Brown v. Board of Education: 71 Years Later — The Work Isn’t Finished
May 16, 2025
May 17 marks the 71st anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, one of the most transformative Supreme Court decisions in American history. In this unanimous 1954 ruling, the Court declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. This decision laid the legal foundation for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ushered in a new era of civil rights enforcement in public education.
Brown is not just history. It is law and a legal precedent that continues to shape the promise of equal opportunity in education today. So why, more than seven decades later, are we still fighting to uphold it?
The Trump administration is attempting to dismantle federally authorized Equity Assistance Centers, centers that were created by Congress under the 1964 Civil Rights Act to assist school districts in desegregating their schools. The administration’s justification conflates this civil rights work with unrelated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. That conflation is not just wrong, it’s legally baseless and deeply misleading.
SEF’s position is clear: Civil rights enforcement is not DEI.
At the center of this legal battle is the Equity Assistance Center-South, operated by SEF. Originally known as a Desegregation Assistance Center, this federally mandated program provides technical assistance to school districts still under desegregation orders stemming directly from the Brown decision. Its mission is to help schools dismantle the vestiges of racial segregation, not to administer DEI programming.
In today’s charged political climate, the lines between civil rights and DEI have been recklessly blurred. Attacks on constitutionally mandated civil rights protections are now masquerading as opposition to “wokeness.” But the facts, and the law, are not on the administration’s side.
SEF’s legal team is arguing what should be obvious: No executive order can override federal law. The 1964 Civil Rights Act, passed by the U.S. Congress, remains in full effect. And SEF will continue to fight to ensure that it is upheld.
Black communities did not march, protest, and sacrifice during the Civil Rights Movement in the name of DEI or ideology. They fought for the rights promised under the Constitution, equal protection, equal access, and equal opportunity.
Elements of ongoing segregation continue to limit educational opportunities for thousands of students. And when students are denied a fair and full education, our nation’s ability to build a well-prepared, competitive workforce suffers. This is not just a civil rights issue, it is a national imperative.
We are demanding that this administration follow the law.
News media contact: communications@southerneducation.org
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