2008 Woodie Awards
Landmark school decision is half-century old
Ashley Baldon
Issue date: 5/12/04 Section: Opinion
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It is difficult to imagine what this country would look like today if it were not for Brown v. Board of Education. May 17 marks the 50th anniversary of this pivotal Supreme Court decision, which opened school doors nationwide to integration and helped end Jim Crow laws.
Brown v. Board of Education was the landmark lawsuit that overturned the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which permitted "separate but equal" public facilities.
The court's unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education helped to reverse racial segregation not just in public schools, but in every other aspect of American society as well, including public transportation and housing.
Linda Brown was an 8-year-old living in Topeka, Kansas. But because she was black, she was not allowed to attend the all-white school near her home. Instead, she had to take a bus to an all-black school two miles away.
With the help of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Linda Brown's father, Oliver Brown, joined other families in the fight against school segregation.
It took three years before the case reached the Supreme Court, which unanimously declared that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.
The court stated that separating blacks from whites and serving them in different facilities, even if these facilities were identical, would send the message to blacks that they were inferior to whites. This message in and of itself was contradictory to the "separate but equal" doctrine, the court said.
Of course, integration did not happen overnight. In several instances the National Guard had to escort children as young as 5 years old into the schools to protect them from jeers, taunts, and physical harm.
Brown v. Board of Education is one of the most important cases in American legal history and, indeed, in life itself. It is as memorable as Rosa Parks' refusal to sit in the back of the bus.
This case is about standing up for oneself and demanding equal treatment. It is about gaining respect for who you are.
Race relations in America have come a long way in the last 50 years. In that spirit, let us continue to work together to build a more tolerant and accepting society.
Although we Americans come from many different backgrounds and cultures, Brown v. Board of Education teaches us to embrace diversity and celebrate our differences.
Brown v. Board of Education was the landmark lawsuit that overturned the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which permitted "separate but equal" public facilities.
The court's unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education helped to reverse racial segregation not just in public schools, but in every other aspect of American society as well, including public transportation and housing.
Linda Brown was an 8-year-old living in Topeka, Kansas. But because she was black, she was not allowed to attend the all-white school near her home. Instead, she had to take a bus to an all-black school two miles away.
With the help of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Linda Brown's father, Oliver Brown, joined other families in the fight against school segregation.
It took three years before the case reached the Supreme Court, which unanimously declared that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.
The court stated that separating blacks from whites and serving them in different facilities, even if these facilities were identical, would send the message to blacks that they were inferior to whites. This message in and of itself was contradictory to the "separate but equal" doctrine, the court said.
Of course, integration did not happen overnight. In several instances the National Guard had to escort children as young as 5 years old into the schools to protect them from jeers, taunts, and physical harm.
Brown v. Board of Education is one of the most important cases in American legal history and, indeed, in life itself. It is as memorable as Rosa Parks' refusal to sit in the back of the bus.
This case is about standing up for oneself and demanding equal treatment. It is about gaining respect for who you are.
Race relations in America have come a long way in the last 50 years. In that spirit, let us continue to work together to build a more tolerant and accepting society.
Although we Americans come from many different backgrounds and cultures, Brown v. Board of Education teaches us to embrace diversity and celebrate our differences.