[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN REMEMBRANCE OF BROWN v. BOARD OF EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 19, 2004

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of the 
historical Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of May 
17, 1954. The struggle against racial discrimination did not end with 
this decision nor has it ended today. Racial segregation in public 
places like restaurants and buses was still legal after 1954 and the 
Brown II decision of May 31, 1955 was a step backwards by allowing 
Southern district courts to integrate public schools ``with all 
deliberate speed.'' But by declaring the segregation of public schools 
unconstitutional, the Supreme Court took a first step towards making 
the United States a society that lived up to its ideals of social 
equality, democracy and freedom.
  The future of every country depends to a large extent on its 
children. Social values are conveyed to our youngest generation mainly 
by their parents, but also by their schools. Racial hatred and 
intolerance are products of a lack of knowledge and the fear of the 
unknown. Only schools that are racially mixed will increase children's 
understanding of each other, of other cultures and backgrounds. But 
today our country is drifting into the wrong direction. Our schools are 
more racially intermixed than in 1954 but less than in 1968, when our 
great national leader Martin Luther King was assassinated. While 43 
percent of all black youngsters attended predominantly white schools in 
1988, this figure has fallen to only 30 percent today. And Hispanic 
students are even more segregated than African Americans. My home state 
New York is among the most segregated states in the country and my 
district is particularly hardly hit. Minority students in my district 
still attend schools that perform worse than predominantly white 
schools.
  While we should celebrate the historical event of the 1954 Supreme 
Court decision, let us keep in mind that racial discrimination and 
social inequality still exist in our country. Our education system 
still does not offer equal opportunities to all young people. Many 
schools are chronically underfunded. Let us celebrate the achievements 
of the civil rights movement in the past, but not forget that the 
biggest challenges still lie ahead.

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