I interviewed someone who was a student in the 60’s and a teacher in the 70’s. There wasn’t any people of color at the school or town where they grew up in Idaho. The first time they saw a person of color was when they were 11 or 12. In school since she was a girl she had to wear dresses and she couldn’t wear paints. However the guys could wear whatever
While in high school there was a right to wear paints on Friday because the girls did a sit in to make the point. When the girls still protested by a seat in the principle asked the girls what did the state law say. When they looked it up all the law said about clothing was they had to wear shoe. This then allowed the girls to wear paints on any days they wanted. She remembers the fear and distrust that the administrator had for the students.
In school girls couldn’t play sports. They were allowed to play power puff foot ball. This was once a year after football season was over. They got to put on football equipment and play football but most people who came to watch thought it was a joke and not a sport. Most people thought it was funny to watch and that is why they came.
When she was a teacher in Idaho there was an occasion Asian, Latino, and even more rare a black kid. When desegregation happened she remembers colored students being bused in from around the area and some students of white color had to be bused to different schools to prevent overcrowding.
She remembers the first time a black family moved to town. They were all about human right and people were thinking they were just trying to rock the boat but in reality they probably just wanted his kids to get the same education as everyone else. She said, “Civil rights changed a lot of thing” and explained how the civil rights act was the start of human rights. Title nine feel shortly there after and then the disability act. The civil right movement opened the door for other movements.
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I'm sad reading about how powder puff was seen as a joke. I think that this is still true to an extent. People tend to take men's sports much more seriously than women's sports. For example, March Madness is a huge deal for NCAA men's basketball. How often do you see people filling out brackets for the women's tournament? I don't think that I ever have.
ReplyDeleteI like the point you make about this movement making way for other movements. I think that change is slow, but promising. This interview sounds like it was very informative. It is good to learn about the past so that we can be sure to be respectful and tolerant as teachers, and to insist upon these things from our students.
I'm always interested to learn about what life was like back in the time of the civil rights movement, and during other historical changes that seem so commonplace for me, like girls wearing pants. I think how interesting it is that there wasn't a law concerning that, just sort of a tradition passed down from generation to generation. Movements change tradition, especially those traditions that do not honor human rights.
ReplyDeleteI think the name "powder puff football" says it all regarding the attitude people had about girls playing football at that time. I remember having the same at my high school. I wonder how that teacher who saw another race for the first time at 11 or 12 felt about that interaction...Interesting how rights can start in such small places as being able to wear pants. What rights do students need to fight for today? I think it is true that Title IX was made possible by the civil rights movement.
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