Equal Racial Diversity In Schools

The pursuit of equal racial diversity in schools is one that many districts across the country have attempted to tackle through different means. The ability for this to happen was established after the decision in Brown v. Board of Education over turned the separate, but equal doctrine. This ushered in desegregation across the nation allowing for blacks and whites to be afforded the same lifestyle and not discriminated in all facets of life based on the color of their skin. The subsequent desegregation of the country allowed for new civil rights actions to be taken and the beginning of the march for equality for blacks in American society. Future cases began to challenge how much race could influence a decision-making process when having to …show more content…
Board of Education, the Supreme Court overturned the precedent set in Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling that separate, but equal is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The court decided that the doctrine of separate facilities for blacks and whites creates an inherit sense of inequality. Furthermore, schools are places to teach children how to socialize and interact with one another and if the idea of whites and blacks being unequal is prevalent in schools, it will be relevant in society for generations to come. Their decision highlighted the importance of education in the opinion authored by Chief Justice Warren, “Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship” (Brown v. Board, 1954) The overturning of Plessy with the unanimous decision handed down by the court, marked a clear turning points in the fight for equal rights for blacks in America. It ushered in a new era of public opinion towards the Civil Rights movement that allowed for the eventual passing of Civil Rights Act in …show more content…
Seattle School District was whether a school district, that under normal circumstances allows for free choice of high school, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment if they deny a student admission based on race to achieve a racial balance. Chief Justice Roberts cited that the precedent set in Brown established that schoolchildren should not be told where they can and cannot go to school based on the color of their skin. Due to the unsegregated nature of the Seattle school districts in the past, Justice Roberts does not see why such a system would be enacted now. However, the dissenting opinion for the case shows the ironic nature of the Chief Justice’s citation of Brown, “There is a cruel irony in the Chief Justice’s reliance on our decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1955) … the chief justice fails to note that it was only black schoolchildren who were so ordered” (Parents Involved v. Seattle School District). Even the concurring opinion, authored by Justice Kennedy, argued that a racial diversity is a valid educational goal that districts should be looking to pursue and does not agree with Roberts assessment that to end discrimination based on race then you must stop using race as a major factor in creating diversity. The decision handed down in Parents Involved ruled that the racial tiebreaker imposed by the school district did violate the Equal Protection clause thus making it an unconstitutional way to