Edjumacation: The Cycle of Educational Injustice in Mississippi

Mississippi is often branded as the most problematic state in the history of the United States’ precarious existence. In multiple instances, this sentiment is in close proximity to the truth, but not for the reasons that those looking in, and even some of those living in the state realize. Mississippi leads in the race for multiple disparities as it has: the highest rate of LGBT+ men living with HIV/AIDS at 40%, the third highest obesity rate in the nation at 35.6%, and schools that ranked second-to-last in a 2016 National Ranking.

Of the three issues above, the most damning seems to be the State’s lack of ample education for its children as a weak academic foundation helps to continue a cycle of poverty and low living standards.

The Mississippi Constitution of 1869 

In the South, during the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) black people found a voice that they had not had for centuries and began to use them to influence governmental policies (although only for a short period) With that being said, the newly constructed constitution reflected optimistic ideas that black people had developed for their communities, but specifically for their posterity’s education.

Section 1. of Article VIII of the 1868 Constitution read as follows:

As the stability of a republican form of government depends mainly upon the intelligence and virtue of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature to encourage by all suitable means, the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral, and agricultural improvement, by establishing a uniform system of free public schools by taxation or otherwise, for all children between the ages of five and twenty-one years, and shall as soon as practicable, establish schools of higher grade. 

The main idea presents itself clearly: without equitable education, there can be no sustaining government. For a brief moment, educational justice was achieved by this legal statute.

The Mississippi Constitution of 1890 

Historical context proves that once “reconstruction” was over, the familiar “deconstruction” and disenfranchisement of black people in America continued, and thus came the end of the possibility of educational justice provided by the constitution of 1868. The idea now was no longer united education for the backbone of a proper government, but now government controlled education that only had to be supported by the State Treasury for four months.

Section 206. of Article VIII of the 1890 Constitution read as follows:

There shall be a common school fund which shall consist of the poll tax (to be retained in the counties where the same is collected) and an additional sum from the general fund in the State treasury which together shall be sufficient to maintain the common schools for the term of four months in each scholastic year. But any county or separate school district may levy an additional tax to maintain its schools for a longer time than the term of four months. The common school fund shall be distributed among the several counties and separate school districts, in proportion to the number of educable children in each, to be determined from data collected through the office of the state superintendent of education, in the manner to be prescribed by law.

In a matter of 22 years, Mississippi had revamped its injustice in a surreptitiously rancorous manner that used language to hide some of its explicitly discriminatory policy. Gerrymandering, redlining, and regular discrimination removed access to treasury funds that would provide adequate money for the separate “but equal” schools supposedly envisioned to be supported by the Constitution of 1890.

James K. Vardaman, the governor of Mississippi from 1904-1908, solidified the intentions of this constitution by stating in 1899 “their education only spoils a good field hand and makes a shyster lawyer or fourth rate teacher. It is a waste of money.”

Mississippi’s Reaction to Brown v. Board of Education 

After Brown v. Board of Education (1954) demanded that all schools be integrated the constitution of 1960 shifted its language to reflect Mississippi’s stance on this ruling.

The Legislature may, in its discretion, provide for the maintenance and establishment of free public schools for all children between the ages of six (6) and twenty-one (21) years.

When picking at this statement the words “may, in its discretion, provide” allow for discrimination to abound while attempting to preserve the facade of equity with the words “free public schools for all children.”

Around this time most of the State’s private academic institutions such as Jackson Academy (1959) and Jackson Prepartory (1970) were founded. Jackson Preparatory’s founding date is especially intriguing as integration did not truly occur in Mississippi until 1970.

The Current State of Education in Mississippi 

The Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) was established in 1997 and was created to allow for minimum funding standards and an equal funding allocation for all schools. However, since then the MAEP has only fulfilled their equal allocation hopes twice. 

There is still a disproportionate ratio between schools in certain counties when compared to others especially in terms of ratings and free lunch. Jake McGraw of Rethink MS reported that in 2011-2012 of the 152 school districts rated on the state’s accountability scale, the students that attended the “A” or “B” schools only 51% met the qualifications for free lunch, whereas in the “D” and F” districts 84% qualified. McGraw continues that “Of the 75 districts with a majority black student body, only one earned an “A” or “B” designation.”  

And in the Delta, the heart of poverty and a history of intense discrimination in America, Cleaveland Mississippi High School will be integrating for the Fall 2017-2018 school year, after fifty years of being segregated from the predominately black East Side High School. 

The current language of the Constitution of Mississipi in Section 201. of Article 2018 on education was debuted December 4, 1987 and states the following:

The Legislature shall, by general law, provide for the establishment, maintenance and support of free public schools upon such conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe.

Presently, the word “shall” replaces “may” from the 1960 update, but the rest of the statement still presents room for discriminatory practices to manifest themselves as “may prescribe” is not definite, but instead open for interpretation.