Rockford Register Star, August 6, 2017
Xica Davis-Flannigan never thought her daughters would attend schools that are less integrated than the ones she attended 20 years ago.
As a black girl growing up in Rockford during the People Who Care desegregation lawsuit, Davis-Flannigan attended schools that she and her parents chose for her, schools she describes as racially mixed.
Today, choosing schools is a thing of the past, and the schools Davis-Flannigan’s daughters can attend — based on geographic boundaries called “zones” — tend to test poorly and are filled with black and Hispanic children.
“You have your zone, and you can’t go outside of your zone,” said the 33-year-old mom. “Zoning took away our choices. Schools are full of African-American and Mexican kids, and I don’t think they’re getting what they need.”
Davis-Flannigan is talking about the resegregation of Rockford schools.