The story of Summerton and its schools is a footnote to history. On the surface, daily life in this small South Carolina town today is a far cry from a half century ago. At the same time, little seems to have changed--and many residents seem to prefer it that way. And with good reason, for the townspeople, especially whites, still cast a wary eye…

The questions of what a school system must show in order to be declared "desegregated" continue to be defined by the Supreme Court. This paper presents an overview of the original "Brown v. Board of Education" decision and the large body of case law that has evolved from it. Although over 500 school districts have been ordered…

Educated Black women are often wrongly viewed as a homogeneous group, obscuring important differences of social class. Black women of different social classes do not face the same route to college. Both race and class operate within urban settings to either create or limit the options and strategies available to Blacks for attaining educational…

A review of 25 years of the Brown decision, the transition from a melting-pot myth to a pluralistic society, and the impact of these on future educational directions are discussed. It is suggested that schools must revive some of the virtues of the melting pot. (Author/MLW)

Presents the story of Linda Brown and the Supreme Court case of "Brown v. Board of Education" for a classroom activity on segregation and discrimination. Stimulates discussion and critical thinking, and provides a historical understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment and the segregation issue. (NL)

Examines the failed integration of Baltimore public schools since the Brown court decision. It explains that Baltimore's school board refused to take the steps necessary to remedy educational inequality and blamed society at large. This abandonment has crippled a school system that has yet to deal with issues of race and equality. (GR)

Provides a tribute to the legacy of Thurgood Marshall through an examination of Marshall's key role in the history of desegregation. It focuses on his position as lead counsel for the NAACP assigned to argue Brown v Board of Education before the Supreme Court and his subsequent influence as a member of the Court. (GR)

Analyzes Thurgood Marshall's role as a critical jurist, especially in light of recent criticism directed at Brown v Board of Education. It discusses the separate-but-equal doctrine of Plessy v Ferguson and Marshall's underlying strategy that such a doctrine was harmful to black children. It concludes with the author's interpretation of Marshall's…

A study was conducted to gather responses to the question "what is it like to be a black student on a traditionally or predominantly white campus in 1986?" Responses were gathered by 22 black student leaders from 13 predominantly white campuses in North Carolina, using random samples of black first-year students at their institutions.…

This report contains transcripts of speeches given at the Amistad Symposium by lawyers, judges, and others active in the civil rights movement since the 1960s. Speakers include Clifton Johnson, J. Skelly Wright, John P. Nelson, Edwin King, Fred L. Banks, Jr., Lawrence A. Aschenbrenner, Frank R. Parker, Henry Schwarzschild, and Richard B. Sobol.…

Racial attitudes were an issue in the 1972 Mississippi gubernatorial campaign between Charles Evers and William Waller. This conclusion is supported by test evidence consisting of content analysis of candidate speeches, news coverage of speeches in the form of direct quotations, printed issue position papers, and printed campaign advertising. A…

This report, conducted by faculty and students in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, describes a survey on and interviews regarding ethnic and race relations among Austin, Texas residents and community leaders. Its six chapters include (1) "Introduction" (the research approach); (2) "Ethnic…

A participant in the 1958 Wichita, Kansas, lunch counter sit-ins recounts the history of early Great Plains sit-ins and discusses how they were related to, if not the cause of, the more famous Greensboro, North Carolina, sit-ins. Discusses factors leading to the sit-ins, and the fact that black youth pioneered them. (TD)

Presents a history of the social, educational, and legal events leading up to Brown v Board of Education. It also provides a comprehensive review of major Supreme Court rulings on desegregation and equal education opportunity for African Americans in the 40 years since Brown. (GR)

Argues that multiculturalism goals in Canada have not been achieved because federal and provincial policies have been poorly conceived and communicated. The essay suggests ways to lead the nation closer to the values fundamental to multiculturalism. (GLR)