In this review, historical events are used to depict those aspects of American and especially black history which preceded the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Slavery, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement are discussed. Efforts to achieve equal educational opportunity are described and an overview of school desegregation and other…

The political and legal forces that shaped opinion and government action prior to the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) are examined, along with constitutional interpretations concerning education and desegregation, federal and state statutes related to desegregation, and cases since Roberts v. City of Boston…

Discusses prospects for democracy in South Africa. Explores the complexities and contradictions endemic to the process of overcoming 300 years of racist laws and practices. Considers the risks of concessions for both Black and White leaders; problems resulting from enduring political and economic inequalities; and constitutional alternatives.…

States must ensure that all citizens, regardless of race, have real opportunities to gain the education and skills needed to achieve the American Dream. If state policies, especially economic policies, fail to acknowledge the growing numbers of poor Black undereducated and unskilled urban youth, that dream of equal opportunity will continue to be…

Blacks's participation in the educational establishment has decreased since 1970 in the following areas: (1) elementary and secondary education; (2) post secondary education; (3) graduate degrees; (4) faculty appointments; and (5) labor force professionals. The decline of minority teachers in American schools will adversely affect all children.…

Meaningful access to education requires more than full enrolment; it requires high attendance rates, progression through grades with little or no repetition, and learning outcomes that confirm that basic skills are being mastered. This Review describes and explains patterns of access to schools in South Africa for children between the ages of 5…

Asserts that scholarship on the formative period of the African presence in the Americas is still in its infancy. Explores the role of ethnicity in the construction of the lives of African-born slaves in Mexico City during the early 1600s. Discusses implications of the findings, including the impact of ethnicity on marriage choices. (CFR)