When Blacks reflect on the concept of segregation, they think about the hardships that whites put them through by not being able to have the same privileges. We think about the fact that we were not about to go to the same schools as white children, or use the same bathrooms as white families. The concept of segregation was detrimental to the Black community because it did not allow for the upward mobility of Blacks; however, segregation also helped the Black community to come together as one. Since they could not integrate with Whites, each other was all Blacks had. During this time, Blacks took care of each other, welcomed them into the community, and came together for worship sessions.
With integration the live of Blacks were changed forever. Depending on the person, some would say lives were changed for the worse. "Segregation gave us something that desegregation took away" were the words of Dr. Richard Wright. The term something refers to things like the value of education, the importance of family, and the respect for others. As you can see, in today's society, neighbors argue and disagree instead of borrowing sugar or watching each others houses while one is away. Children are acting up in school instead of taking advantage of the education being administered to them. Fathers and sons are fighting instead of children staying in their places. Like everything else, integration as well as segregation had it's pros and cons.
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