[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9760]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN v. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 17, 2004

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 50th anniversary of 
the landmark civil rights ruling of Brown vs. The Board of Education. 
The plaintiffs in this case, led by Thurgood Marshall, argued that 
states did not have a valid reason to impose segregation, that racial 
segregation caused psychological damage, and that restrictions based on 
race or color violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth 
amendment. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed.
  Fifty years later, we must ask ourselves if the vision of equality 
sought by the plaintiffs in Brown has been realized. While today the 
legal battle against segregation is largely over, the struggle for 
equal opportunity continues. Gaps in academic achievement and outcomes 
separate white and minority students, and little has been done to 
address them. New data from the Urban Institute and the Harvard Civil 
Rights Project indicates that only about one-half of black and Hispanic 
students graduate from high school nationwide. The study also found 
that black students are over represented in special education programs 
and under represented in honors education programs.
  Meaningful change in our public schools is needed, but the No Child 
Left Behind Act passed by Congress in 2001 is not the answer. 
Showcasing achievement gaps will only further erode support for our 
public schools and drive more students to private schools. A national 
mass exodus from our public schools, which has already occurred in some 
urban communities, would turn our public schools into classrooms of 
last resort and little hope.
  The dream codified by Brown is alive, but we must continue to push 
for full equity and quality in education for all Americans. Today is an 
occasion to celebrate the progress made in the last 50 years, reflect 
on our progress thus far and recommit ourselves to the goal of equality 
that is the promise of our Constitution.

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