Although many people will argue that segregation does not exist in the United States of America, this argument has yet to be tested with the students in our schools today, in particular African American students. Segregation within our schools has existed since African-Americans were first allowed to enter public schools after slavery (Alonso, Anderson, Sui, Theoharis, 2009). Although one of the major themes of the Civil Rights Movement was to integrate public schools, we consistently see these gains take a back seat in modern day schools. Segregation as it exists today is not synonymous to segregation that existed 30 years ago. Modern day segregation can be viewed from different perspectives, and in many ways, critical race theory attempts to explain how it exists on different levels (Dixon & Rousseau, 2006).

Research suggests that segregation was only been moderately studied and investigated from the point of view of the student, and the overall effect of segregation on students of today's educational system. Thus the purpose of my study was to examine segregation and the effects of segregation on students, with emphasis on African American students and its impact on the student of today.

The results of my study indicated that segregation is deeply embedded in the foundational structure of our country, particularly in the area of education. The effects of segregation on African-Americans in America’s public school system are devastating reminders that we as a people have not yet overcome. It is difficult to encompass all the effects of this injustice simply because it is deeply rooted and the effects are both direct and indirect. However, as my study further developed, the issue of segregation in the form of racial oppression seemed systemic and in danger of leading to social injustice in many areas, including but not limited to education.

Keywords: social justice, critical race theory, school segregation, ethnicity, cultural relevance, culture, power