Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger: School Segregation in Rochester, New York

by Justin Murphy

"This book chronicles school desegregation in Rochester, NY. It examines in detail the Civil Rights era fight to desegregate Rochester schools and reviews the various attempts in the last fifty years at metropolitan-level solutions to Rochester's educational ills. Ultimately it brings the historical narrative to the present day, illustrating the flaws inherent in the school reform model that has dominated national education policy for nearly forty years."--

Genres: History, Nonfiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2022

Reviews

[Tracy Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important read for anyone living in Rochester area, especially the suburbs. Murphy details Rochester’s history with school segregation. The lasting effects are still seen today. I hope this becomes required reading for Education majors in the area.

[Rome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for every elected official and candidate for public office in Metro Rochester as well as every school administrator in every school district in the area. Heartbreaking.

[Sarah Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a really important read, especially for those in Rochester. It was a tough read in the sense that the information was painful to know, but that only makes it more necessary to face. Most of my notes in the book are just exclamations of "WTF" and disbelief. I'm really thankful I read it with a book group to help talk through the chapters and make the hopelessness a little lighter. And to take a quote from one of the book's final pages, "But if I shrink before the immenseness of the problem now, my children will find it even harder." This book is so helpful for committing to solving the problems surrounding education and even offering solutions.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every community deserves a book like this, and a local education reporter like Justin Murphy, with the talent and enterprise to explain how structural racism actually works. It's no accident that Rochester is one of the poorest, most segregated cities in the U.S., with schools that guarantee these patterns will be passed down to successive generations. That is intolerable. The path forward starts with facts, and this book is chock full of them, presented in a powerful narrative.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good History of Segregation/Integration of Rochester City School District

The books aim is to stay local and that’s what it does but besides mentioning Civil Rights legislation and Brown vs. BOE, it doesn’t cover education laws over the years and currently that affect local education. It also uses middle school for Junior High schools before the late 1980s, when they are different. The area didn’t have middle schools in the 60s and 70s. No need to mislead readers. The book is made up of very interesting interviews but little educational research, I thought that was a loss but overall I appreciate the insight and views that it did discuss.

[Douglas Allard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply one of the best books I have ever read.

As an educator this book offers both a rebuke of practices and an uplifting way out. Are we willing to make the radical changes needed?

From a historical perspective this book supports the notion that many issues we face are not new, this is just a new discussion. The book is not focused on our mistakes to be little the past of to make the present feel hopeless. Instead, as good history should, Murphy uses history as a source to better understand our present and propose ways to fix it. To paraphrase Twain: history doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes.

Murphy is a journalist and his story telling is paramount to understanding what is at stake. The people who felt these issues in the 1960/70s are the parents of those who dealt with the same issues in the 1980/90s and are the grandparents of many still facing this issues today. The narrative is equal parts empathetic as the reader can connect to people in this situation, but also emphasizes they need to make real change.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories need to be shared to more people in Rochester. Justin gives a great background from the days of Fredrick Douglas to today about the reasons Monroe county school districts are segregated. It was sad to read such opposition to desegregation efforts. There’s still so much work to do. If you live in Rochester, work on education, or want to learn more about the long term effects of redlining then this is a must read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me an extremely long time to get through, but this book is full of important information and is well worth reading. It’s just dense and dry!

It’s somehow both shocking and not surprising to see how long Rochester has been trying to sort out desegregation for. So much resistance, so much using other names to hide what’s simply racism. So many good plans fallen by the wayside! This book is depressing but necessary. It’s very well researched.

While it could have been 100% disheartening, the ending does offer some hope with glimmers of vague solutions. I don’t think it’s fair to criticize writers/researchers for not solving these problems, though—that’s not their job! Digging into the issues, engaging with them deeply, and sparking conversations is essential.

[Aster Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

nonfic always takes me longer to read, esp ones that are history focused with a lot of names, dates, places, court cases etc. also because of that i sometimes get lost in the 'oh no im not going to remember everything!' rather than going for overarching ideas. very interesting to read about my home county and what segregation in schooling has looked like over time, what actions have been taken (or not taken), and to imaging what can happen moving forward. font size used in combination w content made it more difficult for me, even though i was learning new things and overall think its a great book to read esp for those in Rochester/Monroe County

[Ted Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book for everyone, as it concentrates completely on the story of segregation in the schools of Rochester, New York, which is where I live. It begins with Rochester's founding and how the city dealt with the issues of school segregation right from its beginning. Frederick Douglass's arrival (and the fact that his children were forced to attend a segregated school) was a turning point, as he led the fight to integrate Rochester's schools, and the city became one of the first cities in the nation to have an integrated school system. Unfortunately, Rochester's story becomes less and less laudatory as we enter the 20th century, especially during the post-World War II era, when black migration to the city increased enormously. The book shows how the early post-war battles were about the attempts to insure that the city schools were fully integrated, as the "neighborhood school" ideal meant that there were white schools and black schools. But as the "white flight" phenomenon fully emerged in this part of western New York, the issue of school integration increasingly focused on the inability of achieving integrated schools in a city that today is close to 90% non-white. Murphy tells the stories of how the city attempted to draw suburban students to its initially attractive magnet schools, as well as the creation of Monroe Country's Urban-Suburban program, which, by design, allows suburban districts to hand pick the city students it would like to enroll. These days there is little to no movement in the other- suburb to city- direction. I found the book eye-opening, despite having followed the story of Rochester's schools since I arrived 40 years ago. For the author the bottom line problem is the racism that still clouds so much of the thinking of how our region's schools should be organized. In the final chapter, Murphy offers a handful of recommendations for addressing the issue, recommendations that are either beginning to emerge or that would not be a heavy lift for the community. But he also offers the verdict of Rochester's new mayor: "Never going to happen." In short, it's a sad book, but a story that must be told and one that I am sure is true of communities all across the nation.

[Dominique Absalom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given the distinct pleasure to read this book, and I have many things to say. This is a case study of systematic oppression, which can be traced to and back from communities that hold POC predominantly in their midst. There is no one answer to this issue, where intersectionality plays a leading role in understanding the state of education and how it shapes our communities, starting with our children.

This book stands out in having a defined starting point, Rochester, and branching outwards to lay connections to outer communities and state-level systems that holds a mirror image of Rochester. In highlighting the communitys' fight for equity, there is the conversation of Brown v. Board of Education that leads us forward, highlighting grass-root efforts push forth by parents, students, and community leaders to open up more avenues in education.

In using first-hand accounts and documentation that allows us to relate on a personal basis to the impact of a system led by policy meant to undermine, there is a unique lens that shows us how this impacts us in modern times, from inception to 2022 as the lines of prejudice do not diminish, remaining silent.

[Kat O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read one chapter a month with a teacher book club. Pretty dense. Super important

[Andy]

DNF. Not much on solutions.

Alternatives:
Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh

Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap

[Dick Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history of education and segregation in Rochester, New York. The author provides this information, and insights, in a readable text. My only comment is related to his recommendations. I do not believe that, at any point, are parents and children included as part of the solution. I had a college friend who was the first member of his family to graduate from high school and he ultimately was admitted to 13 of 14 medical schools that he applied to (he did not get into Harvard). When I asked him how he did this, he said that all his life, the only thing that he wanted to be was a doctor and he drove himself to achieve this goal. By helping students and parents to set goals and expectations early, there can be success as has been shown in other cities, particularly through charter schools and other non-traditional programs. But students and parents are the most important part of the solution.

[Ryan McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

this should be required reading for everyone really, but especially for anyone who lives in the rochester area. justin did a great job of thoroughly setting the foundation for the historical evidence supporting the premise of the book, that full integration of schools is an absolutely necessary step toward improving our society as a whole.

if i’m being honest, knowing more about the history of efforts to fully integrate schools, and the obstacles those attempts were met with, is fairly depressing. so much of the problem can really be boiled down to greed and narrow-mindedness, two human traits that seem to be growing in abundance in our time.

i loved this book however. it was plain to see that it was thoroughly researched, and justin imbued the work with a style that made it easy to read and difficult to put down.

[Matt Present · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richly detailed and exhaustively researched, this book is a treasure for any Rochesterian who hopes to address the racial inequities “Your Children…” so capably describes. Murphy is clear-eyed and unflinching in his assessments of the dire straits we find ourselves in. It’s not easy to read about the generations of bigotry that landed us in this shameful mess, but this a necessary dose of medicine. That this book could be written at all is reason enough for hope. It’s high time we all take a close look at the highly separate and entirely unequal community we’ve been complicit in building.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, disturbing, challenging work on the history of segregation in my home town.

It is deeply researched and told in a mostly chronological way that is easy to follow.
It is chilling in the telling of the hatred and vitriol that persists to this day.
Finally, the challenge to do better and overcome the obstacles. To rise above the 'not gonna happen' mindset that has set in and reinforced over time.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing history of segregation and education in Rochester, New York by local journalist Justin Murphy. Clear narrative is punctuated by telling quotes and insight from community members. The book is an excellent survey of Rochester history and joins Strike the Hammer and Blood in the Water as must reads for local history and politics.

[Karen Soanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a former RCSD teacher- this was wild, disappointing, shocking and simultaneously not-shocking. This should be a "If all of Rochester reads the same book" book. I can't (and also can) believe that School 34 is still named for Dr. Louis Cerulli who fought AGAINST desegregation. It's wild and also as to be expected.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murphy did a great job bringing local and national perspective to the story of Rochester school segregation. His "solutions" in the final chapter are thin in comparison to the solid historical work and interviews.

[Samantha Mateer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone in Rochester, especially the suburbs, should read this. It outlines the segregation and systemic racism that still has profound impacts today. It was difficult to read because the information is so heavy, but the book is so well put together with data and first hand accounts.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched and written. Provided important context and history to the state of education in Rochester. Such a valuable read for educators!

[Nancy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear-eyed look at the disgrace of our school system.

[Daniel Demarle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

more of a 3.5 - exposed a lot of under-the-rug history, but a bit dry. I would have liked a timeline to be included

[Laura Ballou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appreciated the history of Rochester and the school district. Feels like just the beginning of a conversation of how to move forward.