Brown v Board of Education

50th Anniversary Events

News and updates

On September 18, 2001 a national commission was established by President Bush and Congress to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education.

The 21 people to serve on the commission were selected by the President, the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Brown Foundation, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the NAACP and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Commission members include representatives from federal agencies as well as from each of the five jurisdictions represented by the Brown decision — Kansas, South Carolina, Delaware, Virginia and Massachusetts. Co-chairing the commission are R. Alex Acosta, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, and Gerald Reynolds, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education.

The commission held its first meeting in November and will hold its sixth and final meeting in Topeka, Kan. in March 2004. All commission meetings and events are open to the public.

Nationwide Events

The commission plans to commemorate the anniversary with writing contests, public lectures, a reunion of the plaintiffs and attorneys, a textbook summit, a national celebration and the opening of the Brown Historic Site in Topeka, Kan. on May 17, 2004.

Jan. - Feb. 2004
The NAACP and Brown v. Board with Commissioner John Jackson and "Voices of the Legacy Part II: Brown v. Board Court Clerks" with Commissioner Michael Young will be held.

2003
Nov. 7, 2003
Professor Vincent G. Harding held a lecture, Faith Communities and Brown v. Board at Schomburg Research Center at the New York Public Library.

Nov. 5, 2003
Professor Linda Reed held a lecture on women and civil rights entitled Women Civil Rights Activists and Brown v. Board in Atlanta, GA at Clark Atlanta University.

Oct. 9-10, 2003
A reception and Program called "The Latino Pursuit for Excellence and Equity in U.S. Public Schools: Mendez (1946) and Brown (1954)-Today and Beyond was held at the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures and the Brown Summit at the Institute of Texan Culture at the Connally Center in Texas. Its objectives for the discussions included providing a forum for educators to apply the effects of the Brown decision to the education of Latino students in public schools; identifying key issues, challenges and opportunities relevant to the education of Latino students; and to begin construction of a "futurescape" of possibilities for the education of Latino students by identifying the next critical steps.

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	50th Anniversary Events News and updates On September 18, 2001 a national commission was established by President Bush and Congress to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education. The 21 people to serve on the commission were selected by the President, the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Brown Foundation, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the NAACP and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Commission members include representatives from federal agencies as well as from each of the five jurisdictions represented by the Brown decision — Kansas, South Carolina, Delaware, Virginia and Massachusetts. Co-chairing the commission are R. Alex Acosta, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, and Gerald Reynolds, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education. The commission held its first meeting in November and will hold its sixth and final meeting in Topeka, Kan. in March 2004. All commission meetings and events are open to the public. Nationwide Events The commission plans to commemorate the anniversary with writing contests, public lectures, a reunion of the plaintiffs and attorneys, a textbook summit, a national celebration and the opening of the Brown Historic Site in Topeka, Kan. on May 17, 2004. *Jan. - Feb. 2004* The NAACP and Brown v. Board with Commissioner John Jackson and "Voices of the Legacy Part II: Brown v. Board Court Clerks" with Commissioner Michael Young will be held. *2003* *Nov. 7, 2003* Professor Vincent G. Harding held a lecture, Faith Communities and Brown v. Board at Schomburg Research Center at the New York Public Library. *Nov. 5, 2003* Professor Linda Reed held a lecture on women and civil rights entitled Women Civil Rights Activists and Brown v. Board in Atlanta, GA at Clark Atlanta University. *Oct. 9-10, 2003* A reception and Program called "The Latino Pursuit for Excellence and Equity in U.S. Public Schools: Mendez (1946) and Brown (1954)-Today and Beyond was held at the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures and the Brown Summit at the Institute of Texan Culture at the Connally Center in Texas. Its objectives for the discussions included providing a forum for educators to apply the effects of the Brown decision to the education of Latino students in public schools; identifying key issues, challenges and opportunities relevant to the education of Latino students; and to begin construction of a "futurescape" of possibilities for the education of Latino students by identifying the next critical steps. *Back to top*			Photo by Carlos Centeno. View a list of events *nationwide* View a list of *Library of Congress events* View a list of events in *Topeka, Kan.* View a list of events in *Lawrence, Kan.* View a list of events in *Kansas City* Remember: A Pictorial Tribute to the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision by Toni Morrison Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison is writing a children’s book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision that ordered public schools to be integrated. Morrison takes readers on a visual and narrative journey through the events of the early 1950s, which led to the court’s landmark decision. For more information visit *Jubilee Books. National Education Association* The NEA is having its own celebration called Horizons of Opportunities: Celebrating 50 Years of Brown v. Board of Education May 17, 1954-2004. It hopes that its commemoration brings about awareness of the changes that occurred after the case and continuing the need for improvements in today’s public schools. The NEA feels that racially diverse classes help reduce stereotypes, offer opportunities for students to learn how to function in integrated environments promote cross-racial understanding and help students appreciate different cultures. For a list of Brown v. Board events sponsored by the NEA, please visit its Web site at http://www.nea.org/brownvboard/events-brownvboard.html