Congresswoman Brown Praises 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education Decision

"In just a few short days, we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education.

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education rejected a system of educational inequality that the majority of the population at the time had accepted not only as the status quo, but as morally defensible. When the court overturned decades of segregation, the unanimous decision stated, 'We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.'

The Court's ruling in Brown was one of the most significant decisions issued in our country's history. It was the culmination of 100 years of legal challenges to segregated education, from a case filed in Boston in 1849 right up to the four cases consolidated in the Brown decision in 1954. The decision had a monumental impact on human rights struggles worldwide.
As we approach the 50th Anniversary of Brown, it is clear that access to education, as well as educational equality, are more vital to success than ever, but we still have a long way to go. Almost 50 years after segregation was declared unconstitutional, many poor and minority children are concentrated in schools that fail to meet their needs.

I remember the day the 'No Child Left Behind Act' passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. Ostensibly, the bill was intended to hold schools accountable, while at the same time provide them with the necessary resources to improve their performance and provide all students with a quality education. However, not long after the funding was authorized, the Bush Administration showed their true intention: all rhetoric, with no follow through. The Republicans in Congress, with the backing of the administration, blocked much of the funding authorized in the new law, preferring instead to squeeze public services and provide huge tax cuts for the rich.

Once again, we see the Republican's 2005 budget shortchanges disadvantaged schools. For minority students, the lack of funding and resources has exacerbated an already difficult situation. Many minorities come from economically stressed communities, which are in dire need of more federal resources, and cuts in essential education programs are extremely detrimental to minority students struggling to finish school. Certainly, when programs like special education, after school programs, bilingual education, Head Start, IDEA, dropout prevention and rural education are cut, minority students are adversely affected.

I call on my Republican colleagues to reject the inequitable education system which continues to exist in our nation. Just as the Congress will come together today to unanimously vote for H Con Resolution 414, "Expressing the sense that the Congress recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Brown v Board of Education decision, (and that) all Americans are encouraged to observe this anniversary with a commitment to continuing and building on the legacy of Brown," that it also needs to come together in a bipartisan manner to follow through on the education funding that was promised to all of our nation's schools. I wholeheartedly believe that all children should have the opportunity to learn and grow to their full potential, and be given the opportunity to succeed. It is outright shameful that our nation spends less than 2 percent of its federal budget on elementary and secondary education. In fact, our country dead last among developed countries in the difference in the quality of schools available to wealthy and low-income children. America has the resources to provide all children with a good public education. We simply cannot afford to do anything less."