This year marks the 60th anniversary of the historic Brown vs. Board of Education court ruling. The landmark decision famously ended legal segregation in public school systems across the country.
This weekend the Central Indiana Education Alliance in partnership with Martin University, The Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis, and Indianapolis Public Schools, will present a series of events in commemoration of this meaningful moment.
Locally, the city of Indianapolis has a long history of controversy regarding the topic of desegregation. The United States Justice Department filed suit against Indianapolis Public Schools to force desegregation in May of 1968, 14 years after Brown. IPS began a minimal busing initiative within the district in 1970. In 1973, a one-way busing program began where Black IPS students were bused to Decatur, Franklin, Lawrence, Perry, Warren, and Wayne townships.
Joe Slash, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Urban League, said that the overall purpose of the weekend is to have a citywide dialogue about how race in education has advanced and what needs currently remain. The weekend will begin with “The Hearing,” a formal debate at Marian University on May 16. The moderated “legal” style hearing will feature commentary from Slash and Dr. Karen Dace, IUPUI’s vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“I think it’s important to recognize the significance of education and to also have an honest dialogue about whether we are better off today than we were 60 years ago,” said Slash. “Unfortunately, the fact is that 50 years later our children continue to face inequities in our schools. We might be integrated by law, but socio-economically (speaking) there are still many, many segregated schools in this country.”
Dace said that she hopes the weekend, which includes an awards ceremony, presented by the Indianapolis Rotary Club, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and the Indianapolis Recorder, honoring outstanding students, teachers and administrators will be an opportunity to not only recognize the past but to celebrate the positive aspects of the present and future.
“Our main interest is in telling the positive stories about education, our children, and their potential,” said Dace. “This weekend is an opportunity to tell a story that we don’t hear enough.”
Other Education Weekend events include a S.T.E.A.M (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) Day at the Fashion Mall and a screening of the film “Remember the Titans” at the Central Library.
“We’re hoping this week will help highlight the positive part of our schools and our kids,” said Dace. “We have to be aware of our history and of our past. I do think that there is a tendency to want to stray from our past and our history – there were people that worked 60 years ago to get away from this notion of separate but equal and we need to acknowledge them and we also need to pick up the banner and move forward.”
