On Thursday, May 16th, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund teamed up with various organizations and members of Congress to hold a Rally on Capitol Hill to make the promise of Brown v. Board of Education a reality for all.
In honor of the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, speakers addressed the still urgent struggle for education equity as well as the growing trend of executive and judicial nominees failing to endorse the Brown decision during their confirmation hearings. Speakers included Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
The NAACP Region 7 Director, Jonathan McKinney, also spoke about why Brown v. Board is a cornerstone of our democracy. “Don’t stop marching and protesting, don’t stop educating our people…because 2020 is coming,” said McKinney.
Our Youth and College was represented at the rally as Sareil Brookins was the closing speaker. Brookins touched on the barriers black students are still knocking down everyday. She stated that “segregation and discrimination have not left the American education system, they just show up in different ways.” She also took the time to thank Ruby Bridges for the revolution that she started almost 60 years ago so that young black and brown children today can call themselves alumni of historically white colleges and universities. Brookins concluded her speech by saying, “if people don’t understand that liberation for black people is liberation for all, then we’ve got a lot more work to do.”
To watch the entire live-stream, visit the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Youtube page and make sure to keep in touch with the all things NAAPC and Youth and College.
