60 Years After Brown V. Board of Education

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, thank you to my colleague. Thank you so much, Mr. Horsford from Nevada, for leading us in this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour, and also to my colleague from New York (Mr. Jeffries), thank you for your leadership.

It is an honor for me to be here, not only as a Member of Congress, but someone who lived through our topic tonight.

If we pause for a moment and could go back in history, that unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Early Warren held that ``separate educational facilities are inherently unequal'' and that segregation of schools violates the 14th and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution.

This decision, Mr. Speaker, signaled an end to the State-sanctioned segregation of public schools in the United

States, making it unlawful to deny access to public facilities on the basis of race.
Striking down segregation in our Nation's public schools provided a major catalyst for the civil rights movement and made advances in desegregating housing, public accommodations, and institutions of higher education possible.

On the anniversary of this landmark decision, we acknowledge and applaud those who endured and lived through those days of crises so all Americans could enjoy the right to vote, the right to equal protection of law.

It is the Brown story, but it could have been, as we heard from Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the Barbara Lee story.

It could be the Congresswoman Joyce Beatty story because I grew up during this same era of time as a young child who, thank goodness, had a mother and father who understood the link of discriminating against African Americans, who understood the link between redlining in housing, to education; so they made a brave step and moved to an all-White neighborhood, so I could go to an integrated school.

It reminds me of how Oliver Brown probably felt on that day when his young daughter, Linda, had to walk some 21 blocks, through all kinds of elements and traffic and danger zones, to get to the segregated school, when just six blocks away from where they lived was an all-White school.

So you see, he took on this challenge because of his young daughter and, at that time, having another daughter that would follow and not knowing that there would even be a third daughter to follow.

At the age of 32, at the time of the suit against the school system, he--a Baptist minister, a welder, a person who was active in his community--decided that he would let his name be put on the lawsuit.

He testified that, many times, his daughter had to wait in the cold, to wait for a bus to take her to Monroe, even though, as I mentioned, seven blocks away from an all-White elementary school. That is the Oliver story.

So when we think of the Oliver Brown story and we think of Mr. Brown, who opened up the schoolhouse doors to Americans, regardless of race or color, it created an opportunity for millions of Americans.

Sadly, the promise of the Brown decision remains unfulfilled in many ways today. Millions of American families face trials and tribulations related to their color, creed, or religion.

Even today, 60 years after legally-sanctioned educational segregation ended, the legacy of this discrimination can still be found in our schools, if you look at graduation rates, in the university, and yes, in the workplace.

Today and every day, we must rededicate ourselves to raise a new generation that may seize their opportunities. It is incumbent upon us, as lawmakers, that we make sure that Americans are able to have a quality education, that they are able to exceed and succeed in all that they endeavor.

While we pause in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Brown decision, we should not rest on our laurels until equality for all is a reality in our great Nation.

Just this morning, a Columbus school board member reminded me, as Shawna Gibbs wrote me this note, she said, Mr. Speaker:

No longer separate, but still fighting for equality.

So as I close, I ask us to look at this visual and know that Oliver Brown's fight was for all of us, 60 years ago and today.

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