Almost 50 years after the court decision that outlawed segregation in public schools, Cheryl Brown Henderson and Linda Brown Thompson spoke about their role, misconceptions and the future of the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision.

The women delivered the keynote address as the highlight of Syracuse University’s ‘Brown Through the Ages: A 50-Year Commemoration of Brown v. Board of Education,’ a two-day commemoration of the court ruling, Friday in Hendricks Chapel.

‘On May 17, 1954 at 12:52, change started taking place in the hearts and minds of African-Americans around the world,’ Henderson said. ‘When events become 50, that is when they become truly historic.’

In fall of 1950, the women’s father, the Rev. Oliver Brown, attempted to enroll Thompson in an all-white public school that was about half the distance from the all-black school that she had attended in previous years. When she was not allowed to enroll, her father wondered why, Thompson said.

Brown, along with 12 other families, met with lawyers to try to change the rule so schools would host both black and white children. The case was first taken to a federal court in Topeka, when a judge ruled in favor of the Board of Education.

Thompson said after this happened, black teachers were told that they would not be offered a job if the schools became desegregated because white families would not want black teachers.

But the case was then appealed to the Supreme Court, and on May 17, the court ruled in favor of Brown.

Henderson said the case brought race issues to the attention of the country, and it could not be ignored any longer.

‘Brown placed race squarely on the national scale,’ Henderson said. ‘We were no longer living in the United States of denial.’

Henderson said she did not know why people had a problem with her taking classes with students of a different race.

‘I’ve never understood how my sitting in a classroom has adversely impacted somebody else’s education,’ Henderson said.

Henderson said race should not play a factor in where someone is educated, and all Americans deserve an equal education.

‘Unless you are Native American, you ain’t from here either,’ Henderson said. ‘We are all immigrants.’

Soon after the court ruling, Oliver Brown died at the age of 41, and much of the national attention focused on Thompson. She added that her father probably would have been involved in the civil rights movement, had he been alive.

‘Little did he know that after he stepped off the witness stand, he stepped into the pages of history,’ Thompson said.

Henderson said there is much more background to the Brown v. Board of Education case, and it was 105 years in the making. Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans and blacks constantly sued schools prior to the Brown case to try to integrate.

Although the case was named for Oliver Brown, there were other families involved, and Henderson challenged everyone to learn about the others involved in the case.

Schools continue to be segregated, though, because of housing patterns and economic segregation, Thompson said. It is important for students to learn about all different cultures and spend time in a classroom with all different types of children.

‘We must be mindful of delivering an effective education,’ Thompson said.

Thompson also pointed out that teachers are an important component of education and that often their role is overlooked.

‘I was watching the news and they were talking about A-Rod moving to the Yankees,’ Henderson said. ‘What difference does it make? When will they start talking about our educators and them making A-Rod kind of money?’

Although the audience enjoyed the speech, some questioned how much a speech like this extends after it ends.

‘I was overwhelmed. It was an eloquent message that needs to be discussed more and more,’ said Nathan Brown, a biology graduate student. ‘In events like this, I wonder how much (discussion) actually goes on after this.’

Published on April 18, 2004 at 12:00 pm