Numerous 50th Anniversary Events Commemorate Brown v. Board of Education

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its unanimous, landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring "separate but equal" schools "inherently unequal." Although the original decision considered suits filed in Kansas, Delaware, South Carolina, and Virginia, the Brown decision has profoundly affected public educational opportunities nationwide and remains relevant today.

In honor of this monumental decision, universities, advocacy organizations, governmental agencies, schools, and local communities will host a wide variety of events throughout 2004 to reflect on the legacy of Brown. The need for a recommittment to the values championed by Brown and it's inspired goal of access to equal educational opportunity, will surely emerge in commemorations throughout this 50th anniversary year, including the following events:

University and law school calendars are dominated by presentations and conferences to commemorate Brown. Among the many offerings, events will be sponsored by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne, Howard University School of Law, Yale University Law School, universities in the North Carolina Research Triangle, Florida's Stetson University School of Law, University of Kansas, Columbia University, and others.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, in collaboration with Douglas Gould and Company, has launched "Red, White, Blue, and Brown: Why Brown v. Board of Education Matters to All Americans," a campaign to educate the public about the significance of Brown and the further effort needed to fulfill its promise.

The National Education Association has announced a year-long effort, entitled, "Horizons of Opportunities: Celebrating 50 Years of Brown v. Board of Education, 1954-2004," to raise awareness about the significance of Brown and the continuing need for the improvement of educational opportunities.

The National Association for Multicultural Education will hold multiple conferences in 2004 to commemorate this legal milestone.

In 2003, President Bush announced the formation of the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Presidential Commission to plan meetings and commemorations as a means of educating the public about the Brown decision. The federal government and National Park Service will also dedicate as a national historical site the once-segregated school where Linda Brown attended classes. This facility will open to the public on May 17, 2004.

Local communities in Texas, New Jersey, and Louisiana have scheduled screenings of documentaries, guest speakers, and educational programs to publicly discuss, along with community members and students, diversity, race, and the state of public schools.

Desegregation, Resegregation, and School Funding Adequacy

The 1954 Brown decision, followed by Brown II and many federal court decisions across the country, forced significant desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s, but has been followed more recently by rapid resegregation. (See "The Unfinished Business of Brown," by the EducationTrust.)

Many advocates working in the education adequacy movement consider their efforts to be "progeny" of Brown, and courts in school funding cases often cite the famous Brown passage:

The 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education will call attention to the still remaining inequities in the nation's education system and reinvigorate the effort to finally obtain a meaningful education opportunity for all.

Prepared January 14, 2004