Brown v. Board of Education and Multiculturalism Essay

On May 17, 1954, in the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, the High Court, for the first time in American legal history, challenged the â€Å"separate but equal† doctrine previously established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and outlawed racial segregation in public schools. The decision, igniting fierce debates throughout the country, was met with violence and strong defiance in the South. The years after Brown, however, saw the passing of several important Acts: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Today, Americans remember Brown v. Board of Education as a success in African Americans’ struggle for equal rights, a change of sea tide for the civil rights movement. While†¦show more content†¦Born in 1993 in segregated Monticello, Mississippi, Rod Paige, the African American U.S. secretary of education, said in retrospect of his own experience in school: â€Å"They [white students] had a gy m. We played on dirt courts. They had new textbooks. Our textbooks had the covers torn off. We marveled over the cleanliness of their brick school† (qtd. in â€Å"50 Years† 68). America officially did away with school segregation in 1954, but the actual desegregation proved to be a slow and painful process. In 1961, seven years after Brown, only seven percent of African American students in the South were in mixed schools (â€Å"Slow March† 46). African Americans enrolled in majority white schools were often hassled by their classmates and their fellow white Americans. The most famous example was the Little Rock Crisis in 1957, in which President Eisenhower was forced to send National Guard troops to protect the nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock High School from the segregationists and ensure that they could have class on the first school day. School integration proceeded at a sluggish rate in the 1950s and early 1960s but stepped up in the mid 1960s. According to a recent report released by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, only 2.3% of African American students in 1964 were in majority white schools. The number jum ped to 13.9% in 1967,Show MoreRelatedBrown V. Board Of Education 347 Us 4831438 Words   |  6 PagesBrown v. Board of Education 347 US 483 (1954) Jim Crow Laws As society changes, laws change as well to keep up with changes in some cases, the law are for the better of the majority, however, there have been several laws that have been enacted to impose inequality. On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Education of Topeka that Racial education of Topeka that racial segregation in public schoolsRead MoreEthnocentric Education1811 Words   |  7 Pages(Buchanan, Fox, Eckes, Basford, 2012). The same model would work wonderfully in Canada, where multiculturalism is more entrenched and welcomed. Target populations in Canada for ethnocentric education would be African-Canadian, Native Canadian, and Asian Canadian. Ethnocentric education, also known as culturally appropriate education, is not a monolithic pedagogical model. In fact, ethnocentric education can entail demographically mixed schools with separate courses of study; demographically mixedRead MoreRace Speaks : Awareness Project1455 Words   |  6 Pages Race Speaks; Awareness Project The promise of education ensures students for a more stable and healthier lives. As a democratic society, it gives the ability to strive for a successful future and provides the institutional foundations for economic, social, cultural, and political aspects of it. Though this can certainly provoke positive and negative outcomes. Education can either be a motivation for equality among races, or it can teach people to hate one anotherRead MoreThe Power Of A Society s Justice System1581 Words   |  7 PagesRights is the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Although, controversial at times, the American Supreme Court has even defended the use of lewd and hate speech in attempt to preserve the full right of expression. Monumental cases like Texas v. Johnson, where the Court found flag burning to be constitutionally protected as a form of political speech, no matter how sensitive or controversial the matter, or subject, manifests the American Supreme Court’s commit ment to its ideals. In connectionRead MoreThe History Of Music Education Essay1931 Words   |  8 PagesThe History of Music Education in the Americas The history of our schools is told beginning with the founding of our nation, moving through the common school movement, the arguments of the progressive era, and leading up to all of the modern acts made in the 21st century. Music education is a factor in the public schools, and it is rarely discussed as part of the history of our schools. Music education has been a part of our schools since the beginning and continues to better our students to thisRead More Multicultural Educational System Essay1701 Words   |  7 Pagesus together as a nation. Children can develop their ideas and their identity at early stages in schools. Education should stress the value of diversity and avoid portraying one culture or group as superior to others. A multicultural educational system would not only educate the students in a classroom, but also enrich the teacher and society. The definition of multiculturalism is education that focuses on providing equal opportunity for students who’s cult ural or language patterns make it difficultRead MoreStudents Are More Equal Than Others : Multiculturalism And Poverty1852 Words   |  8 PagesAre More Equal Than Others: Multiculturalism and Poverty in Education â€Å"One of the first lessons I learned as a teacher was that social class, race, ethnicity, and gender have a powerful effect on the process of education. I found to be blunt, that even in the schools of nation that prides itself on equality of opportunity, some students are more equal than others† (Newman, 2006, p.269). Minority children and those living in poverty are at disadvantage in our education system. Several studies makeRead MoreInfluential Court Cases Involving Education1166 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout history there have been various influential court cases involving Education. These important cases and their outcomes act as milestones on the road to a successful education System in the United States. Topics such as race, religion and gender equality within schools have all been vigorously debated upon and have ultimately played major roles in shaping today s education system. By examining civil rights and acting upon these rights many important education al court cases have allowedRead MoreSchool Busing3079 Words   |  13 Pagescharacterized as an engine for multicultural education. However, due to barriers within society (e.g. racial discrimination and economic barriers and stereotypes), some students are not being taught in a multicultural environment. Due to this problem and the importance that most of society places upon multicultural education, school busing takes place. Busing is a very important and controversial method that is practiced to improve multicultural education to those who have had very little, if anyRead MoreEssay on Riding the School Bus3017 Words   |  13 Pagescharacterized as an engine for multicultural education. However, due to barriers within society (e.g. racial discrimination and economic barriers and stereotypes), some students are not being taught in a multicultural environment. Due to this problem and the importance that most of society places upon multicultural education, school busing takes place. Busing is a very important and controversial method that is practiced to improve multicultural education to those who have had very little, if any,