The book, Unequal City: Race, School, and The Perceptions of Injustice by Carla Shedd and published by Russell Sage Foundation is a study about how race and inequality plays a large role in adolescents perceptions of life. Shedd describes adolescent’s perceptions of themselves and their environment through their participation in Chicago’s Education system. Interviewing students across four urban high schools in Chicago. She lays out the difficulties their geographical terrain and area of opportunity.
In the preface, she provides background information about her experiences as a graduate of Smith College, an all-women’s college, in Massachusetts. She continues her education at Northwestern University in the doctoral sociology program. She …show more content…
Michelle, a student at Lincoln Park High School, travels on the “El” (the cities above ground train system). She has to wake up at 5:15 A.M, gets out of school at 3, and arrives home around 5 P.M. Although this angers Michelle because her whole day is composed of traveling to and from school, thankfully, she does not have concerns about her safety when traveling to and from school. This differs from Alex from Walter Payton High School, who also rides the train, but from the side of town that he lives on, he feels that he can not sleep on the train because he is always concerned about a potential attacker. Each students’ views of their travels to and from school are drastically different based upon where they live. Students’ residence also influences their peers attitudes towards one another. Gabrielle who attends Lincoln Park explains that students who live in bad neighborhoods are more respected than those who live in safe neighborhoods. Classmates of Gabrielle make her feel like she is a trooper for living on the south side and having to travel an hour to school each day. She states that the students compare a bus pass to a badge of honor. This also affects the cliques and groups throughout the school. Michelle explains that schools are diverse, not integrated, meaning that students will form cliques according to their race. She goes on to explain that if a student wants to integrate themselves, chaos breaks out. The overall intent of Brown v. Board of Education trial was to integrate schools and provide students opportunities to meet others of all races and social classes and to provide an equal education for all. With the cliques that are being formed in schools today, Shedd is explaining that those rights are slowly resulting back to times before Brown v. Board. In Shedd’s line
In the preface, she provides background information about her experiences as a graduate of Smith College, an all-women’s college, in Massachusetts. She continues her education at Northwestern University in the doctoral sociology program. She …show more content…
Michelle, a student at Lincoln Park High School, travels on the “El” (the cities above ground train system). She has to wake up at 5:15 A.M, gets out of school at 3, and arrives home around 5 P.M. Although this angers Michelle because her whole day is composed of traveling to and from school, thankfully, she does not have concerns about her safety when traveling to and from school. This differs from Alex from Walter Payton High School, who also rides the train, but from the side of town that he lives on, he feels that he can not sleep on the train because he is always concerned about a potential attacker. Each students’ views of their travels to and from school are drastically different based upon where they live. Students’ residence also influences their peers attitudes towards one another. Gabrielle who attends Lincoln Park explains that students who live in bad neighborhoods are more respected than those who live in safe neighborhoods. Classmates of Gabrielle make her feel like she is a trooper for living on the south side and having to travel an hour to school each day. She states that the students compare a bus pass to a badge of honor. This also affects the cliques and groups throughout the school. Michelle explains that schools are diverse, not integrated, meaning that students will form cliques according to their race. She goes on to explain that if a student wants to integrate themselves, chaos breaks out. The overall intent of Brown v. Board of Education trial was to integrate schools and provide students opportunities to meet others of all races and social classes and to provide an equal education for all. With the cliques that are being formed in schools today, Shedd is explaining that those rights are slowly resulting back to times before Brown v. Board. In Shedd’s line