Acting White: The Ironic Legacy of Desegregation [Hardcover]

Stuart Buck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2010

Commentators from Bill Cosby to Barack Obama have observed the phenomenon of black schoolchildren accusing studious classmates of “acting white.” How did this contentious phrase, with roots in Jim Crow-era racial discord, become a part of the schoolyard lexicon, and what does it say about the state of racial identity in the American system of education?

The answer, writes Stuart Buck in this frank and thoroughly researched book, lies in the complex history of desegregation. Although it arose from noble impulses and was to the overall benefit of the nation, racial desegegration was often implemented in a way that was devastating to black communities. It frequently destroyed black schools, reduced the numbers of black principals who could serve as role models, and made school a strange and uncomfortable environment for black children, a place many viewed as quintessentially “white.”

Drawing on research in education, history, and sociology as well as articles, interviews, and personal testimony, Buck reveals the unexpected result of desegregation and suggests practical solutions for making racial identification a positive force in the classroom.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Buck, Arkansas University doctoral fellow in education reform, enters the black-white achievement gap debate with a review of anti-academic attitudes among some black students, who dub school achievement as acting white; he finds its roots in what was lost when schools were desegregated. Buck fears misinterpretation (no one should read this section as suggesting that we should go back to segregated schools) as he delineates the costs of losing the schools as community centers, the concomitant loss of black teachers and principals as academic role models, and the detachment of black parents and students. Desegregation, he argues, then set the stage for the 'acting white' criticism to emerge in the school setting, as black students met hostile receptions from white students and teachers. Buck's proposed solutions are implausible—and almost risible: one, since humans are tribal, some students should be in an all-black environment that includes black teachers and principals, the other to replace individual grades with regular interschool competitions, supplemented by small rewards for winners on a group basis. Overstuffed with evidence showing he examined literally thousands of sources over the past several years, the result is a repetitive mélange of education philosophy and anecdotal history. (June)
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Review

“The best race book of the year.”—John McWhorter, New Republic blog

(John McWhorter New Republic 20100603)

"Acting White asks why African American students still lag so far behind their peers in academic achievement and offers a thoughtful and provocative answer to this crucial question."—Stephan Thernstrom, Harvard University

(Stephan Thernstrom )

"[Buck] reminds us that we should remember that everything is composed of light and shadow. Before we attempt to improve schools, we need to understand the impact of change on culture, on deeply ingrained habits and ways of thinking."—Phil Brand, Washington Times

(Phil Brand Washington Times )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300123914
• ISBN-13: 978-0300123913
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stuart Buck attended Harvard Law School, graduating with honors in 2000, and serving as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After law school, he clerked for Judge David A. Nelson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2000-01, and then for Judge Stephen F. Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2001-02.

After practicing law for several years, he took an intense interest in education. As for what sparked his interest in the "acting white" topic, Stuart and his wife Farah adopted a black baby boy and later a 7-year-old girl from Haiti. In the books they read on inter-racial adoption, a common theme emerged: inter-racial adoptees were often criticized for "acting white" or "trying to be white." Buck then started to explore the broader context of this criticism as used in schools.

Buck is currently a Distinguished Doctoral Fellow in the Education Reform department at the University of Arkansas. His scholarly education publications include:

* Stuart Buck, Gary W. Ritter, Nathan C. Jensen, and Caleb P. Rose. "Teachers Say the ‎Most Interesting Things - An Alternative View of Testing." Phi Delta Kappan 91 no. 6 (2010): 50-54.
* Stuart Buck and Robert Maranto (forthcoming). "School Choice," in Paul Quirk and William Cunion ‎eds., Governing America: Major Policies and Decisions of Federal, State, and Local Government ‎‎(Facts on File).
* Stuart Buck and Jay P. Greene, "The Case for Special Education Vouchers," Education Next, 10 no. 1 (Winter 2010).
* Gary W. Ritter, Robert Maranto, and Stuart Buck, "Harnessing Private Incentives in Public Education," Review of Public Personnel Administration, 29 no. 3 (2009): 249-269.

His scholarly legal publications include:

* "The Common Law and the Environment in the Courts," 58 CASE WESTERN LAW REVIEW 621 ‎‎(2008). ‎
* "TELRIC vs. Universal Service: A Takings Violation?," 56 FED. COMM. L.J. 1 (2003). ‎
* "Salerno vs. Chevron: What to Do About Statutory Challenges," 55 ADMIN. L. REV. 427 (2003). ‎
* ‎"Replacing Spectrum Auctions with a Spectrum Commons," 2 STAN. TECH. L. REV. 2 (2002).‎
* Stuart Buck and Bruce Yandle. "Bootleggers, Baptists, and the Global Warming Battle," 26 HARV. ‎ENVT'L L. REV. 177 (2002). ‎
* Stuart Buck and Mark Rienzi. "Federal Courts, Overbreadth, and Vagueness: Guiding Principles ‎for Constitutional Challenges to Uninterpreted State Statutes," 2002 UTAH L. REV. 381.‎

Personal Interest

A native of Arkansas, Stuart Buck attended the University of Georgia to study classical guitar performance, receiving a B.Mus. degree in 1995 as a First Honor Graduate (one of 15 students with a 4.0 GPA in a class of over 3,000).‎ He then received the M.Mus. degree with highest honors in 1997. During this time, he studied with the noted guitar teacher John Sutherland. He was a National Finalist in the 1994 American String Teachers Association Competition, and a winner of the 1997 University of Georgia Concerto Competition. ‎

As an amateur radio operator, he received the callsign KA5YSW at age 11, attained the highest class of radio ‎license (Extra Class) at age 13, and at age 14 was elected to membership in the Very High Speed Club, a ‎worldwide club for people who can use Morse Code at 40+ words per minute.‎

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Assessment of the Most Important Problem in Education Today May 4, 2010

By Fritz R. Ward TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Anyone who has spent time in the classroom over the last 20 years has heard the slur "Oreo" or the complaint that someone is "acting white." I recently witnessed a fellow educator receive this slur from a young black student. Basically education is now widely perceived among some young minority students as a "white" activity and students who attempt to do well are accused of "acting white" and attempting to deny their ethnic background. Although a few academics using questionable methodology have attempted to downplay the significance of this phenomena, Stuart Buck demonstrates not merely that it is real and widespread, but the charge of "acting white" also contributes a significant portion of the gap in test scores between black students, especially young males, and the student body at large.

The bulk of this book is concerned with explaining how education came to be associated with "acting white." Throughout most of black history in America, education was highly valued and the charge of "acting white" was mostly made by white racists. Buck's surprising finding: the "acting white" charge is a phenomena that grew out of desegregation. Buck is not, however, criticizing desegregation. On the whole it was a beneficial movement. However, the way desegregation was carried out turned out to be harmful to many in the black community, especially in the south. Black schools were torn down and black teachers and principals were fired or demoted. Students were bussed away from their homes to predominantly white schools where they faced discrimination and viscous harassment. Lacking black role models and forced to seek the approval of white teachers and administrators, these students and subsequent generations came to view the whole process of education as a white enterprise and to attack those who tried to succeed in this new educational environment.

Buck does a good job of demonstrating that the "acting white" charge grew out of desegregation. The question remains, though, how do we solve the problems it creates? Although the entire achievement gap cannot be attributed to the charge that those who pursue an education are "acting white," this widespread attitude is a contributing factor as President Obama, among others, has acknowledged. Buck examines several solutions from black charter schools to the radical proposal that school districts do away with grades (ending competition between students within a school) and replace them with academic competitions between schools (who will get the higher test scores, perhaps). The latter proposal has the benefit of creating a community out of a diverse student population in much the same way that sporting events like high school football do. For such a proposal to work, schools would need to be even more integrated than they are now. It would also require a massive rethinking of our goals and approach to education. But school districts can take immediate steps to ameliorate this situation. Many districts, rather than creating all black charter schools are instead experimenting with the Sankofa program within integrated schools. I've observed Sankofa classrooms and they are immensely effective in generating student engagement. But the most important thing educators can do is to recognize the reality of the "acting white" charge and, however uncomfortable it may be, consider the ways they might contribute, albeit unwittingly, to it. This book is a good place to start.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful Theory, Helpful History May 10, 2010

By M. MCSHANE

Format:Hardcover

Careful research, thought-provoking analysis, and engaging storytelling are the touchstones of this wonderful book on a little-researched topic. Buck clearly and succinctly outlines the problem (African-American students underperform their Anglo counterparts even when accounting for socio-economic status) and his stab at the cause (because they see succeeding academically as "acting white"). After presenting the research on the "acting white" phenomenon, he then takes the reader on a journey through the pre- and post- segregated south, highlighting that while the injustices of segregation were egregious, they galvanized a community around schools for their children. When these powerful institutions were destroyed during integration, the unintended consequence of making black students feel like guests in the white schools into which they were forced caused a change in their psyche. They were in someone else's world, taught by predominantly white teachers, led by predominately white administrators, and separated from the close-knit, supportive community that their former schools had been. Thus, succeeding in this foreign environment was seen as betrayal of their race and institutions, and to this day, as something black students feel threatened to do.

In no way, shape, or form, should it be believed that Buck makes segregation into some golden age that was ruined by integration. Rather, he states that in such difficult times, the African-American communities of the South rallied around education in a way that modern, integrated schools do not. In a way, he states, integration threw the baby out with the bathwater. It is only after we recognize these problems that we can hope to develop solutions to the achievement gap in American education.

This book is a must read for historians, sociologists, educators, community leaders, parents, and policy makers, as failing to learn this history and its unintended consequences only dooms us to repeat it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful book May 11, 2010

By Lynn Woodworth

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Buck takes an insightful look into a very real educational issue in our culture today. Acting White is a powerful tool for those who want to understand why a major portion of our society is willing to accept an inadequate education. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in improving our nation's education system.