Seizing the opportunity, I explained how the implementation of desegregation lacked empathy, structure, and planning. Enforcing a law didn’t dismantle racism. Diversity doesn’t disrupt systemic racism, I told her, nor did it kill racist views. By studying the truth about desegregation, I’d come to see that the process in the South lacked on-the-ground leadership and that the concern for black schools—students and teachers—was not a priority.
