It may be hard for some to fathom the fallout, given that Chapel Hill has the acclaim of electing Howard Lee as the first black mayor of a major Southern town, was among the municipalities that hosted attempts to end segregated busing by taking part in the nation's first Freedom Ride in April 1947 and gave rise to civil rights warriors such as the Rev. Robert Seymour and the Rev. Julius "J.C." Herrin, who worked to break down color barriers in the Jim Crow South.
Despite those accomplishments and the acts of heroism that punctuated defiance of an unjust, racially based social order that could have had, and sometimes did, very real risks to personal well being and property, the harsh reality is that Chapel Hill was, once upon a time, consistent in thought and law with other cities and towns across the South. That is to say its history has a dark underbelly of unfair treatment and, yes, even violence, as that first Freedom Ride proved.
It is a long memory, and one based in the truth, that blacks were not always accorded the same rights and privileges -- especially in education -- that their white counterparts enjoyed. One might argue, given the extraordinary advances over the years, that it is time to discontinue what could be perceived as knee-jerk reaction that elevates the most minor of events and situations into full-blown cries of racism. One also might argue that, unless you have suffered at the hands of an historic ignominy designed to make your people fail or fall behind, you might not be aware of the many faces of discrimination.
In this dustup over honors courses in the schools and who can take them, and whether the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are deliberately failing to close a longstanding achievement gap, history and perceptions matter. There are good people on both sides of the debate, and it is unlikely the actual circumstances of the school board's actions are as sinister as some may believe, or as inconsequential as others claim.
What is obvious is that all parties to the debate want to raise standards, challenge each child to reach maximum potential and have the tools to make that happen. That's where the conversation that must happen needs to start as resolution to this uproar begins.
