Pamela Payne Foster
Tuscaloosa, AL
I entered high school in 1972 and was part of an integration experiment in Atlanta GA called the Minority to Majority program where I was bussed out of my neighborhood school which was 100% Black to a neighborhood school 20 miles away which was mainly White/Jewish. Other Black children all over the city were bused to this school which had massive resources- performing arts, plantetarium, good teachers, great programs, great parent support, etc. When I entered 8th grade in 1972 the ration was 30% Black/70% White. When I graduated the ratio was %50/50. Not only was the school racially diverse it was also socioeconomically mixed……I went to school with kids from the projects (mainly Black) and millionaires kids both Black and white, as well as middle class and upper middle class where I sit. We all learned so much about breaking stereotypes, about negogiation around race- through fair selection of students for leadership, extracurricular activities, cheerleading and dance squads, and homecoming queens and courts. Whenever we have class reunions we get a lot of attention, because I think our situation was very unique……..I know that moving beyond the border of my neighborhood instilled a different type of confidence with relating with peoples of all backgrounds which I still carry with me today. As I now teach at a undergrad/graduate level at a Deep Southern University- The University of Alabama, so many students in 2014 have a very narrow experiences with varying cultures which I know handicaps their full potential in careers and in life. We must stay focused on valuing each other’s cultures while meshing together as humans in order to continue to prepare our children for the global world and beyond.
