The 70th Anniversary of Brown V. Board of Education
Floor Speech
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Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my esteemed Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the Brown vs. Board of Education case. This pivotal moment in our Nation's history marked the end of state-sanctioned segregation in public schools and affirmed the Constitutional principle of equal protection under the law.
The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education laid the foundation for subsequent civil rights legislation and legal battles aimed at dismantling segregation across various spheres of society. However, despite seven decades of progress, the shadow of segregation still looms large in American education and beyond.
Even today, non-white school districts receive $2,226 less per student on average, perpetuating an achievement gap that reduces the college attendance and lifetime earnings of Black students by 65 percent. The disparities extend to advanced education with African American women holding advanced degrees, such as a master's, earning $7 less per hour than white men with a bachelor's degree, and $17 less per hour than their white male peers.
Efforts to remedy these disparities by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in education have been met with relentless resistance from conservatives. They've rolled back affirmative action and continually seek to suppress instruction of Black history and literature. This concerted effort to perpetuate inequality and silence our voices cannot go unchallenged. We must raise our voices against these regressive measures and utilize every available avenue to resist discrimination and promote equity in education and beyond.
We must continue to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in education, in the workplace, and in the marketplace, to uphold Brown v. Board's legacy of desegregation and equity. By doing so, we honor the promise of a just America and ensure that every individual has access to the opportunities they need to thrive.
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