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In May, the CBCF takes a moment to acknowledge the historic Brown v. Board ruling that ended the legal foundation for discrimination on May 17, 1954. For more than six decades, African Americans have made significant strides as a result of the court decision. Today, we are afforded more educational and professional opportunities. President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and now Attorney General Loretta Lynch represent the progression we have made from the days of Jim Crow in 1954. But even with this groundbreaking ruling, the CBCF realizes that discriminatory practices still exists in our educational system, and more needs to be done to close the achievement gap among our black youth—particularly young black men.

According to the latest report from the Schott Foundation for Public Education, the nation’s black male students graduate from high school at 59 percent, Latino males at 65 percent and white or non-Latino males at 80 percent. In 2012, the black male graduation rate was 52 percent, Latino males 58 percent and white or non-Latino males at 78 percent. Although the statistics seem to have slightly improved in each category, the report suggests that the achievement gap still persists between students of color and their white peers.

The CBCF calls attention to this issue by examining the systemic factors involved—many of which have been highlighted by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Factors like the lack of college-ready curriculums in black school districts compared to predominantly white school districts; another factor is the absence of qualified teachers educating our students, who actually look like the students they teach; and investing in high quality early child care and education programs. The CBCF addresses these issues through our Annual Legislative Conference, and by having regular policy discussions, community forums and town halls throughout the year.

For the black students who have academically excelled despite the educational obstacles some of them may face, the CBCF provides scholarship opportunities through our Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Spouses Education Fund. Since 1988, the CBC Spouses Education fund has provided $11 million in scholarships for deserving students nationwide.

I appreciate the doors Brown v. Board opened for black people. Without this legislation, African Americans would not enjoy the privileges and rights our ancestors were denied. Although the struggle for equity in educating our youth still remains a challenge—I’m glad organizations like the CBCF, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and many others are working collaboratively in hopes of eliminating these disparities within the next 60 years.

Tim Pulliam is an award-winning journalist. He’s covered a range of topics from politics, minority and community issues to tropical storms and crime. After serving nearly 10 years as a TV reporter/fill-in anchor in various television markets, Tim now handles public relations for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated.  Tim is from Raleigh/Durham, NC. He is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University.

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In addition, the hallmarks of Freedom Summer, such as federal intervention, innovative teaching methods, and training for local teachers, demonstrate alternative ways in which to improve school performance broadly, and more specifically, the educational experiences of African Americans. For example, Freedom Summer, and more specifically Freedom Schools, inspired the founding of the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM), a non-profit that implemented federally funded early learning programs. CDGM operated 84 head start centers in 24 counties. The organization demonstrated early learning program potential for improving educational outcomes for African-American children while also creating employment opportunities and empowering the poor.

Implementing similar programs today would improve K-12 school performance, increase the number of African-American children who enter kindergarten prepared for future success, and create opportunities for community members to secure employment and nurture our youth. Also, similar programs would fulfill two of President Obama’s goals as articulated in his proclamation for “Creating Ladders of Change.” First, high-quality early learning services would be available to children through partnerships with states to expand their services. Second, the programs would create opportunities for communities to rebuild from the lingering effects of the recession by putting people back to work.

To learn more about what President Obama is currently doing to create pathways to early learning success for all youth, check out The President’s Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Proposal which includes Preschool for All and Preschool Development Grants.

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I was educated in the Lowndes County Public School System in Alabama. Lowndes is a rural county in the Alabama Black Belt region. I do not recall attending a single class with a non-black classmate until my sophomore year at Alabama State University. In Lowndes, it is generally accepted that black children attend the public schools and white children attend the private schools. As a way to circumvent school desegregation efforts, many white parents got together to establish private segregation academies. Segregation academies, also referred to as “seg academies,” are non-sectarian private schools that started after the Brown decision. In a 2002 article by Birmingham News on the Alabama Black Belt region, reporter Carla Crowder interviewed a man named Maurice “Sonny” Marlett, one the founders of Lowndes Academy, the private academy in my hometown. Marlett is quoted as saying that he “would have no objection to an integrated school if (whites) are not in the minority.” Since Lowndes County is 75% black and 25% white, if white children attended the public schools today they would likely be in the minority.

Lowndes County is not unique with regards to the public/private educational structure. In the Hollow Hope, Gerald Rosenberg points out that between 1961 and 1970, there was a 242 percent increase in the number of non-sectarian private schools in the Southeast. Theses academies were particularly prevalent in the Deep South, but they existed all over the country. The private academies throughout the South have more in common than racial makeup and founding purpose. Many of them have school mascots that reference the Civil War: the Rebels, the Generals, and the Colonels. These academies operated outside the scope of the Brown ruling. Since the ruling did not apply to them, the creation of these academies was a way to keep segregation intact.  Today, of course, almost no American would openly embrace what was once the reigning ethos of segregated schools. Unfortunately, though, everyday thousands of children in America are educated in classrooms that are just as racially homogeneous as classrooms were prior to Brown.

The effects and aftermath of the Brown decision have been observed, studied, and analyzed by various social scientists. Although the Supreme Court held that public schools should neither be separate nor unequal, research continues to show that they are both. As we reflect on the legacy of Brown, it is important to not only highlight the successes made possible by the landmark ruling, but to also point out the impact that the blatant defiance to ruling continues to have on many communities.

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