During the back-to-school season, a look into the past shows the growth of Americaís educational system. Leading with the court cases that started the desegregation of schools to the trials of The Little Rock Nine.In 1865, the 13th Amendment ended slavery; in 1868, the 14th Amendment prohibited states from preventing anyone the right to vote because of race. From the United States Courts website (uscourts.gov), African Americans were treated differently than whites, specifically in the South. Many state legislatures enacted laws that led to the mandated separation of the races, which came to be known as Jim Crow laws. It wasnít until 1890 that these laws were challenged in court.Brown v. Board of Education was not the only court case sent to the Supreme Court about segregation in the field of education.According to United States Courts (uscourts.gov), the cases previous to Brown v. Board of Education were Murray v. Maryland (1936), Missouri ex rel Gaines v. Canada (1938), Sweatt v. Painter (1950), and McLaurin v. Oklahoma Board of Regents of Higher Education (1950).A crucial part of these cases is the participation of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). From NAACP.org: ìThe vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.îThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was established Feb. 12, 1909.The Legal Defense and Education Fund of the NAACP fought for equal rights in the field of education. According to uscourts.gov, for the first 20 years the organization tried to convince Congress and other legal bodies to enact laws to protect African Americans from racist actions. From 1935 to 1938, the legal portion of the NAACP was headed by Charles Hamilton Houston; together with Thurgood Marshall, they attacked Jim Crow laws where they were perhaps the most tenuous ó the field of education. Houston was the head of the Legal Defense and Education Fund for the first two cases, Marshall took over for the last two cases after Houston went into private practice in 1938.The case most recognized for the final U.S. Supreme Court ruling is Brown v. Board of Education. As stated by uscourts.gov, the Brown v. Board of Education comprises five separate cases all heard by the U.S. Supreme Court concerning segregation in public schools. These cases were Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Briggs v. Elliot, Davis v. Board of Education of Prince Edward County (Virginia.), Bolling v. Sharpe, and Gebhart v. Ethel. Marshall argued a variety of points, but the most common was that separate school systems for African Americans and whites were inherently unequal, and thus violate the ìequal protection clauseî in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.The Justices of the Court were divided over the issues that were raised. According to uscourts.gov, most wanted to declare segregation in schools unconstitutional but they were unable to come to a decision. The Court decided to rehear the case in December 1953; however, in the intervening months, Chief Justice Fred Vinson died and was replaced by Gov. Earl Warren of California. After the rehearing of the case, Chief Justice Warren was able to get a unanimous decision declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional. On May 14, 1954, he delivered the opinion of the Court, stating, “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.îThree years later, in September 1957, the first African American students attended a desegregated school. Melba Pattillo, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray and Thelma Mothershed were dubbed The Little Rock Nine ó the first African American students to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (nmaahc.si.edu), a few days before the students were to attend Central High School, the Arkansas governor, Orval Faubus, ordered the National Guard to block the entrance to the school, claiming it was for the safety of the nine students. On Sept. 4, the day school started, a mob prevented the teens from entering the school. Sixteen days later, escorted by the Little Rock police, the students attempted to attend school but an aggressive mob tried to rush into the school. Fearing for the students safety, school officials sent the teens home.Ultimately, President Eisenhower stepped in. From history.com: Eisenhower issued an executive order, which put the Arkansas National Guard under federal authority and sent 1,000 U.S. Army troops from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to maintain order as Central High School desegregated. From December until the end of the school year in May 1958, soldiers from the Arkansas National Guard patrolled the school, while the Little Rock Nine were regularly subjected to physical assaults, threats and slurs.Ernest Green was the first of the Little Rock Nine to graduate in May 1958. According to the Zinn Education Project website (zinnedproject.org), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended the Central High School graduation and sat with Greenís family.Sixty-three years later, public education is available to every citizen. This concept is demonstrated in Falconís rapidly growing, diverse population. According to The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States, there are about 82,000 students and faculty members in El Paso County Colorado School District 49. That number breaks down into D 49 school populations consisting of 73.2 percent white, 13.4 percent Hispanic, 5.4 percent African American, 3.9 percent mixed and 3.3 percent Asian students.Colorado Springsí statistics are similar to Falcon, only on a larger scale. World Population Review stated that of the 486,000 residents in Colorado Springs, 78.3 percent identify as white, 6.2 percent African American, 6 percent mixed, 3 percent Asian, 5.6 other.Today, there is no zoning or segregation in Colorado schools. There is no longer a need for the 101st Airborne to patrol schools or a military escort to attend classes. Students can participate in other school districts by using the Choice option. For instance, a student who lives in Falcon can attend school in Peyton, or schools in District 20, or District 11. No matter the ethnicity, every student in D 49 has the same opportunity and access to vocational and college preparatory coursework.
