Are We Really “ Separate But Equal?"

Did ¨separate but equal¨ really apply to everyone or did it only apply to the people it didn't hurt? There are three texts to look at to answer this question, the first one being Brown v. Board of Education. This was a case to integrate black and white schools because some Black people felt they were separate but not equal. Next The Hate U Give, a story by Angie Thomas about a boy getting killed by a cop because the cop thought he was grabbing a weapon. Finally the Central Park 5,  a real life event of five Black teenagers getting wrongfully convicted for a crime they did not in fact commit because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and the police were very dispassionate with this case. All three of these examples are showing or are examples of how they said they were ¨Separate but equal¨ and in real life Blacks have always been lower than Whites and all three texts show it.

Two texts that are similar are the Brown v. Board of Education case and The Hate U Give because they both deal with how school systems are especially the reason why we are not equal at all to this day. In both texts, Black people are getting very brusque and impatient with how they are being treated. Also both texts show how children and teenagers are targets for most of the hate crimes or racial profiling. The Brown v. Board of Education  text states,¨The plaintiffs contend that segregated public schools are not "equal" and cannot be made "equal," and that hence they are deprived of the equal protection of the laws.” I think this evidence shows that teenagers get the most hate and we are misjudged even if we tell the truth.

Both Starr interrogations in The Hate U Give and the Central Park 5 interrogations are similar because Starr and the Central Park 5 were asked questions that would make them seem guilty or want to lie. Police asked questions that weren’t appropriate. This is demonstrated in the dialogue from The Hate U Give, “I refuse to make them feel better about killing my friend.” This shows how police questions can be very voracious because they were used to pointing the fingers at the innocent victims, not the bad guys. They want justice instead of the truth, so they take the wrong side.  I believe we shouldn't have to prove ourselves everyday on this earth but the Central Park 5 did even when they got out of jail.

Starr from The Hate U Give had it the worst. She grew up in Garden Heights making her very close to her family but she also learned at a young age just how vindictive the world is. Her parents tried their very best to give her a good life and education so they sent her to Williamson Prep 45 minutes from Garden Heights. According to the text,¨Bianca and Chance, be nice,” Kenya says. “This is Starr's first party. Her folks don’t let her go nowhere.¨ This textual evidence helps demonstrate Starr’s life. She was going through a lot and then Khalil, her best friend, dies just because a cop was reading the situation wrong from the get go and then the cops interrogate her like it's all her friend’s fault.

 In conclusion, All three examples show how surreal ¨Separate but equal¨ is. Brown v. The Board of Education had a point by going through with the case because just by looking at us we are not separate anymore but still not equal. The Hate U Give was based on a police officer just going too far. The Central Park 5 was 5 teenagers black teenagers being at the wrong place at the wrong time. All three examples give insight on how Black people had it bad and that none of these texts can prove any difference. According to the text from Brown vs.Board of Education, “In each of the cases, minors of the Negro race, through their legal representatives, seek the aid of the courts in obtaining admission to the public schools of their community on a nonsegregated basis.¨ 

So my question again is are we really separate but equal or does it only apply to the people it doesn't hurt.