Summary Of The Black Table Is Still Here By Lawrence Otis Graham

People see segregation as a long forgotten practice where people are separated by the color of their skin. But on the other hand, it is still a common situation that can be seen in schools even nowadays. In the story “The Black Table is Still Here”, Lawrence Otis Graham writes about how his middle school has varying racial tables despite the fact that the school is integrated. This social segregation is actually a really common occurrence in various schools across the country. Even today groups of minorities remain separated from their peers in order to seek acceptance from people who are just like them. However, groups today are more accepting when being compared to the groups of graham’s essay. I believe that although Graham’s views on

My school was fairly diverse having its fair share of Latino, Black, and Asian students. These students divided themselves into groups by race. There were even some smaller groups such as an Asian girl group along with many more. I believe that everyone was hanging out with people of the same race in order to be accepted. They did not do this as an act of hatred; they just felt like things would be more comfortable that way. Be that as it may, my brother and I were not fond of the idea of hanging with the same people every day, so we started to meet with the many different groups all around the school. We were able to relate with and befriend almost all of the diversified social groups. Soon after, other people began to branch out as well by talking to the groups that they did not associate with. By the end of the school year, groups were not decided by race, but by the various hobbies and activities that each group enjoyed. Such examples include the formation of athletic based and school based social cliques. These groups were more enjoyable, because they were not based on the color of a person’s skin. They allowed others to become more involved in their passions. Although it is true that my middle school started off as a racially segregated place, these circumstances changed throughout the school years, allowing the school to become a more racially friendly and diverse school which is quite unlike most