NAACP Commemorates 70 Years of Brown with Star-Studded Week of Events, Reaffirming Commitment to Educational Equity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2024
Contact: Alicia Mercedes, amercedes@naacpnet.org
WASHINGTON — This week, the nation's leading civil rights organization joined President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Brown plaintiffs, the Little Rock Nine, NEA President Becky Pringle & more for a week of commemorative events surrounding the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The case ended the legal segregation previously established in Plessy v. Ferguson, leading the way toward the end of the Jim Crow era that plagued the United States for nearly a century.
Today, the NAACP hosted President Biden, the Brown plaintiffs, the Little Rock Nine, NEA President Becky Pringle, Legal Defense Fund President & Director Counsel, Janai Nelson, Actor and Activist Sheryl Lee Ralph, award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah Jones, Howard University President Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick, and more at the National Museum of African American History and Culture for a day filled with discussions around the significance of Brown as we witness the erosion of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our nation. The Brown plaintiffs and Little Rock Nine provided crucial insight into their experiences and those of their families to help inform a forward-looking vision for the NAACP and its allies as we work to make education equitable, accessible, and affordable for all.
"As we celebrate our nation's first step toward educational equity taken 70 years ago and the bravery of those who made it possible, let us recommit ourselves to fighting forward for the future our children deserve. Make no mistake, we may no longer be separate, but we are far from equal. The NAACP is proud to convene living history in the halls of power with the leaders and change makers of today to ensure that our plans for the future are informed by the lessons of the past. This is what standing for community and advancing culture looks like."
A transcript of President Johnson's introductory speech for POTUS can be found here.
On Thursday, NAACP President & CEO and the families of Brown plaintiffs met with President Biden in the Oval Office to discuss the Administration's work to advance racial equity, including segregation in today's schools, support for HBCUs and what needs to be done in order to enact substantive change.
To learn more about NAACP's work to advance educational equity, visit our website.
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About NAACP
The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.