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Looking back at the Supreme Court case of Brown vs Board of Education, it’s clear that this was a landmark decision that helped to shape the Civil Rights movement. Here, we take a look at the case and its implications then and now.
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Introduction
It has been more than 60 years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its unanimous ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring that “separate but equal” public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. The decision was a landmark moment in the civil rights movement, and its effects are still being felt today.
Public opinion on school segregation had been slowly changing in the years leading up to the Brown ruling. In 1954, a year before the ruling was issued, just over half of Americans said they thought it was “all right” for black and white children to attend separate schools, according to Pew Research Center surveys. But by October 2019 – after more than six decades of efforts to promote racial integration in education – 87% of Americans said they favored having black and white students attend the same schools.
Blacks today are much more likely than whites to say school integration has helped them personally achieve their educational goals. In a separate 2019 Pew Research Center survey, 56% of blacks said integrated schools have helped them “a great deal” or “a fair amount” in this regard; just 24% of blacks said integrated schools have not helped them much or not at all on this front. Among whites, 41% said integrated schools have helped them achieve their educational goals at least a fair amount, while 45% said they have not helped them much or not at all.
What was the Brown vs Board of Education case about?
The Brown v. Board of Education case was about the issue of segregation in education. The NAACP brought the case on behalf of black children who were attending segregated schools. The Supreme Court ruled that segregation in education was unconstitutional and that all children should be allowed to attend the same schools, regardless of their race.
Why was this case so important?
The case of Brown v. Board of Education was important because it helped to end segregation in public schools. This case was brought to the Supreme Court by a group of African American plaintiffs who argued that the separate but equal doctrine was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed, and ruled that segregation in public schools was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision helped to pave the way for future civil rights legislation, and is considered one of the most important Supreme Court decisions of the twentieth century.
What were the results of the case?
The unanimous decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine of “separate but equal,” holding that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal. As a result, de jure racial segregation was ruled a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. This ruling paved the way for integration and was a major victory of the Civil Rights Movement, though it would take many years for de facto integration to become widespread in American schools.
How has this case affected society today?
It has been over 60 years since the US Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. The decision was a major victory for the Civil Rights movement, and it desegregated public schools across the country. But despite this progress, racial segregation in schools is still a problem today.
In 2015, a study found that public schools were more segregated than they had been in 40 years. And while minority students have made up an increasingly large share of the public school population, they are still more likely to attend segregated schools than white students.
The effects of segregation can be seen in test scores and graduation rates. Studies have shown that students who attend racially diverse schools have higher test scores and are more likely to graduate from college. They are also more likely to vote and to participate in their communities as adults.
Despite the well-documented benefits of diversity, many school districts remain segregated because of housing patterns and other factors. As long as this is the case, students of all races will continue to suffer from the effects of segregation.
