HLS panel explores legacy of Brown v. Board of Education
Post Date: December 1, 2006
Professor Charles Ogletree
The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice recently hosted a panel discussion entitled, "Is Brown Still Relevant?: The Seattle & Louisville School Cases," reviewing two current cases that challenge the implementation of racial integration in public schools.
In both cases, plaintiffs question the legality of using race as a criteria for school admission, and on December 4 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments from both sides. The Court's decision, which will determine the constitutionality of using ethnicity as a factor in school admittance, could potentially overturn the landmark 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down the "separate but equal" doctrine, and required the desegregation of schools across America.
In his opening remarks, Professor Charles Ogletree Jr. '78, executive director of the Houston Institute, said, "I think it's fair to say that we've had a rough 50 years of challenge, since 1954, trying to make the dreams [outlined] in Brown a part of American . . . public policy." Ogletree went on to praise the panelists, who he said would shed valuable light on the upcoming cases.
Panel members included:
- Theodore M. Shaw, director-counsel & president, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund
- Dennis C. Hayes, general counsel, NAACP
- John Brittain, chief counsel & senior deputy, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- Kimberly Jenkins Robinson, assistant professor of law, Emory School of Law
- Susan Eaton, research director, Charles Hamiltion Houston Institute for Race & Justice
- Michael Sterling, 3L at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, national chair of the National Black Law Students Association
To view the complete panel discussion, please see the webcast.