Unlevel playing fields, literally
IntegrateNYC’s Obrian Rosario writes an op-ed on sports equity!
Excerpt:
New York City’s public schools comprise the most segregated school system in the entire nation, and the inequitable distribution of publicly funded after-school sports is a glaring symptom of that segregation. While the pandemic has exacerbated the deeply rooted systemic issues and inequalities in our society in everything from health-care to the economy, access to sports teams suddenly became equal when no one could play.
Last June, I had the privilege of graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School, the largest specialized high school in New York City. Brooklyn Tech is said to be the most diverse high school of the eight specialized high schools, but it’s not that diverse: Approximately 85% of the population identifies as Asian or white, and around 12% identify as Black or Hispanic, in a school system that’s three-quarters Black or Hispanic.