TVK News Vol. XXVIII No. 68
Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland
Tuesday, May 18, 1954
Supreme Court Decides School Segregation Is Unconstitutional
Court desegregates Public Schools Written by Kayuri P.
May 17th, 1954, The Supreme Court voted to desegregate public schools regarding the Brown v. Board of Education case. A resident from Topeka, Kansas, who preferred to remain anonymous, exclaimed, “This case has been going on for too long. My daughter can finally go to a school in our neighborhood!”
Racial Inequality Has Remained Throughout Time Written by Kayuri P.
For many years now, our government has been providing an unconstitutional life for African Americans in the south. This is not only caused by mandated segregation in facilities and public services, but also by the decreased opportunity and
freedom compared to those of White citizens. This all started with the end of enslavement. The south wanted a legalized way to control and regulate the lives of the formerly enslaved, so they began the use of Black Codes and Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws preserved segregation and curtailed the rights of African Americans. Black codes were very similar in that they helped to maintain the decided restrictions. While inducing racial inequality, the local governments used these laws to utilize the labor of the formerly enslaved. These governments also created an inadequate environment for African Americans in the attempt to minimize the allocation of money. For example, supplies at schools for Black people were all extras that weren’t needed or no longer used by the White kids. Most of the time, this consisted of broken equipment or out-of-date textbooks.
“Separate but Equal” Doctrine is Being Questioned Written by Kayuri P.
In 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson's bill was passed, creating the doctrine, “separate but equal”. Homer Adolph Plessy, (Creator of the bill) came up with the idea to have equal quality within facilities, but to still keep the racial separation. This could include giving supplies to all children that are in the same condition, but maintaining the disconnection between Black and White kids. This doctrine was the result of an endeavor to “fix” inequality while sustaining segregation. However, it did not receive the expected outcome as the continuance of separation based on race caused feelings of inferiority.