In January 1932, two white women--Agnes Boeing Ilsley and Mina Buckner--were murdered in Ilsley's home in rural Middleburg, Virginia. Suspicion of who the murderer was settled on George Crawford, an African American man who was sometimes employed by Mrs. Ilsley to do various jobs, including serving as her chauffeur (Virginia Circuit Court 1933,…

On a hot July day in 1854, 24-year-old schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings, accompanied by a friend, attempted to board a horse-drawn trolley to attend Sunday church services in Lower Manhattan. The Irish conductor refused, telling Jennings, who was African American, to await a horsecar for "her people." When Jennings resisted, the…

After the Civil War, schooling for African Americans was irregular and consisted mainly of elementary grades. Education was provided, primarily, by elite, private institutions and fewer than three percent of students aged 13-17 attended regularly. In 1896, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in "Plessey v. Ferguson." Although…

In this article, we describe the development and implementation of a project, "Our Leaders Are Us: Youth Activism in Social Movements," that we undertook with New York City high school students exploring events leading up to and following the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown. As part of a 50th anniversary celebration of the…

As we move into the 21st century, Latinos have become the largest minority group in American society. Consequently, we are shifting from a majority White/minority Black paradigm to a paradigm that will consider a broader spectrum of ethnic and racial diversity wherein Latinos will provide guidance in promoting inclusiveness as we address social…

Provides a historical overview of racial issues in American education, discussing court litigation both before and since the "Brown" decision. Holds that, despite positive changes since "Brown" mandated school desegregation, there now exists a real danger of social, economic, and educational regression for Blacks. (Author/MJL)

The year 2004 marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark "Brown vs. Board of Education" case that put an official end to segregated schooling in the USA. Desegregation has received little attention as of late, yet a number of scholars argue that the work of desegregation is far from being complete in the USA. The aim of this paper is to…

The results of desegregation efforts from 1954 to 1975 are reviewed. The impact of court litigation on school integration both in the North and the South is discussed. Additionally, the impact of the Brown Decision of 1954 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are reviewed in the light of improvements in school integration. A brief summation of court…

If, as James Anderson stated, a nation committed to democracy and equality has every reason to be ashamed on "Brown v. Board of Education's" 50th anniversary, why the commemoration and celebration? By revising Anderson's challenge to examine the complex role of "Brown" in the nation's memory and history, this chapter…

IN CONTRAST WITH THE BASIC SOCIALIZATION PROCESS AND ACCULTURATION OF THE IMMIGRANT, THE NEGRO STILL IS MORALLY AND SOCIALLY ISOLATED FROM SOCIETY. ALTHOUGH CHANGES TOWARD MORE EQUALITY FOR THE NEGRO WILL OCCUR, THEY WILL BE DIFFICULT TO BRING ABOUT. THE GHETTO, WHICH ISOLATES THE NEGRO, PERSISTS BECAUSE OF THE VAST PROFITS THAT WHITE REALTORS…

In this article, the author shares perspectives on "Brown v. Board of Education" that are not focused only on the immediate aftermath but range across the 50 years since. They are compilations of the perspectives and experiences of students and teachers of color more generally as they have navigated the "mazeways" of promises…

In the "Columbia Law Review," Harry Jones (1974) illustrates five general and sometimes overlapping purposes of the law. They include the preservation of the public peace and safety, the settlements of individual disputes, the maintenance of security expectations, the resolutions of conflicting social interests, and the channeling of…

"Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" (1954) ("Brown I"), is the United States Supreme Court's most significant ruling on education, if not of all time. In "Brown I", the Court unanimously held that "de jure" racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth…

"Brown v. Board of Education" (1954) is one of the greatest achievements of the American judicial system. It decisively declared racial segregation in the schools unconstitutional, inaugurating the modern civil rights era. In addition to advancing equality, "Brown" initiated a new type of judicial decision making. After…