WINSON AND HUDSON,DOVIE DREAM

Desegregation of the nation's public schools was mandated by the Supre me Court twenty-one years ago, yet today it meets with continuing resi stance. In this article, the author asserts that the goal of desegrega ted education must remain uncompromised. She examines the progress in the South since Brown due to federal compliance efforts and looks at t he political obstacles put in place by the Nixon administration to hal t that progress. Turning to the North, where desegregation may depend more on the possibility of metropolitan remedies, relevant demographic data, court cases, and their implications are discussed. Finally, the evidence offered about three commonly used arguments against desegreg ation - 1) that de facto segregation is beyond the purview of the cour ts; 2) that neighborhood schools are a sacrosanct American tradition; and 3) that busing endangers children - shows that these are myths rat her than facts. Edelman concludes that if the nation wants to renege o n busing or desegregation, it should be honest about what it is doing: denying Black children equal protection of the laws.