May 15, 2024, marks 70 years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, the landmark ruling that dismantled the legal framework of segregation in the nation’s public schools. Yet despite racially segregated public schools being ruled unconstitutional, we still face deeply entrenched divides decades later.
Schools in whiter, more affluent areas have more advanced placement courses, new technology, veteran teachers, and renovated facilities, while schools in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods, often make do with less. Much less.
This anniversary isn’t just a commemoration of a pivotal moment in history — it’s a call to action. That’s why Word In Black’s bringing together a panel of experts for “Brown at 70: A Reality Check on School Segregation,” a special live event on Wednesday, May 15, at 5 p.m. EST/ 2 p.m. PST.
Education reporter Aziah Siid will be joined in conversation by:
Dr. Camika Royal: A self-described “scholar warrior,” Royal is the program director and associate professor of Urban Education Leadership in the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University. She teaches, speaks, and writes about the intersections of race, politics, history, and urban school reform. Royal established the urban education minor during her time as a faculty member at Loyola University Maryland. and led the former Center for Innovation in Urban Education (CIUE). She is the author of the 2022 book “Not Paved For Us: Black Educators and Public School Reform in Philadelphia.”
Sharif El-Mekki: A nationally recognized principal and U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow, El-Mekki is the founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Black Educator Development. The center’s mission is to build the Black Teacher Pipeline to achieve educational equity and racial justice. He’s also a blogger on Phillys7thWard, a member of the 8 Black Hands podcast, and serves on several boards and committees focused on educational and racial justice.
Dr. Gary Orfield: A Professor of Education, Law, Political Science and Urban Planning at UCLA, Orfield’s scholarship focuses on the study of civil rights, education policy, urban policy, and minority opportunity. As a former Harvard University scholar, Orfield was co-founder and director of the Harvard Civil Rights Project and is now co-director of the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA. He’s the author of several books about school segregation and has given testimony in civil rights suits by the United States Department of Justice and many other civil rights, legal services, and educational organizations.
They’ll unpack the state of modern school segregation, the academic and social impact on Black children, legislative progress — and what students, parents, educators, and community members can do to truly make the promise of Brown our reality.
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