Comedian John Oliver dissects the racial educational gap in northern school systems in the most recent episode of his HBO weekly news show, “Last Week Tonight.”
During this week’s episode, Oliver points out how liberals have contributed to the extremely segregated New York City public school system, which has widened the educational gap between Black and white students in America’s most inclusive cities.
While many would think the most segregated school systems are in the south, the truth is that most are in northern liberal cities like New York. According to a 2014 study from UCLA’s Civil Rights Project, the south is the least segregated region for Black students. In the clip from Oct. 30, Oliver hammers white liberal politicians.
“Now at this point, if you are in a city like New York, you’re probably thinking, ‘Oh, splendid, I know where this is going: A story vilifying the backward and racist American South. Let me just grab a handful of kale chips that I can munch on while feeling superior,’ ” Oliver starts. “Well hold on, there is probably something you should know.”
Oliver points out that this issue is not new. The comedian plays a clip with activist, writer and Black liberator Malcolm X discussing the same issue, noting how New York politicians have skirted desegregation of schools through various loopholes. These loopholes tend to give white schools more funding than Black ones.
“Funding tends to follow white people around the way white people follow the band Phish around,” Oliver notes.
