Still Separate – Still Unequal

Since the inception of #BlackLivesMatter in 2012, the American population is reflecting on what happened after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-60s. That word “after” is part of the conundrum that surrounds our present-day conversation around race and racism. What exactly came to an end? The exhibition Still Separate – Still Unequal examined ongoing racial and economic disparity in the U.S. public school system. Reports in 2014, the year that marked the sixtieth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Brown V. Board of Education decision declaring segregated schools as unconstitutional, showed an increase in school segregation. As a curator, I wondered how art can be used to push the conversation into the public discourse in a new and provocative way.

This year on May 17th, Brown V. Board of Education was passed 70 years ago. The practice of segregating students by class, race, and “aptitude” in the interest of creating a “better” learning environment has produced a systemic crisis that reverberates within the education system across the United States. Results include the preponderance of controversial policies that adversely impact students and teachers. Eighteen artists, many of whom are teaching in public schools, offered their perspectives on the enduring legacy of racial and economic school segregation in the United States.

Race and Revolution: Still Separate – Still Unequal featured a series of programs that provided a platform for in-depth discourse with artists, teachers, students and education practitioners. The show traveled for two years across four Northeastern states, hosting talks and public programs over the two years.