted May 9, 2006 This is a bit old, but I haven't seen it discussed here. "OMAHA, April 14 — Ernie Chambers is Nebraska's only African-American state senator, a man who has fought for causes including the abolition of capital punishment and the end of apartheid in South Africa. A magazine writer once described him as the "angriest black man in Nebraska." Ernie Chambers, the only African-American in the Nebraska Legislature, was a major force behind a law enacted this week that calls for dividing the Omaha school district into three districts defined largely by race. He was also a driving force behind a measure passed by the Legislature on Thursday and signed into law by the governor that calls for dividing the Omaha public schools into three racially identifiable districts, one largely black, one white and one mostly Hispanic. The law, which opponents are calling state-sponsored segregation, has thrown Nebraska into an uproar, prompting fierce debate about the value of integration versus what Mr. Chambers calls a desire by blacks to control a school district in which their children are a majority. Civil rights scholars call the legislation the most blatant recent effort in the nation to create segregated school systems or, as in Omaha, to resegregate districts that had been integrated by court order. Omaha ran a mandatory busing program from 1976 to 1999." Law to Segregate Omaha Divides Nebraska I bet one of the districts has more dropouts and lower test scores. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Korben Dallas 0 Posted May 9, 2006 This is a completely dishonest representation of the proposed legislation and the reasoning behind it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strike 5,748 Posted May 9, 2006 This is a completely dishonest representation of the proposed legislation and the reasoning behind it. Yeah, especially the part where he says his intent isn't to create an exclusionary system but one where blacks have control over their own schools. LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TimmySmith 2,783 Posted May 9, 2006 This is a completely dishonest representation of the proposed legislation and the reasoning behind it. Let me be the first to welcome you to the age of political correctness. Segregation = bad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Korben Dallas 0 Posted May 9, 2006 Yeah, especially the part where he says his intent isn't to create an exclusionary system but one where blacks have control over their own schools. LOL Ernie never intends for this to become an actual plan. This was a retalitory strike against the very corrupt and poorly run OPS trying to use a law passed in 1892 and never enforced to take all the suburban schools districts. Nearly all of them have exploded in number and mostly because of the quest to avoid OPS. OPS refused to negotiate or discuss in any way except total domination and Ernie punished them for it. Ernie isn't just an angry, crazy black man (he is all of those things), he is also the most powerful State legislation in a unicameral and is wicked smart. The law actually creates one massive learning community and a distribution of wealth all across the Omaha metro, with smaller "districts" designed to cater to the regions needs. They can't Re-segregate. They already are. Omaha is an amazingly segregated town. North O-vast majority black, South o-vast majority Hispanic and the occasional Polish person from the 50's still there, West O-pretty darn White. 97% after 144th street. I don't think its the right solution either, but anyone writes assurtions and falsehoods like this, clearly has never been to Omaha and has done no research on the timeline for this happening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites