[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 69 (Monday, May 17, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 17, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today we mark the 50th anniversary of the 
Supreme Court's historic ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. This 
monumental decision effectively overturned the egregious standard of 
``separate but equal'' and truly opened the schoolhouse doors for all 
children in America.
  The decision was a watershed event in U.S. history. It represents the 
moment in time when the U.S. government no longer sanctioned 
discrimination against a person solely based on the color of their 
skin. Most importantly, the decision established the fundamental right 
of access, granting everyone the ability to gain an education and excel 
in America.
  Mr. Speaker, even though this nation officially banished slavery and 
attempted to fully integrate the former slaves into society with the 
13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, equality did not 
come immediately. States enacted laws to circumvent the intention of 
these post-Civil War amendments. Then in 1896 the Supreme Court 
codified the usurpation of rights in the decision that allowed for 
``separate but equal'' facilities for African Americans, in essence 
endorsing an official government policy of segregating black and white 
citizens.
  Shortly after that shameful decision, the National Association for 
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded and soon began 
its legacy of fighting legal battles that address social injustice. One 
of the most prominent lawyers from the NAACP legal team was a young man 
named Thurgood Marshall, who graduated first in his class from Howard 
University School of Law in 1933, and joined Julian Dugas, Charles 
Houston and Oliver White Hill to advocate for the NAACP in the nation's 
courtrooms. After a series of legal successes, Thurgood Marshall scored 
one of the greatest legal victories when he and Charles Houston 
successfully argued Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme 
Court in 1954.
  The success of this case was enhanced by the Court's unanimous 
decision. This was largely thanks to Chief Justice Earl Warren, who 
recognized that proponents of segregation might see a divided decision 
as vulnerable to being revisited in later years. Furthermore the Chief 
Justice wisely recognized that failing to get the support of all the 
Justices would carry less weight with the Eisenhower Administration and 
the general public.
  Mr. Speaker, despite the lofty promises of desegregating schools with 
all deliberate speed that the Supreme Court offered when it decided 
Brown v. Board of Education, some communities still suffer from de 
facto segregation.
  Even more troubling are the disputes that still exist. Part of the 
problem stems from schools being largely based on housing patterns and 
funded by local property taxes. A school with a majority African 
American or Latino population, especially in large cities, is less 
likely to have proper textbooks, experienced and prepared teachers, and 
adequate classrooms of manageable size as a result of these funding 
imbalances. Unfortunately, this means these schools are often rated the 
worst and produce unprepared students, along with having high drop-out 
rates.
  Students at these schools have limits placed on their access to a 
quality education. Mr. Speaker, we are all aware that students who go 
to impoverished schools are less likely to take college preparatory or 
advanced placement classes, and in the hyper-competitive world of 
college admissions the classes are mandatory to gain entrance. A 
quality education has the power to break the cycle of poverty that has 
plagued minority communities. We are the richest country in the history 
of the world, and it is unconscionable that schools are failing their 
students.
  Mr. Speaker, as we stand in the shadow of this extraordinary decision 
half a century after it was made, we in Congress should recommit 
ourselves to the doctrine of Brown v. Board, which Chief Justice Warren 
stated so eloquently 50 years ago when he said, ``We conclude that, in 
the field of public education, the doctrine of `separate but equal' has 
no place.''

                          ____________________