Lesson Learned; Lesson Kept
When I was a freshman in college, one of my instructors was Ann B. Matasar, born in New York City, educated at Vassar, Columbia and later Northwestern–and super-smart. (More of her achievements are listed below.)
Looking back, she was closer in age to her students than I realized, but far beyond our “just out of high school” mindset.
The class was American Government, a requirement.
On the first day she said that in order to even PASS her class, we had to read a daily newspaper. She said we wouldn’t necessarily be graded on that reading (college students tend to be overly grade conscious) but that reading a daily newspaper was a must if we wanted to be good citizens of these United States and be able to participate in her class discussions. She was tough and rightly so.
THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG
That is THE LESSON in my blog title: that reading a daily newspaper can make you a good citizen, especially if you are reading a well-researched and honest publication. For me, Lesson Kept. No matter where I live, I read a daily newspaper. (You can read online too!)
It’s true that politics has always shaped part of THE MEDIA, THE FREE PRESS, but in my college days, the war between viewpoints was milder. Thus, Ms. Matasar said we could subscribe to any newspaper we wanted to. I chose The Chicago Tribune while the friend I sat next to in class read The New York Times.
THE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS
Matasar’s focus in that government class, was to make us aware that the decisions of the Supreme Court were daily affecting and possibly protecting our lives and our freedoms in ways we did not understand. She took a few of the major decisions and explained them to us–one at a time.
Dred Scott Versus Sanford 1857: 7-2 This denied citizenship to African American slaves. But after the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, it became ineffective.
Brown Versus the Board of Education 1954: Separating black and white students in schools in unconstitutional.
Miranda Verus Arizona 1956: Prisoners must be advised of their rights before being questioned by police.
Gideon Versus Wainwright 1963: Criminal defendants have a right to an attorney even if they cannot afford one.
LIFE TODAY and SCOTUS
As you know, Supreme Court decisions can be revoked because as time moves on, culture changes. Freeing the slaves through the 13th amendment to the Constitution altered the interpretation of Dred Scott.
But the decisions that SCOTUS makes do profoundly affect our lives. I wish I could take another class with Ms. Matasar and have her delve into: Roe VS Wade 1973. Conclusion: Laws prohibiting abortion violate the Constitution’s right to privacy. The Court held that, under the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause, states may only restrict abortions toward the end of a pregnancy, in order to protect the life of the woman or the fetus.
And then during the recent Democratic Debates, Brown VS the Board of Education once again was in the news. From the LA TIMES: In California, school desegregation was part of broader integration efforts, including the elimination of redlining, which kept black people and members of other minority groups from living in “white” neighborhoods. It was this practice, in L.A. and elsewhere, that gave rise to mandatory busing as a potential remedy to the harms of segregation.
In the late 1970s, more than two decades after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregated schools in Brown vs. Board of Education, L.A. Unified geared up for mandatory busing after failed court attempts to block it.
Thus Senator Kamala Harris, who is running for POTUS, revealed in the recent Democratic debate that she was bussed while in grade school.
One of my neighbors, who is white, boldly told me that she left the Democratic party that same year, refusing to allow her children to be bussed. Sadly, I am sure she was one of MANY. I made no comment to her admission.
Overtime, those states and school districts that finally became compliant to the SCOTUS ruling, found ways (not always fair ways) to make it work. The LA TIMES STATES: L.A. shifted to a voluntary busing system under court supervision. This became the “magnet” program. The idea was to create special academic programs that would be so attractive that they would act as a magnet to draw white students to schools they would not otherwise attend.
WE SHOULD NOT BE STRANGERS
All of this is kind of strange to me as I taught in a school of black and white students in the early ’70s. Obviously, my school district was complying with SCOTUS Brown Versus the Board of Education–but years after the 1954 decision.
And even today, there are people who hold on tight to their desire to NOT know people of other races and backgrounds, to stay in a closed confine that only admits folks like them. But I predict they will lose this fight. And once again, MEDIA will help open minds.
During the last election, I joined a small group of progressive women who helped elect THREE new members to our local school board. We did this so that the students would once again be able to read major works of fiction that would make them better citizens and more empathetic to people NOT EXACTLY LIKE THEM.
Would you believe that in our local newspaper folks are STILL COMPLAINING about high school students reading THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie. They write these letters about that book ruining their children.
One teacher responded: I believe literature can move us into accepting others and understanding the importance of FREEDOM for others by having high schools students read books that relate the lives of people fighting for equality.
Lora Novack, a teacher in our local high school system, asked her students to write down their reactions to Part-Time Indian. Here are some responses:
It gave us a first-person perspective of what it’s like to live on an Indian Reservation. It was definitely interesting.
I enjoyed the book more than the other we read in class. Like any good book, it made me feel uncomfortable.
I really enjoyed Part-Time Indian. I felt like I really got connected with Junior and felt what he was going through.
This book was eye-opening. To begin, my father is an immigrant and he grew up in a relatively poor area in India that offered him few opportunities…I am of mixed race. I’ve always felt different from others and I was bulled by kids in my elementary school for my looks. I lost friends because of this…I found this book applicable to my life… I am glad I was given the opportunity to read Part-Time Indian.
Thanks for reading. I believe the future is our children…and yes we have all heard that before.
Career of Ann Matasar
Associate professor Mundelein College, Chicago, 1965-1978. Professor, director Center for Business and Economic Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, 1978-1984. Dean Roosevelt University, Chicago, 1984-1992.
Professor International Business and Finance Walter E. Heller College Business Administration Roosevelt University, 1992—2005, professor business emerita, since 2005. Director Corporation Responsibility Group, Chicago, 1978-1984. Chairman long range planning Illinois Bar Association, 1982-1983.
Member education committee Illinois Commission on the Status of Women, 1978-1981.
PHOTO: LA TIMES
