News Update

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH-BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DESEGRATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES

BY U.S. Consul General Robyn Hinson-Jones

Good afternoon. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to talk a subject that is near and dear to my heart. That subject is African American history month and it is an important part of both the history and the present of Americans today.

African-American History Month was started in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard Ph.D. At first, it was just a week. Dr. Carter hoped that a special observance would remind all Americans of their roots and that togetherness between America's racial groups would develop out of a mutual respect. Later, in 1976, it was determined that one week wasn't enough to celebrate the many contributions of African Americans to America and the world -- a week simply wasn't enough to tell the stories of our heroes and heroines and so a week became a month. Every February, African American History month is celebrated with a theme. And that is what I would like to talk with you about today.

This year's theme begins with a story. It is a story that is extremely important for all African Americans because it has had repercussions upon Americans of every race for the last 50 years. It is a story that has lessons for Africans too and indeed for people around the globe.

This is a story of hope; of perseverance; of refusal to give up no matter how big the obstacles; no matter how fierce the opponent; no matter how unfair the odds. In America, the story is called Brown Vs. the Board of Education. Not a very catchy title but one that many Americans know and I would like to share it with you today. The story begins with a little girl.

Not so long, Linda Carol Brown was an 8 year old African American girl who attended a segregated all black public primary school in the United States. At the time (in my life) the law in many states prohibited interracial education. In order to get an education little Linda Brown had to walk through a dangerous railroad yard and across the tracks to catch the bus every morning. The bus took her to a school that was 21 blocks away from her home. The bus would arrive at the school 30 minutes before the building opened every morning, and she would be forced to wait outside the locked school house even in bitter cold, driving rain and snow.

The little girl's father was not satisfied with the system. He wanted to enroll his daughter in an all-white school which was only five blocks away from his home. He demanded to know why the Board of Education had the right to exclude his daughter from the nearby school simply because of her race. When Mr. Brown tried to enroll his daughter in the all white school, the Board of Education refused to admit her and forced her to stay in the segregated school.

And so the Brown family and other African American families began a court case against the authorities to fight injustice in the American education system. At that time, the law said that blacks and whites could be forced to use separate facilities - separate schools, separate toilets, separate drinking fountains, separate entrances, separate park benches, separate everything - as long as the facilities were equal. But everyone knew that was a lie - because the separate facilities were never equal; nor were they ever meant to be. The separate facilities were intended to be a means of one race maintaining dominance and superiority over another. You and I both know that is never acceptable in a democracy because in any democracy, every citizens has the same right to the benefits of society and the law must protect those rights. No matter what.

So what happened? The Brown family was joined by other families from their state and other states who were equally determined to stop the practice of giving black Americans an inferior education. Armed with determination and courage and secure in the knowledge that they had right on their side they took their case to the highest court in the United States. And they won. It was a victory for African Americans, a victory for democracy and a victory for human rights everywhere. It is the 50th anniversary of that victory -- that milestone in African American History that we are celebrating this month.

Keep in mind that when the law was changed the battle was not over. Some would say that 50 years later in 2004, the battle is still not completely won. Perhaps it will never be because we can never stop fighting the injustices, which lurk in every society, intent upon taking away our civil rights. After African Americans won the right to be educated along side whites many people tried to stop them. There were terrible mobs of whites trying to stop little black children from going to school. The police were called out and when that wasn't enough, the President called upon the military to protect black children on their way to school. You can only imagine how frightened those children were. But their courage was televised across America and gradually people accepted that change had to come. With time, righteousness can push aside hatred.

Why is the victory of Brown vs. Board of Education still worth celebrating? Perhaps our current Secretary of Education Rodney Page said it best. He said, " education is emancipation; education is freedom? Our schools craft citizens, civility and society.'' Secretary Paige is an African American man who has been part of the long hard struggle to achieve the equality that democracy promises and must deliver. He came to Nigeria last year to help you celebrate an important milestone in your own democracy; the second inauguration of a civilian government after an election.

What does the struggle for African American equal education opportunity have to do with Nigeria? Quite a lot. My Nigerian friends tell me that in this country, education doesn't get the attention it deserves. I cannot tell you whether or not that is true; as Nigerians, you are the judges of that.

But I can tell you that education goes hand in hand with democracy. It is the civil right that is the foundation for all other rights. Why? Because education is the tool with which we can fight injustice. Because education is the enemy of poverty. Because only through education can you conquer diseases like polio and HIV/AIDS. Because lack of education leads to the marginalisation of women - the backbone of any society. And because through education you can fight the digital divide that keeps Africa lagging behind other continents in the 21st century.

For those reasons, many more, Nigeria has a duty to provide the highest quality education possible for all of its citizens. The U.S. stands ready to help through nearly $10 million in education programs nationwide. In just the last year, the U.S. gave scholarships to 600 disadvantaged girls to return to secondary schools across the country. And our literacy Enhancement Assistance Program has expanded its efforts to renovate schools and join teachers, parents and administrators in a cooperative effort to improve literacy. Beyond secondary school, our Education Advising Centers have helped thousands of Nigerians seeking a university education in the U.S. Now, we are looking to expand some of these programs to help all Nigerians achieve their civil right to a quality education.

Don't settle for less. As the story shows us, ordinary people, even small ones like 8-year old Linda Brown, can make a difference. They can turn around the countries, even big ones like the United States. They can make their voices heard. This 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education reminds us that when injustice roams the land, we can never ever give up the fight against it. Because the rights of some, are the rights of us all.