Racially Divided Schools: The Supreme Court was right- but for the wrong reason

As a product of forced busing in the 1960’s I can speak to the issue from a unique perspective. I was among a few token whites bused into a black school as part of the New York City “Integrate the schools” movement.
At the time, the majority of bussed kids were blacks coming from overflowing ghetto schools to the shrinking white enclaves of Manhattan, My parents were strong believers in what some call a social experiment, others saw it as an essential way to bring back the melting pot that commingled millions of immigrants earlier in our nation’s history.
Our white neighbors threw rocks through our windows in protest of my parents’ actions and beliefs. The crumpled rubber banded paper that read “Nigger Lover” was a particularly succinct and vitriolic message.
The nation’s courts ruled at the same time that Public Systems across the country needed to racially balance their schools. The belief was that white kids had great schools, and black kids had abysmal ones. Mixing students would level the playing field and offer a fair and equitable education for all.
Forty years later the Supreme court handed down a split judgment that the experiment was over. Race was no longer as a reason to offer a leg up to blacks even if oppressed, or a basis to restrict the opportunities of whites, even if they were already privileged students.
My experience as a token white, in an extremely racially and culturally diverse elementary school was enlightening, educational and unforgettable. I learned that being poor did not mean being dumb; just that their parents usually were too busy working to survive to instill the higher education vision that richer, more educated parents strive for. And black kids did not throw rocks at white houses.
In reality, in most communities, integrating schools along racial lines realistically brought poor students from neighborhoods with less experienced teachers into better schools with more experienced teachers. In many states, it also led to the panic of white flight; further segregating and isolating communities along racial and income lines.
The Supremes are probably right now. Race is not, and never was the real differentiator. It was, and is, poverty and culture. Students in poor communities perform poorly in almost every aspect of educational measurement. Students in rich communities inherently perform much better.
Yes, race and poverty are inexorably linked, but race alone is NOT the culprit. Regardless of the reason, generational poverty has and will breed generations of failing students. We need to find ways to break the cycle of educational ghettos.
Our schools should be integrated, not along racial lines, But along fiscal and cultural ones. Our schools need to be financed fairly for all and students need to learn in classes that are not homogenous.
Students of all races, cultures and income levels need to learn together by bringing financially and culturally disadvantaged students into the same classes as those of privilege.
Only by allowing our kids to see and learn in financially stable schools within the diversity of America will we be able to finally and ultimately allow every child to envision and attain the American Dream.

Flying low over Miami County

Flying Low over Miami County
If you haven’t yet taken the time to walk the streets of Troy this summer, plan on doing so on a pleasant July day. But look sharp, there are low flying airplanes everywhere.
Twenty Six fiberglass WACO airplane sculptures are swooping, rolling and zooming at eye level along Main and Market Streets within 3 blocks of the fountain. These six by five foot replicas are of the popular WACO bi-plane with hand made wooden cockpits, powerful engines and fabric covered wings that dominated the skies after World War I.
The sculptures are a joint project between the Waco Learning Center and Museum and Troy Main Street. Designed to showcase and contrast the creativity of current artists with the rich heritage of Miami County in the form of modern art used to decorate these fiberglass replicas. The sculptures are designed to evoke memories and visions of America’s most popular bi-plane from the era when ‘real planes had two wings and a round engine’.
If you like taking pictures, there is a great Photo Contest for pictuires of the planes going on throughout July! (see sidebar)
The designs of the many artists are as diverse as the history of aviation and the styles and minds of painters and artists who live here today.
Each plane has the theme of the artist, and their breadth is phenomenal. The one that first caught my eye is a pseudo architectural rendering, where the internal struts and components are painted on the outside to look like the plane was turned inside out.
Waco’s were exported around the world, their productive deliveryman, Charles Lindbergh, was cheered in France as an American hero and global ambassador when he flew a Piqua Ohio Hartzell propeller into a cheering Paris.
Two planes highlight the dozens of countries where Waco’s flew; one with dozens of flags, the other with luggage-like stickers from cities in those countries. They highlight how early aviation shrunk our world, just a few decades after steam ships plowed the seas, and barely a few score years before rockets left the earth completely.
Modern life is the theme of others. Buckeye fans will appreciate the grey and red motif on one (get on tip toe to see the top of the wing). Students can repeat the summer mantra “No more teachers’ no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks…” when you see the two planes crafted by Troy students. The 6th graders created a virtual yearbook, and the high schoolers a multi-media montage of the Troy school experience from pencils to lockers to slogans.
The juxtaposition of sky and land, people and buildings were selected by a few artists; camouflaging a plane to look like a soaring monarch butterfly in one case, or blending in with lifelike pictures of clouds and sky on another. One has a barnstorming theme, another covered bridges. But they are all unique and different.
Which one is the best? Hard to tell, but there are ballots in most shops around the square, and the best will win the artist a $1,000 prize at the awards ceremony when the planes fly of into the sunset at the end of August. (If you really like one, plan on bidding for it, they will all be sold at the Waco fly-in August 25th.
Waco, the Weaver Aero Company was based in Troy. With locations throughout the city, but centered in the large hangar like buildings that are now Goodrich wheel and brake division visible from Archer Drive. The Troy Civic Theatre performs in an old barn that was once a Waco construction hangar.
The new Waco museum opened a few weeks ago to celebrate the arrival of the sculptures, and is a great place to spend a few hours learning about the planes, the people who made them, and exploring aviation as part of the Aviation Historic Trail that has dozens of sites throughout the Miami Valley. Everyone should explore the trail, taking in a few places each time, it can be a long term learning experience or crammed into a whirlwind weekend. The sites, ranging from the original Wright Brothers home to Huffman Prairie, the field where they practiced before and after the historic flights in Kitty Hawk, and on to the air force museum where the largest collection of planes are on exhibit (and most sites are free!).

March Madness in Miami County

The committee has made their decision, the 64 teams have been announced. The world will soon start to cheer, to wager, and to argue, but they will all get the recognition and fame they deserve.
The teams have worked all winter, grueling hours of practice, aggressive competition. Physical and mental preparation, practice, effort and results. They are all winners, even if not the top seed.
Their coaches and managers believe in them. They brag to the press and fans about their teams; often while needing to be arbitrators of conflicts and disciplinarians behind the scenes.

Many of them have been there, done that. Other coaches never had what it took to be a champion themselves; but all excel at bringing out the best in those who will perform on the boards.
The divisions are artificial attempts at segregating and spreading top talent around to maximize the excitement and offer more chances to win, and more brackets to let others win (we can't call it losing), because at this level, everyone is a winner.
Every team member, even those that warm the team bench for the big one will have the satisfaction of being there when it happened. Being part of a winning team is a feeling of overwhelming achievement that comes from being part of that ethereal immeasurable experience of sportsmanship, teamwork, togetherness and partnership.
The media frenzy will build to a fever pitch. The gym floor will rock with hip-hop music beating a rhythmic tune as fans bob and weave, cheer and laugh. The bleachers will be pounding. The rafters shaking. The rush is on. Parents, siblings and friends will be intermingled through the crowd - all cheering for their players and teams.
The cameras will flash in the cavernous hall, ineffectually attempting to strobe freeze the racing, blurring motion. In the hallways, Vendors will be hawking memorial, commemorative, gaudy and the merely colorful remembrances in 100% cotton. Funky looking hats, collectors wearing dozens of different enamel team pins, glossy yearbooks, souvenir program guides.
The American Dietetic Association would do more than frown, they would outright blanch at the unhealthy assortment of salt and nitrites wrapped in white bread and slathered with a red or yellow condiment that our government and the Heinz corporation has sought to classify as a vegetable serving.
Maybe the purple colored version has more fresh tomatoes. But the real action will come on the floor. I love to see the imaginative plays that separate the mundane from the superior. I know folks who just love to see colorful costumes amid the backdrops of action. Some teams seem to be better at the long ball, while others rack up points in the close and short game. Some teams have a few really good players with a supporting cast; while the ones I like are more balanced and even, with everyone contributing to the win. March Madness is more than a few teams playing a game.
It's an obsession for handicappers, and a driving force that generates post-tournament discussions, debates, challenges and retro-vision (the new name for hindsight).
On March 24th, the dozens of Regional Destination Imagination teams, many sponsored by the Troy Noon Optimist Club, will meet at Edison Community College to show us their stuff. The marathon day will start at 8 and end with awards in the gym at 5pm.
Since admission is free, come on over and see teams create a radio drama complete with outrageous commercial. Experience a serendipitous event that transforms their invention. Build a balsa structure to hold enormous weight. Design and build robotic flying airplanes. Perform a play under unusual constraints with a significant touch or creativity.
It will be a fascinating show of creativity, imagination, science, engineering, drama and theatrics.

The winners will go on to State competition in April, and from there to the world tournament in Knoxville in May. In this event, judges look for teamwork not stardom. Creativity, not jumping prowess determines the winner. Intelligent problem solving counts for more than three point foul shots. A cohesive theatrical hand-off wins more points than a dribbling pass. It's poetry in motion, song and dance in fluid action.

It's Destination Imagination. What great sport!
Thankfully, there won't be a basketball in sight. It will be an event to remember. Hey, what did you think I was talking about?

Leib Lurie is a Troy resident, Optimist Club member and CEO of OneCall Now. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Touring along the river

A few years ago we had the marvelous opportunity to drive along the tow path of one of the grand canals stretching across Ireland. Previously, it was along the Rhine in Germany, and a similar trip along the Seine in France, and twice along the Estuary called the Thames that meanders through London. They all share similarities (and yes, differences) between them, and the Great Miami in Ohio.

The larger rivers have eons of history; often passing villages that are thousands of years old, and the castles and keeps that sweep up from the river are often 800 years old or more.

Here in Ohio, ‘civilization’ as we know it is barely 300 years old; in fact this summer, Miami County will celebrate their 200th birthday; a babe in arms by European standards; but older than counties in 33 other of these United States.

The civilization that sprouted here in the early 1800’s was generally the same that swarmed around any river crossing in Europe centuries earlier; a small Pub strategically placed by a ferry or shallow river crossing to ease the thirst of pioneers trudging through, or tradesman and merchants with wagons of goods pulling through the rutted paths and muddy trails that connected river crossings with each other. These paths, often also cow paths for farmers, grew into the roads and streets we clog with gas engine trucks but the path is often close to the original.

Here in Troy, Overfield Tavern was an early example- near the shallow crossing of the Great Miami that is now the railroad bridge and just a block from the Market Street / Rt 55 river crossing (now in its’ fourth generation of road bridge).

If you look at a map of villages in Europe or the United States, you will see these stopping points that have grown into clusters of cities. But look carefully, and you can discern how fast a horse could walk just by looking at the map. Small towns are 10-15 miles apart depending on terrain; about what a wagon could do in a half day, so they needed a place to stop for lunch.

Larger towns are 30 miles distant; a full days’ travels; and major cities 60 miles apart- a two day journey apart, but only a full day for the people clustered around them.

Cincinnati to Middletown to Dayton to Troy then to Sidney, and beyond… all about 30 miles apart. Dayton and Troy both East to Springfield, following the terrain of the valleys.

From Troy it’s about ten miles South to Tipp, North to Piqua, West to Covington.

From Piqua, East to Fletcher, West to Bradford.

The patterns are obvious. So as you drive along, from town to town, slow down; and envision that ten mile spin as a full mornings’ work; and the 1 hour drive to the Ohio river crossing as a full day endeavor. It will bring a new appreciation for the ways the founders of Miami County traveled and lived.

Along those lines, nutritionists are the Ohio State University have been studying eating habits of Ohio farmers and villagers; and looking back over time to see what is causing us to swell up and grow more in width than the five inches in average height we have achieved since Miami County was founded.

They found that the average Ohio farmer needed 8,500 calories a day 200 years ago, to keep their weight up and stamina for the fields. We, on the other hand need barely more than 2,500 but tend to eat 3,000 calories or more per day. Evidently using the WII hand controller burns fewer calories than pushing a 200 pound metal plow behind an Ox team for 12 hours.

The travels through Europe however were different in one other respect, the small, fresh bakeries along the route; often inside, or next to Pubs were in evidence in nearly every town. America may have had these beacons of yeast and Crust, but today, most so-called bread is purchased in plastic at Kroger; made by machines and hauled in for our ‘enriched flour’ fix; and specially formulated to be soft and mushy. Most kids today can’t even stand the barely brown crust of what Wonder tries to pass off as bread. European towns have not lost the personal touch. Fresh baked breads, rolls and pastries waft their aromas from every village and street corner all along the river paths.

There is hope however, in Miami Valley I have discovered several great local alternatives that mimic the old fashioned flavour, taste and texture of European bakeries. In Troy, BakeHouse Breads with a European bread oven makes daily wonders of fascinating different kinds; with specialties for every day of the week and favorites every day. Their thick, rich round breads and long thin baquettes are the perfect pairing for a wonderful meal; and even better when enjoyed while walking or biking along the bike patsh of the County.

The Troy Bike Path is nearing completion, and one can almost avoid all paved roads to reach the best pastry bakery in Miami Valley, Dobo’s Delights in downtown Piqua. a block from what was their shallow river crossing before the Conservancy district dredged to make the levees.

This old fashioned shop serves the plebian needs for fresh fried donuts made from yeast and cake dough that was rising at 3am. Yet wander past the front counter to the terrific Hungarian delights that are truly special. Our Hungarian foreign exchange student raves about food from home.

So be adventurous, explore the Valley, and throw off the yoke of Wonder White Bread; as you experiment with the wholesome, crunchy, sweet texture of fresh baked goodness in Miami County.

Ps- Use real, unsalted butter.

Celebrate the Joy at First Night Troy

Celebrate the Joy – at First Night Troy
If someone invited you to a party last night, you’d say, thanks, but looks like I missed it; sorry. Maybe that’s why the nationwide celebration of New Years eve isn’t called Last Night to end 2006, but called FIRST NIGHT to ring in 2007; and the one in Miami County is expected to be a zinger.
Zinger may be an old phrase, but apt for one of the more than twenty bands, events, musical acts and shows that will be reverberating through the Square and blocks around it Sunday Night Dec 31st. One of the featured acts will the big band sounds of Swing Era – a 21 piece band with all the pizzazz and swing tunes from the 40’s on up. A great singer, audience participation, great dancing, and a way to revisit one of the most romantic eras ever. Not into Swing? How about 12 other musical bands and acts in 8 venues in downtown Troy just for a start?
First Night is a family-friendly, alcohol-free event celebrated in 300 cities around the country. Starting in Philadelphia in 1976 the concept has swept the country, but just starting to move and shake Miami County.
A group from Leadership Troy got together to plan Troy’s first First-Night celebration in 2004, attracting a respectable 400 people downtown for fun and music. Last year the event grew exponentially, with more than 2,000 people coming downtown during the evening to dance, swint to the music and just have a rollicking good time.
This year, the event is planned to be even bigger and better; so make your plans now.
Thanks to generous grants from The Troy Foundation and the Miami County Foundation, plus great community sponsors, including Meijer, Mutual Federal Savings bank, the Optimist Club, Rotary Club, Trojan Insurance, OneCall Now, and many others, This years’ cost for First Night admission has been brow-beaten down to FREE.
First Night, thanks to donations from many area restaurants will have plenty of free soft drinks, snacks, and food all evening long.
The celebration committee has been working on the 3rd annual First Night Troy for months, making sure that everything is in place for a bang up New Years Eve. Early on, it will be fun for the family, with a family comedy show from Dave Kaplan.
This one man variety show invites the audience into the humor as the focus of the show. Whether he's juggling bean bag chairs, playing a melody on "concert balloon", or levitating a bowling ball, Kaplan's preposterous blend of dazzling skill and shameless gimmickry is sure to amaze and amuse.
Notable shows include a recent performance as guest 'balloonist' with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and network television appearances on ABC TV's "The View" and "The Statler Brothers Show" on TNN. David is just plain fun. Delighting audiences of all ages with his highly original act. Inspired by the antics of Keaton, Sellers, Victor Borge and the illustrious Maxwell Smart among others, Kaplan delivers a most unique and hilarious spectacle. Kaplan will be performing twice on First Night, an early Kids show and a later show (still clean, but where the tricks aren’t for kids) both at Hayner Cultural Center.
The First United Church of Christ, a block and a half south of the Square has great acoustics, to show off the Gothan City Brass, New rennassaince players, The Dulciomer group and an accordion band- in the early evening till 10:30.
Bakehouse Breads on the Square will have their signature sandwiches and hot soup served to the folk music of ELI and then Jim Merrick, the "Grateful Parrot," who has been singing and strumming his guitar since age six will rock till 11. His current beach music lounge act has evolved from his years of experience both as a band member and solo performer. Jim's specialty is the music of Jimmy Buffett, and his spirited interpretations of these classics. His friendly, easy-going stage manner encourages audience participation on those well-known crowd favorites, and invites listeners to enjoy some of his original tunes.
A few doors down, the restored grandeur of the Troy Community Room will move to the beat of the Rock Island Plow Company, this Bluegrass group was formed in 2004 with a group of veteran musicians. Each member has an extensive personal musical background which includes rock-n-roll, country and bluegrass music; featuring high-energy technical music. With a strong commitment for maintaining the classic bluegrass style performed by Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe in the early days of bluegrass, coupled with the interest in newer bluegrass music written for today’s audience. The group strives to revitalize listeners to those songs which may have been forgotten since the early days of bluegrass, and make them once again the favorites of fans as they were in former days.At the same time, they respect where bluegrass is today and perform favorites from such groups as The Lonesome River Band and Country Gentlemen. Rock Island Plow Company will continue to impress us in their 3rd First Night appearance and always has the crowd singing for more.
A block West, performing at Bamboo Grill, Rum River Blend bill themselves as 'Unprofessional Entertainment'! They perform blend of traditional bluegrass, folk, Gospel and children's songs. The audience is encouraged to join in on the fun as spoons, washboards, and various other noise making instruments are often passed out to the crowd.
Throughout the evening roving street artists will delight and amaze; and old fashioned carriage rides will be available to tour the lights of the historic district.
The clock is ticking down toward New Year. The First Night Celebration of arts and community has dozens of things left on the checklist. If you would like to help – the party needs volunteers to spend two hours at different venues handing out horns, food and programs; it’s fun to be part of the action! Let’s focus folks! (still need eight more – you interested? 339-5455 or send an e-mail to info@firstnighttroy.com).
This paper is sponsoring the midnight countdown by Mayor Mike and Mrs. Ginnie Beamish as the giant ubiquitous Troy Strawberry shuffles down in the last 30 seconds, while the crowd dances to make big snap-crackle pop on hundreds of feet of bubble wrap!
The entire evening culminating with the giant Strawberry drop (it is, after all, in Troy) at the band shell stage set-up in front of the County Courthouse. With free noisemakers and horns for all.
So plan to hand out in downtown Troy New Years Eve- until the last night ends, and first night begins!
Leib Lurie is a Troy resident, First Night Chair, Optimist Club member and CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net
Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Lyndon Johnson - Daisy ad - the stakes are too large

Friends,

In 1964 Lyndon Johnson ran an ad known as the Daisy ad- promoting fear as a tactic. The ad ran only once- and it was yanked as violating censorship rules, and being too radical for the mainstream. It was an ad that said "Be afraid, my opponent will make your life more dangerous."

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7257358371786146012&q=goldwater+daisy&hl=en

Unfortunately, it has been echoed this year by the National Republicans (starts off silently- but builds insidiously).

http://www.gop.com/Multimedia/MediaPlayer.aspx?ID=1136&TypeID=2

selling fear- an abominable, decried, abandoned tactic then,
frightening that it comes back now. 

Leib

Looking forward,

Leib
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Leib Lurie, CEO
OneCall Now
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Direct: 937-875-0385
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Lurie column- oct 25- freedom is not free

This is, apparently, my last TDN column.

I will be a monthly contributor to Tourgreatmiami.com  - the premier arts magazine for the Miami Valley.  

and, If the mood strikes, I will post comments to my blog.

thanks for reading.

Leib

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Celebrating Freedom and democracy 50 years later

Maria is eighty one years old and now barely five feet tall. Her dyed red hair is in a tight bun, and her great granddaughter at her side. Her daughter Marika was just six when Maria and her husband trudged through the forest leading from the Russian troops chasing them in Hungary to the freedom of Austria. Like a vision from “The Sound of Music”, only Maria had a machine pistol and bazooka around her neck; a six year old hanging on to her belt being dragged through the thick woods; and grenades clipped to her waistcoat. Maria claimed to have killed 20 Russian soldiers in the past 2 weeks, and would kill more if it would protect Marika and her three younger siblings.

The 50^th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution of October 1956 was commemorated this weekend at the Hungarian church in Dayton. In October 1956, 20,000 students and citizens of Budapest marched peacefully through the streets demanding freedom of the press, the right to vote and seeking a level of independence after 10 years of Russian rule. The Russian soldiers stationed in Hungary started shooting; but the Hungarian Freedom fighters, fought back, and won the battle against machine gins and tanks. The huge statue of Stalin was toppled. The Russians withdrew on Halloween and headed for the border.

Hungarians and the world celebrated. In less than a week, 20 newspapers sprung up with news and opinions of all stripes. The censored and politically correct Russian papers were still available, but now all but ignored. Thousands of political prisoners were freed, the vilified secret police were arrested themselves and their records and offices burned. Freedom was in the air. One party rule was abolished, elections scheduled,

Farmers drove into Budapest giving away food, as after the battle there was little in the city. Jewelry stores, with their windows smashed by gunfire lay open with valuables undisturbed inside; because stealing from Hungarians would be a sin. Releasing József Cardinal Mindszenty, he urged the people to work together for freedom and to protect the lives and safety of the Russians in Hungary.

But immediate freedom was not in the cards this time. On November 4^th, Two hundred thousand Russian soldiers invaded Hungary, killing 2,600 Freedom Fighters, and imprisoning thousands more. The US and NATO stood by – because to counter attack would have triggered world war III. Russia crushed the revolution and re-installed a puppet government that ruled Hungary with an iron fist for thirty two more years.

At the commemorative event Sunday, twelve of the quarter million Hungarians who subsequently fled across the borders, bribed guards, or in Maria’s case, shot approaching troops; listened to speeches, looked at pictures, and watched their children and grandchildren perform Hungarian folk dances.

Lorant Pap, the Troy Rotary Club’s foreign exchange student, from a small town near Budapest, who is living with us, was able to help put things into stark perspective. Although just sixteen, he is steeped in the history, politics and culture of his country. Over centuries, the country was invaded and occupied dozens of times; yet Hungarians maintain a universal feeling of unity, independence and optimism that allowed them to persevere.

Today, the country is a fast growing vibrant democratic culture at the crossroads of Europe. Their diverse and outspoken leaders form a rainbow across the political spectrum. They waited for Freedom and the ability to once again speak and print their opinions freely. Opinions may differ, but they cannot remain stifled. Freedom is not free. They, more than most, recognize this truism.

Leib Lurie, an active community supporter has enjoyed writing about the works of First Night, Troy Civic Theatre, Optimist Club, Boy Scouts, Destination Imagination, Waco Museum, Our Schools and other groups in Troy focusing on youth and the arts. He is CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net Or see his commentary at www.llurie.blogspot.com