SUMMARY
The 70th anniversary since the Supreme Court's landmark civil rights ruling of Brown v. Board of Education integrated public education took place on May 17, 2024. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Annette Gordon Reed of Harvard Law School and the first Black student to enroll in an all-white school in her Texas hometown in 1963, and Kevin Young of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who are the individuals and groups featured in this story?
- What did the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case decide?
- Where was the Brown case based out of before it made it to the Supreme Court?
- When did the Supreme Court make its landmark Brown v. Board decision?
- Why did Annette Gordon-Reed say her experience at Conroe Independent School District was intense?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Gail Etienne, civil rights pioneer, said, "They treated us like animals. We didn't know it at the time, but that is exactly what they were doing. There were teachers definitely there that were encouraging them to do that to us, call all kind of names, spit on us."
Do you think progress has been made in addressing racial segregation in schools since the time Etienne is describing? Why do you think so?
Media literacy: Both guests brought up the key role that public school played in their lives and their family's lives and the need to recommit to public institutions, including higher education (colleges/universities). How do you think educational institutions have the power to create a more equal and just society?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
What students can do:
Watch President Joe Biden's comments on Brown v. Board's 70th anniversary at an NAACP event with a peer or neighbor. What statements stood out to you and why? What questions do you have following the speech?
More to the story: As always, context and lateral reading are fundamental to strong media literacy and historical thinking skills. In the NBC News article, Joe Biden didn't just compromise with segregationists. He fought for their cause in schools, experts say, Biden's record on civil rights is discussed. In the 1970s, Biden made public his opposition to busing, a strategy used to integrate public schools, and co-sponsored legislation with segregationists that supported "separate but equal" policies.
Biden defended his decision in a recent interview saying, “You got to deal with what’s in front of you and what was in front of you was a bunch of racists and we had to defeat them.”
PBS NewsHour: Screenshot
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