The world has lost an amazing civil rights figure this week. Linda Brown, a central figure in the US Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education case that desegregated US educational system, has passed away. May she rest in peace.
Although this case was decided in the 50s, it took years for the full impact of this historic ruling to sink in.
Brown’s family felt it was wrong for Black children to walk miles to subpar schools when good schools…white school…were right in their communities. They fought to get the same educational opportunities for Linda Brown—and other Black children—that white children were afforded.
And history was made…
Reading Brown’s story reminds me of several important things:
*Linda was just an elementary student at the time of the historic ruling. She is a clear reminder that children often played an extraordinary role in civil rights. They are the real unsung heroes.
*Real change requires real concerted, selfless efforts and not just hashtags, reposts and tweets. People took to the streets and inconvenienced themselves for good of our country and humankind.
*This young girl’s family led the way in the overturning Plessy v. Ferguson, the legal basis for Jim Crow and separate-but-equal legislation in the US. Mr. Brown’s decision to stand up for his daughter caused a tremendous ripple effect that has made an impact on practically every Black child and family in America.
*And sadly, although Black students were integrated, Black teachers never were!! Today, we still limp from having lost tens of thousands of Black teachers who lost their jobs during integration.
America, we still have lots of work to do. Our schools are not yet equal, and we still lack sufficient numbers of African American teachers. Education was once viewed as a sure ticket out of poverty and disenfranchisement for African Americans. I am not sure that the majority of Black students still see education this way. People like Linda Brown, her family and the community she was surrounded by, fought diligently for educational equality because they knew the repercussions if they didn’t.
We cannot continue to allow the pipeline from schools to prisons to continue to carry our kids into hopelessness and incarceration. We must use the loss of this amazing civil rights leader to propel us into doing a better job of grooming teachers, holding higher standards for all children, and helping to remind our children that education is a precious gift that came to them at a very costly price.
Click below to see CNN article regarding Brown’s death.