The Persistence of the Racial Divide in South Africa and the United States: Examining Critical Race Perspectives of School Leaders in the Western Cape and Long Island The definition of social injustice is undeserved inequalities heaped on children
Abstract
South African and US schools are reflections of local communities and a larger socio-political environment situated in an historical context. While de jure segregation has been dismantled, why does de facto segregation flourish in both countries? The study examines school leaders’ perspectives and beliefs regarding the persistence of the racial divide in their respective countries. In-depth interviews were conducted with South African and US school leaders. The conceptual framework was drawn from critical race theory. Grounded theory was employed to analyze data. Concepts were the basic unit of analysis. Data were collected using the constant comparative method. The toxic residue of de jure segregation, the stranglehold of de facto segregation and the insinuation of white privilege emerged as themes from the interviews. The study begs the question: Given the hardening of patterns that continue to leave large swaths of the polity without equal opportunities, will the racial hierarchy remain as the permanent architecture of the societies?