Historical Op-Ed Example: Dyett High School Inequality

Historical Op Ed Exampledyett High School Inequality And The Roots O

Increase awareness about the historical roots of inequality in American education and discuss contemporary resistance efforts, using the example of Dyett High School in Chicago as a case study.

If we truly want equal opportunity in American education, we would be wise to listen to the anti-colonial demands of parents and students at Dyett High School – and to heed the lessons of history. In late August 2015, teachers, students, and community members in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago initiated a 34-day hunger strike protesting the planned closure of Dyett High School. This action was part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s broader initiative to shutter underperforming schools, reduce Local School Councils' decision-making authority, and promote privatization.

The Chicago School Board initially agreed to reopen Dyett in early September, but the Coalition to Revitalize Dyett (CRD) rejected the proposal, asserting that the Board failed to respect the community’s vision for a new Dyett Global Leadership and Green Technology High School. Community leader Jitu Brown emphasized that the issue was not merely about failing schools but about the systemic failure to provide equitable education and respect for community voices. The struggle over Dyett reflects a broader resistance against the forces that threaten public education and the futures of marginalized students.

These protests highlight a critical demand: that public schools serve as gateways to opportunities rather than perpetuate cycles of poverty, incarceration, and marginalization. The community's push for a specialized curriculum that equips students for prosperous futures echoes historical struggles where marginalized groups fought against colonial and imperial educational policies designed to subordinate their potential.

This resistance is rooted in a long history of educational inequities tied to race, class, and imperial expansion in the United States. A century ago, curricula often served imperialist interests—such as manual training programs in Hawai‘i that confined Native Hawaiian and Asian students to manual labor industries, reinforcing colonial dominance (Stratton, 2016). Similarly, in the South, Black students faced gross underfunding, overcrowded classrooms, and segregated, inferior schooling conditions, as W.E.B. Du Bois documented in 1901 (Du Bois et al., 1969). These policies were explicitly designed to limit the social mobility of non-white populations, ensuring economic and racial hierarchies persisted.

In the Southwest, the use of IQ testing to justify segregation further exemplified how education served imperial and racial agendas. Mexican American students were categorized as culturally deficient to justify their lower placement—tied directly to their labor contributions to agriculture and industry (Blanton, 2003). Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico, local elites and colonial authorities collaborated to implement policies that maintained socio-economic control, often through education systems that served colonial interests rather than local uplift (Del Moral, 2013).

These historical injustices sparked resistance and activism. In Hawai‘i, students and workers defied oppressive labor and educational policies; in Atlanta, parents mobilized against continued underfunding; and in Puerto Rico, communities fought to secure basic education resources amidst colonial neglect. These acts of resistance demonstrate the ongoing struggle for education systems that prioritize community needs over imperial or economic interests.

Today, the fight at Dyett High School continues this legacy. The school’s community advocates demand it be transformed into a Global Leadership and Green Technology High School to prepare marginalized students for the modern economy. Despite the Chicago Public Schools’ claims to provide a “world-class education,” policies often reinforce existing racial and economic inequalities, mirroring historical patterns where the curricula and resources were allocated along racial lines to sustain imperial and national hierarchies (Stratton, 2016).

Historically, curricula emphasized themes of American dominance in global affairs, technological superiority, and racial hierarchy—aimed at creating a citizenry that upheld imperial interests (Stratton, 2016). These educational policies systematically marginalized non-white and immigrant communities, restricting their access to opportunities and reinforcing societal hierarchies. The resistance at Dyett exemplifies how communities today continue to challenge these inequities and assert the importance of a curriculum that empowers marginalized students with skills for equitable participation in a changing economy.

Ultimately, understanding the historical context of educational inequality reveals that resistance is rooted in a persistent struggle for justice and self-determination. The community at Dyett, like those in Hawai‘i, Atlanta, and Puerto Rico before them, exemplifies the ongoing fight to transform educational systems into tools for liberation rather than instruments of colonial or economic domination. Such struggles highlight the necessity of community-led efforts to reimagine education as a means of fostering equity, national belonging, and global participation for all students.

References

• Blanton, C. K. (2003). From intellectual to cultural deficiency: Mexican Americans, testing, and public school policy in the American Southwest. Pacific Historical Review, 72(1), 41–62.
• Del Moral, S. (2013). Negotiating empire: The cultural politics of schools in Puerto Rico. University of Wisconsin Press.
• Du Bois, W.E.B., Penney, E. J., & Bell, T. J. (1969). Proceedings of the Sixth Atlanta Conference (1901). Arno Press.
• Stratton, C. (2016). Education for empire: American schools, race, and the paths of good citizenship. University of California Press.
• Honolulu Republican. (1901, May 25). Manual training in Hawai‘i.
• Solsiree Del Moral. (2013). Negotiating empire: The cultural politics of schools in Puerto Rico. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
• Chicago Board of Education. (2017). Education policies and reforms. Chicago Public Schools.
• W.E.B. Du Bois, E. J. Penney, & T. J. Bell (1969). Proceedings of the Sixth Atlanta Conference. Arno Press.
• Stratton, C. (2016). Education for empire: American schools, race, and the paths of good citizenship. University of California Press.
• Additional scholarly sources discussing modern educational resistance and policy debates would further enrich this analysis.