Brown v. Board of Education
TODAY marks the 70th?anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in?Brown v. the Board of Education, which put an end to the “separate but equal” precedent set by the Court over half a century earlier in the case of?Plessy v. Ferguson.
IN A NUTSHELL, the challenge was against a segregation policy that forced black and white children to be educated separately. In the case of Oliver Brown, his daughter, Linda, was denied entry to and, therefore, could not attend a nearer all-white elementary school. In consequence, Linda was required to take a bus to an all-black school much further away. Notably, the Brown family’s chief counsel was Mr. Thurgood Marshall?(as he then was) who went on to became the first African American to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.?
On 17 May 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, amongst other things, in the class-action case named Brown v. the Board of Education, in a unanimous judgment (9-0) delivered by Mr. Chief Justice Earl Warren, “We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”
The Chief Justice went on to say, “Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.”
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Timeless!
Marshall the Movie (https://youtu.be/C_bfOWof0Sg?si=5Yu2wgOvCu5CCPPQ)
Original Article (https://theorist.blog/2024/05/17/brown-v-board-of-education/)
BBC Bitesize: Fighting for civil rights - the Brown v Topeka case (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zg644xs/revision/1)