Attorney General Merrick B. Garland recently delivered remarks to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The event took place in the Justice Department’s Great Hall, with Secretary Cardona representing the Department of Education.
Seventy years ago, on May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "separate, but equal" has no place in public education. This ruling favored over 200 plaintiffs from across the country who had joined in Brown v. Board of Education.
Among these plaintiffs were parents like Mrs. Lena Carper and students like Barbara Johns who protested against segregation and unequal conditions in schools. The decision represented a promise for all students to learn together in integrated classrooms and schools, embodying the principle of equality under law.
However, it soon became clear that achieving integration would not be easy as members of Congress urged states to resist forced integration by any lawful means. The burden primarily fell on Black children who wished to attend school.
Three six-year-old girls known as part of the New Orleans Four faced abuse and harassment when they integrated the previously all-white McDonogh 19 Elementary School in New Orleans in November 1960. Despite this adversity, they demonstrated remarkable bravery which continues into their adulthood.
The responsibility of upholding the rule of law and adhering to the Constitution means protecting every child's right to access equal educational opportunities, according to Attorney General Garland. Over the past seven decades, lawyers and law enforcement agents from the Justice Department have worked alongside brave students like the New Orleans Four and their families to fulfill this charge.
Franz Marshall has served in the Civil Rights Division for over five decades helping lead desegregation efforts across hundreds of cases throughout his career. His work has been instrumental in fulfilling Brown's promise by opening schoolhouse doors to all children.
The Attorney General emphasized that this work is ongoing and urgent as nearly 900,000 students in 1,500 schools across more than 130 school districts are still under the monitoring of the Civil Rights Division for the implementation of desegregation orders.
The Justice Department has also recently secured a new consent order in Madison County, Alabama, addressing barriers to participation for Black students in gifted and advanced programs, racially disparate discipline, and lack of Black faculty members.
The Attorney General expressed gratitude to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for her leadership and to the Department of Education for their partnership. He also acknowledged the students and young advocates present at the event.
In conclusion, Garland stressed that fulfilling Brown's mandate requires continued work from all parties involved. The Justice Department is committed to this work alongside everyone else.