On this day May 17, 1954, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruled that public education can not be segregated on the basis of race. ... read more »

“Had there been no May 17, 1954 (the day the Supreme Court ruled in Brown V. Board of Education), I’m not sure there would have been a Little Rock. I’m not sure there would have been a Martin Luther King Jr., or Rosa Parks, had it not been for May 17, 1954. It created an environment for us to push, for us to pull,” Lewis said. ... read more »

I was born of a White mother and a Black father in 1961 in Southern California during a time when America was experiencing segregation across the nation.  Although many of us in California did not feel the same effects as many of our relatives in the South, segregation was still alive and well throughout the country. The Civil Rights Movement was in its beginning stages and the 50’s and 60’s were pivotal in changing the face and climate of America. The Civil Rights Movement was organized by African Americans with the goal to help end racial discrimination and provide equal rights to all under the law. ... read more »

I am so proud of the Freedom Schools scholars who have learned they are following in the footsteps of children and youths who were the foot soldiers and infantry of the Civil Rights Movement. Some of their stories from the Movement are well known: six-year-old Ruby Bridges in New Orleans walked through White mobs to attend school—even praying for those jeering at her; the Little Rock Nine; the four little girls killed in the bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church. Thousands of children were on the frontlines of history. Whether sung or unsung heroes, we owe all of them a debt of gratitude. ... read more »

One in five Black high school students in California drop out before they can graduate.  And when do graduate, in California, they are also the least likely to graduate from community colleges, Cal State Universities or the University of California. ... read more »

As a girl in Kansas, Linda Brown's father tried to enroll her in an all-white school in Topeka. He and several black families were turned away, sparking the Brown v. Board of Education case that challenged segregation in public schools. ... read more »

If Black leaders again embrace a group-oriented model grounded in moral and ethical values, Black life will undoubtedly improve. ... read more »

On the Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, “Cissy” Marshall Laments Lack of Progress. ... read more »