The first and most insidious myth is that white children are somehow hurt by integration. But there is no supporting evidence for this argument. Dozens of studies of white achievement from the 1960s through the 1990s have consistently shown that whites perform equally well by every academic measure in integrated settings as in all-white schools. In fact, whites have much to gain from desegregation. Integration, done correctly, is a proven tool for stopping the cycle of racial segregation and animosity.
Researchers confirm that cycles of segregation grow deeper between the races as people age.
If you go to a segregated school, you are more likely to work in a segregated workplace and live in a segregated neighborhood. As a result of that separation, whites and blacks grow less understanding and more fearful of each other. Still, parents and politicians persistently ignore a solution that could break that cycle. I think it stymies growth in people. I think it kind of dampens pursuing opportunity because someone perceives that they're not going to get a fair shake.