The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Florsheim: ‘No one is born a bigot’
In virtual talk with Murphy, mayor stresses need for ‘dismantling racist systems and structures’
MIDDLETOWN — City and school leaders met virtually with the state’s junior senator Monday to talk about the need for racial justice and desegregation in Middletown schools, and across the nation.
Discussions such as these are taking place throughout the country as a result of the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police May 25, and subsequent demonstrations and protests.
Murphy, a member of the U.S. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, also the parent of two elementary-age children, grew up in Wethersfield.
“My schooling in Connecticut is frankly a story of two experiences,” said the senator. “I didn’t have a single black friend growing up.”
No people of color lived in his neighborhood and there were about two children of color enrolled in his public school system, he said.
“We had income diversity in Wethersfield, but we did not have racial diversity,” said Murphy, author of the Strength and Diversity Act, which creates a federal grant program to support voluntary, communitydriven strategies to increase diversity in schools.
He knows Middletown is the opposite case, but, “the reality is, in this state, you
are more likely than not to go to school in a segregated environment,” Murphy said.
Mayor Ben Florsheim, who previously worked for Murphy, said the topic was often discussed when it came to issues that needed to be dealt with on the local, state and federal level.
“This question of school segregation ... seems like an anachronistic one in a world where Brown v. Board of Education (the 1954 ruling) was over a half-century ago,” Florsheim said.
In reality, the number of actually segregated schools has risen since then.
“No one is born a bigot,” Florsheim said. “That doesn’t cover the fact there are structural inequities, there are systemic things that need to be changed. It’s not just about individual prejudice, it’s about dismantling racist systems and structures.”
Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner said Middletown is a melting pot, however, there’s still much to be accomplished.
“When I look at the context of racial segregation in schools, it’s this pathology of creating higher levels of the achievement gap; immense drop-out rates for students, especially students of color,” Conner said.
There also are income disparities.
“Within five to eight miles, you might have one district where there’s a high propensity of black and brown students,” Conner said. Farther afield are schools with predominantly white students, he said.
Keigwin Middle School Principal Silvia Mayo Molina held an online conversation with about 50 children and faculty members Friday, where they talked about movements happening across the nation.
“We know these topics are tough, but there’s no reason why students can’t have a voice, and share their ideas with adults,” she said.
Educators also learn from their students. “Our practices improve when we think about ways we can do things differently and better,” she added.
There are many new immigrants entering Middletown schools, members of second- and third-generation families who have lived in the city for decades.
“Whether at the state or federal level, if there are different funds being focused for specific programs, you end up having some de-facto segregation,” Molina said.
To watch a recording of the meeting, visit facebook.com/ senchrismurphy/live.