The Unfinished Agenda of Brown v. Board of Education

Praise for The Unfinished Agenda of Brown V. Board of Education

"My father, Oliver L. Brown, for whom Brown v. Board of Education is named, was a proud member of a group of a few hundred people, across the country, who took risks by taking a stand for what they believed. He died in 1961, just seven years after the case, so he didn't live long enough to know that Brown would become the foundation on which so much of this country's civil and human rights initiatives would rest.
Brown v. Board became important for every citizen, not just African Americans. It shows that the founding documents of our country provided us with sovereign rights that cannot be restricted by state and local governments. That decision impacted the lives of women, persons with disabilities, blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians, and everyone living in this country.
Brown was significant in attacking the silence. It opened up a dialogue and forced the country to take on greater responsibility; we at every level had to start addressing the issue of race. In many ways, once the dialogue started, we finally began to under stand the depths of racism. This case was about gaining access to educational resources; the resources were and remain where the white children are. The Unfinished Agenda of Brown v. Board of Education is about renewing and continuing the promise of Brown."
-Cheryl Brown Henderson, president of the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence, and Research, and daughter of Oliver L. Brown, one of the thirteen plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education

A Word from Theodore M. Shaw of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

Commemorating Brown on the Twentieth Anniversary of Black Issues in Higher Education by Frank L. Matthews.

Reflections of One Who Was There by William E. Cox.

PREFACE.

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Reading The Unfinished Agenda by James Anderson and Dara N. Byrne.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

Timeline for Brown v. Board of Education.

INTRODUCTION.

Brown v. Board of Education: An Unfinished Agenda by Tavis Smiley.

1. A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF BROWN.

Using Primary Records to Understand Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka et al. by Kahlil G. Chism.

2. THE ATTORNEYS.

Never-Ending Argument by Juan Williams.

3. THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE.

All Too Deliberate by Charles Ogletree.

4. A SIMPLE DIALOGUE.

The Potential Value of Losing Brown v. Board by Derrick Bell.

5. THE TEACHERS.

The Impact of the Brown Decision on African American Educators by Mary Hatwood Futrell.

6. THE LANGUAGE.

Exploring The Hidden Meanings in Plessy and Brown by Richard L. Wright.

7. MULTICULTURAL IMPACT I.

An Asian American Perspective on Brown by Evelyn Hu-DeHart.

8. MULTICULTURAL IMPACT II.

A History of Latino Segregation Lawsuits by Marco Portales.

9. THE PSYCHE.

The Psychological Evolution of Black Children’s Education since Brown by A. Wade Boykin and James M. Jones.

10. RENEWING OUR COMMITMENT.

Brown Misunderstood by Gary Orfield.

AFTERWORD.

Reaffirming the Legacy by Cheryl Brown Henderson.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE BROWN V. BOARD OPINION.

NOTES.

CONTRIBUTORS.

INDEX.