Brown v. Board of Education: A Step Towards Equality

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Brown v. Board of Education: A Slow Yet Significant Step Towards Equality On May 17, 1954, in the landmark court case of Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously outlawed racial segregation in public schools. The court decision, in light of the continual endeavor of African Americans to ban racial segregation, came hardly surprising. Still, the prohibition of school segregation stirred up hot debates throughout the country and was met with strong opposition, violence, and inertia in the South, where the law mandated school segregation. James Baldwin, an African American writer noted for his ability of weaving narrative and argument and intermixing public and privates experiences, also joined the army of critics. In his essay “Down at the Cross,” he cites the Supreme Court ruling as an example to help manifest his view that white Americans are reluctant to give sincerely anything to their black counterparts and that concessions made to African Americans are due to Cold War politics. While without doubt Baldwin has more authority than most outsiders today in any discussion of the African American experience in the 50s and 60s, he, as a product of this tumultuous era of intense racial hatred, can hardly be considered objective. Indeed, Baldwin is over-cynical in his analysis of Brown v. Board of Education, and his vision of civil rights struggle is too idealistic. A New York Times article published on May 18, 1954, reported in detail the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education and its aftermath. In regards to the High Court’s 9-0 decision, Chief Justice Earl Warren said that racial “segregation of children in public schools…even though physical facilities and other ‘tangible’ factors may be e... ... middle of paper ... ...1995. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 296-347. “Dilemma in Dixie.” Time 20 February 1956: 76. “Editorial Excerpts From the Nation’s Press on Segregation Ruling” New York Times 18 May 1954: 19. “Historians Laud Court’s Decision” New York Times 18 May 1954: 17. Huston, Luther. “High Court Bans School Segregation: 9-to-0 Decision Grants Time to Comply.” New York Times 18 May 1954: 1+ “Ruling Tempers Reaction of South.” New York Times 18 May 1954: 20. “The Slow March of Integration After 7 Years, 7 Per Cent.” U.S. News & World Report 28 Aug 1961:46. “What Negroes Want Now.” U.S. News & World Report 28 May 1954: 54-59. Zirkel, Sabrina, and Nancy Cantor. “50 Years After Brown v. Board of Education: The Promise and Challenge of Multicultural Education.” Journal of Social Issues 60.1 (2004): 1-15.

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