Bowman argues that integrated schools provide better preparation for careers and society
Though Bowman has some positive memories of his all-black school, he criticizes current plans to establish Afrocentric schools. He feels these schools do not prepare children for future social settings or for professional examinations.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Richard Bowman, July 8, 1998. Interview K-0513. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
-
Well, uh I think race relations are probably better here than they are in
California.
- KELLY ELAINE NAVIES:
-
Really?
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
-
I think so. I have some real concerns about some of the things that I see
going on here-the Afrocentric schools, I'm sure you've heard
of those. I have some real concerns about that.
- KELLY ELAINE NAVIES:
-
The ones in North Carolina?
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
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The ones that they want to open up in North
Carolina-right-I think it's a step
back-it's taking a step backwards-because, we want
to have schools for blacks only and I don't see how you can train
students that will have to live in a mixed world, train em in all black
society then expect them to go out and compete in a mixed world. If
they're gonna compete in a mixed world, they should learn in a mixed
world and I firmly believe that. And if they're not learning, then find
out the reason why and correct it instead of going backwards the way we
were.
- KELLY ELAINE NAVIES:
-
I'm glad you said that because I wanted to ask you what you thought about
the Charter schools-so are you against Charter schools in
general or do you think they should try to make the Charter schools more
racially mixed?
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
-
Well, I have against a Charter school persay-because I look at
Charter schools as being a little like St. Anthony's where I got my
primary education. If they're teaching, fine-I'm just not in
favor of black schools.
- KELLY ELAINE NAVIES:
-
Now, that's interesting, because you went to black schools and they seem
to have prepared you very well.
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
-
Yeah, but see you're forgetting-I couldn't get the books out of
the library that I wanted. Who knows what might have happened if I could
have gotten everything that I wanted. I feel I was hampered to a certain
extent.
- KELLY ELAINE NAVIES:
-
Okay, you do? Okay
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
-
I feel like I wasted a whole year of my life the first year at
Stephens-Lee-nothing against Stephens-Lee,
but the people that fed into the system at Stephens-Lee didn't
have that problem because they hadn't been taught as much as we had
coming from a Catholic school. So, that's my reason for making that
statement.
- KELLY ELAINE NAVIES:
-
So, let me phrase this-this way-So, eventhough you
had a positive experience going to a segregated school you still found
that there were negatives to that situation and you are in support of
integration?
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
-
Oh, I'm definitely in support of integration, because you got to compete.
You have all of your exams-when you go to Law School you've
got to pass the Law exam, written by people who attended-more
than likely a white school-your civil service exams are
written by people who most likely attended a white school and your
nurses exams, your real estate exam, your whole-all of
your-the things you have to prove yourself in in real
life-are not designed for people who attended an all black
school.
- KELLY ELAINE NAVIES:
-
So, why do you think so many people are criticizing what's gone on with
integration-nowadays, and why there seems to be a return to
afrocentric schools?
- RICHARD BOWMAN:
-
Well, you know Governor Brown put it best-I think-you
know, Governor Jerry Brown, Jr. put it best when he made a
statement-he said, for every problem there's a simple and
wrong solution-and I think that's the case here-It's
simple and it's wrong-but, I just can't see why they want
to-some of the people who are pushing it just havent' been
exposed to as many things as other people have-so, I can see
they might want to try it, but I just can't see it.