Equal Racial Diversity In Schools

Improved Essays
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

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The decision on this case affected the decision on the Plessy v. Ferguson case by saying the case did in fact contradict the Fourteenth Amendment and no one is equal if they are separated. According to “FindLaw's United States Supreme Court case and opinions.” (Findlaw, caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/347/483.html), " Plessy v. Ferguson, this finding is amply supported by modern authority. Any language in Plessy v. Ferguson contrary to this finding is rejected. " This means that no matter what the decision was in the Plessy v. Ferguson case that Brown v. Board of Education changed the precedent and if any one tried to go against this final decision, they could be…

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Schools were no longer allowed to be racially segregated, because black and white children needed good education to be successful in life. “The long-held doctrine that separate facilities were permissible provided they were equal was rejected” ("Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka."). Because this decision affected such a large amount of people in such a life-altering way, this Supreme Court case was the best and most important one in the twentieth…

    • 1660 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson are two historical events that have had an outstanding impact to the United States. In the next few paragraphs I will explain a few main points about what happened during their cases. Such as what the cases are about, why they chose to create the case and how it’s affecting the society, the decision for the majority and minority’s decision on how the case will take place for the citizens, and never less, the key precedents. Furthermore, I will go on to explain about the Plessy v. Ferguson case first. Plessy v. Ferguson was an astonishing case on wanting to be “separate but equal”.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Board of Education of Topeka, from the Oyez.org website as well, decided in 1954, which in the end depicts a basis of equality. This case constitutes on the motive of segregation of public school’s due to a person’s race where African American students have been denied the ability to attend certain public school’s due to their skin color. An argument arose stating that this violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment stating that the students denied must be allowed to attend those public schools. The question throughout the case was whether the clause was violated which resulted in a unanimous decision of yes. The reasoning for this conclusion stated that “separate but equal” did not imply equality and violated the 14th amendment while also noting that segregation in public schools generated inferiority while also having an affecting those students.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Board of Education separate but equal was ruled as unconstitutional. This was the ruling because blacks were to attend school separate from white, but also at schools that were more inferior and they were also forced to live in segregated communities. The decision from Brown v. Board of Education made to get rid of segregation but it also did more than that. Ultimately the decision gave hope for other forms of equality, like gender and sexual orientation, multicultural education, and special education. The decision set the foundation for domestic equality issues but also expanded to global issues of international human rights.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The great privilege of United States of America is the people of the country have the right to equality. Clayborne Carson an author of the argumentative essay “Two Cheers for Brown vs. Board of Education”. Born in Buffalo, New York; he is an educated scholar who specializes in African American and civil rights history. Carson’s essay is summarizes how Brown affected the outcome of desegregation in public schools. Brown is a Supreme Court decision that ruled public schools to allow African American children to attend predominantly Caucasian schools.…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nicholas Tovar Mrs. Holt Legal Systems 02 October 2017 Unit 1 Essay: Plessy v. Ferguson & Brown v. Board of Education The landmark power known as judicial review has had many lasting effects on laws known as precedents, from permitting the separation of two races to requiring that all defendants receive attorneys. Precedents regard racial segregation are the basis of what the cases Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education established when viewed as two components of one story. Plessy v. Ferguson resulted in the “separate, but equal” doctrine allowing African Americans and white Americans to stay separate.…

    • 1573 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Brown vs Board of Education is the case that overturned the doctrine of "separate but equal" that the Plessy vs Ferguson ruling made precedent. In Plessy vs Ferguson, the 14th amendment was viewed in such a way that segregation was not considered unequal. Brown vs Board of Education changed that by making it clear that there was no way to make segregation equal as it made one side look and feel inferior. " To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone. "Justice Earl Warren, in the Brown vs board majority opinion court ruling.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution ensures that all United States citizens get equal protection of laws by the government. This was made to ensure that many African Americans have their basic rights protected. The 14th Amendment even caused the Supreme Court to become involved in the process of protecting these rights for the children of immigrants and Native Americans. It also ensured the safety and protection of rights for all Americans regardless of race. There are numerous cases where the 14th Amendment was used to make the cases about the facts rather than the race.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1896, a supreme court case known as Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that the separation of whites and blacks into “separate but equal” public facilities, was fair and legal. Once formed, these separated schools were anything but equal, from both a quality of education, and a future opportunity aspect. However, in 1954 the Supreme Court overruled the previous decision made in 1896, in a case known as Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka, Kansas.) The case involved a man named Oliver Brown, who was the father of a student who had been refused entry into one of Topeka, Kansas’ white schools. The Supreme Court unanimously decided that separating children into different schools according to race, violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shelley Vs Kraemer Essay

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened … It ought to to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color.” —John F. Kennedy 1948, 1954, 1967. These seem like random years but they're actually very important dates in the civil acts movement.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Primary Source Review: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas After many years under the “separate but equal” doctrine of the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), African Americans finally gained their first step to actual equality, specifically in school. The “separate but equal” doctrine established separate facilities, including separate schools, for blacks and whites that were said to be equal, but were not. In fact, whites only schools provided much better education than blacks only schools. The separate school systems were inherently unequal and therefore failed to acknowledge the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Brown v. Board of Education is a historical landmark case that came from Topeka, Kansas where a young girl by the name of Linda Brown was denied admission to her local elementary school for the color of her skin. This supreme court case made the decisive decision between whether racial segregations in public schools is unconstitutional. More decisively the decision that changed the ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson that argued that although people are separate but equal, when it comes to education there is no way to make it fully equal then to integrate. This case was used by the NAACP to fight for Linda Brown. Allowing her and many other people like her to go to the all-white school.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Separate But Equal Essay

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nonetheless, the defense purported that segregation was not unconstitutional in any way and there was nothing in the constitution outlawing it. They claimed that it was a matter that should be handled by the states and states should decide on the matter. Nevertheless, the court sided with the plaintiffs ruling that segregation violated the 14th amendment, which guaranteed that ‘states could not deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law’. In the case’s commentary, chief Justice Earl Warren said that” In the arena of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ is not applicable.” He also added saying,” separate educational facilities are inherently…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The separation of educational facilities based on race was deemed legal in the court case Plessy v. Ferguson and the supreme court saw the practice of “separate but equal” as constitutional in 1896 (Golash-Boza). This is a pivotal point in history where the segregation of races was upheld by the government of the United States and paved the way for future racism in education. The idea of separate but equal was challenged in 1954 with the case of Brown v. Board of Education. Brown won this case and established the foundation of combating racial segregation and inequality in education. One policy with the intent to battle racism is affirmative action.…

    • 2075 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays