ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS COMMENTARY: No Need To Assign Schools By Race

The conservative Republican commentator argues that U.S. Supreme Court got it right when they ruled against school districts assigning classes by race in Louisville, Ky. and Seattle, Wash.: "In this day and age, I think it's ridiculous that we need to factor race to diversify our schools. It's been over fifty years since the historic jury in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruled in favor of integration and helped spearhead the civil rights movement. If we still need to bus certain kids to certain schools based on the color of their skin, then Martin Luther King's dream surely did not come true. The fact is that we don't need to take these steps anymore. Racism is not completely extinct - and perhaps it never will be - but it's generally been wiped out for all intents and purposes. Look at the highest offices in our land and you'll see many minorities holding important jobs. Check out the entertainment business and the sporting world and you'll come across countless minorities earning great livings. Pick up a local paper or magazine and you'll see interracial couples, integrated events, and diverse workplaces, schools, churches, and restaurants. The younger generation barely even notices race anymore. Walk into most schools across America and you'll witness young kids of all races playing in the yard as if their grandfathers were too best friends. Just like the gay marriage issue, as the younger generations grow up, these old conflicts will die away. We don't need to kill them by using forced integration methods and overarching laws in our education system."

He continues: "Where people live, eat, worship, and send their kids to school, is their own decision. The government should stay out of our personal lives as much as possible. And in this case, not only was the government interfering with our lives, they were relighting a fire that was put out long ago. Yes, there are still some racist people out there. Barry Bonds will get booed by a few of them, Barack Obama will be threatened by some of them, and a few good Americans might experience a hardship or two because of these bigots. But all in all, racism is dead in America. A black man or woman has the same opportunity to succeed as any other person on the planet. So it's time our government stopped looking at people by the color of their skin. Enough is enough. And this ruling was a good step in that direction."

And more: "America doesn't need more programs to end hatred, racism, and bigotry. It needs more individuals with loving hearts and open minds. It needs people like you and me to soften our stance and reach out to someone we don't know, don't understand, or don't look like. Our country needs people to walk down the street without bias or prejudice against the homeless man or single mother. Americans needs to forget about race in order to become one race."

My response: I certainly wouldn't argue that racism is basically dead in America. Nor do I believe Mr. Armstrong's nonsense that we should become one race, as if blackness should become extinct. However, the Supreme Court ruling was a good one because it undermined the white supremacist argument - which on this issue is being propagated by liberals - that black children must sit next to white children in order to learn. The next step for Black America is to push for school vouchers so we can create a panoply of the sort of schools that will enable black children to progress.