The film American Experience New Orleans offers a wide overview of the history of the city of New Orleans. What seemed to be a motif of the cities culture is the clash of cultures in its limited plot of wetland. Giving birth to multi-cultural music, celebration, food, and people. A place where people had no personal choice on whether to crash into each other was the public schools. I found great interest in this, and how the main “problem” that arouse was people’s clashing races.
Louisiana as a state was won at The Battle of New Orleans. In this battle were many races and one of the soldiers was our seventh president Andrew Jackson. I recently read a biography on him and having read it, it was a nice connection to the film. This battle had opposing sides obviously but I find it fascinating the adjective American. To be an American you at some level are an immigrant but then again who isn’t. But I wonder when we will make our own race or identity with this word that caries so much meaning, for it seems to be broken when we view melatonin levels. Melting cultures is not only a foundation of America but of New Orleans.
In Plessy V. Ferguson a suit filed over railcar segregation ended in a loss for the black man whom filed it, Plessy. The man had individually stood up for equal treatment of the rights being practiced for his white counterpart. This seemed a large loss for many but in 1954 that got voice in Brown V. The Board of Education, stating segregation was over lawfully. Many whites though still did not change and continued to practice the thrown out ways of doing things. Although it had changed on paper it would take time to have people practice it. I can understand this because people’s molded actions and opinions do not just change in a snap or because of a document signed by someone else but I found it ridiculous that in 1960 there was still so much public hostility towards a young girl trying to go to school.
In the case of Ruby Bridges, being the first black student to practice the right to go to a "white" public school in New Orleans in 1960. The effect is a majority of non-acceptance and whites switching schools or moving away. After picketing outside the building and openly voicing their racist opinions with their heads held high. I viewed them as arrogant and silly, for it is their choice about where their children will go to school but I can’t believe they didn’t fathom that other parents could probably care less about their personal family decisions. If people do not want their children around people who don’t share the same beliefs then they should have sent their children to a private school in the first place. A public school is for the public and the beliefs and opinions of the public vary widely. The fact that they stood there with signs and microphones communicating horribly how they disagreed with a Supreme Court ruling and the choice of this little black girl being allowed to go to school was not going to change it but do nothing but further break up the community.
Schools are where we send all of our children, the people who will replace us someday and take upon them the responsibilities of the world we now uphold. So I am passionately interested in these environments and how they are run and who participates, how schools are similar and how they differ. Their relationship between them as an independent institution and them being meeting grounds for the city. How they are a place where many different kinds of people meet together to achieve the same thing, an education. After watching the film I decided I want to focus my photographic essay on their public schools. As for the film overall I was not surprised by New Orleans rich and significant history and its identity in relation to our nation because it is pretty notorious.
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