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53 Fla. L. Rev. 193 (2001)
Racial Segregation in American Churches and Its Implications for School Vouchers

handle is hein.journals/uflr53 and id is 209 raw text is: RACIAL SEGREGATION IN AMERICAN CHURCHES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL VOUCHERS Robert K. Vischer* 1. VOUCHERS, SCHOOLS, AND RACE ...................... 196 II. RACIAL SEGREGATION IN AMERICAN CHURCHES .......... 204 III. MARKET FORCES AND CHURCH-AfFIATED SCHOOLS ...... 216 IV. RELIGION AS A FACTOR IN SCHOOL CHOICE .............. 223 V. RESPONDING TO VOUCHERS' SEGREGATIVE TENDENCIES .... 229 VI. CONCLUSION ...................................... 236 In the ever-burgeoning debate over school vouchers, the case made by voucher proponents lies not just in notions of academic achievement, but, to a significant degree, in the perception that the use of vouchers will foster civic ideals and public virtue. The civic ideals usually referred to by proponents relate to freedom and equality of opportunity arising from expanded educational options for students and their families, especially for those who otherwise lack the financial resources needed to make private school a viable option. Left largely unmentioned by proponents, however, is a civic ideal of more recent vintage-the concept of racial diversity, which, along with pluralism in general, is now widely accepted as an essential attribute of a civil society.' Even assuming that the broad implementation of vouchers in this country would lead to the improvements advertised by proponents, the impact of vouchers on racial diversity in our nation's schools, while not necessarily dispositive, is certainly a relevant consideration in the voucher debate. The merits of vouchers are by no means new to legal scholarship. By far the most common path of inquiry is along First Amendment lines. Some writers have expressed concern with the social impact of * Attorney, Kirkland & Ellis; B.A., 1993, University of New Orleans; J.D., 1996, Harvard Law School. The author gratefully acknowledges the valuable comments on earlier drafts of this Article provided by Thomas Berg, Curtis Bradley, Joan Gottschall, and Mark Modak-Truran. 1. See, e.g., Stephen Macedo, School Vouchers, Religious Nonprofit Organizations, and Liberal Public Values, 75 CHI.-KENT L. REV. 417,428-29 (2000).

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