Vol. 77, No. 4, April 2004

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Commemorating the Struggle for Equality, Brown v. Board of Education

America's circuitous march toward equality has changed our society and our institutions and has profoundly reshaped the nation's attitudes and values. The law has been instrumental in these changes, and has been influenced by them in turn. Through law and the courts, one group of Americans after another has redefined "equality" in a fiercely contested, still ongoing process.

Significant in this process is the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. Brown struck down laws segregating public schools, sounded the death knell for government-sanctioned segregation generally, made all Americans more aware of our Constitution's promise of equality, and helped launch the civil rights movement.

To help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown, the State Bar of Wisconsin hosts the following events:

State Bar Annual Convention, May 5-7, 2004

• On May 6, NAACP Chair Julian Bond keynotes the spotlight program "Civil Rights: Now and Then - Brown v. Board of Education: 50 Years Later." The Thursday morning program will be followed by a panel discussion reflecting Brown's impact on Wisconsin law, moderated by State Bar president-elect Michelle Behnke.
• At Thursday's speaker showcase CLE luncheon, discussions of equality continue with "Access to Justice: How Do We Make It Happen?" Speakers and panelists will include Gov. James Doyle (invited), Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Rep. Mark Gundrum, and Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager.
• "... with all deliberate speed..." (From Brown v. Board of Education), a Thursday afternoon panel presentation by the Diversity Outreach Committee and Government Lawyers Division, concludes the Bar's formal look at Brown and issues of equality and access to justice and education.

Law-related Education and Public Outreach Programs

• The Diversity Outreach Committee worked with a social studies teacher to develop a lesson plan from ABA materials on Brown to assist lawyers with school presentations. In late winter, lawyers visited schools in Dane, Milwaukee, and Waukesha counties to share information on the history of civil rights, issues in education, and law as a career.
• The Law-related Education Committee worked with the state Department of Public Instruction to develop materials and lesson plans to assist lawyers and judges in making presentations on Brown.
• The Bar helped to underwrite the costs of a Law Day luncheon celebration cosponsored by the Office of the Chief Justice and the Wisconsin Legal History Committee. Held at the state Capitol on Monday, April 26, the event brought together students and educators to hear from people who attended segregated schools. The program emphasized the pre-Brown struggles and the importance of the law and education in the lives of Wisconsin's young people.
• Marquette University Law School (with the State Bar as cosponsor) created two conferences. On April 8, the program "Segregation and Resegregation: Wisconsin's Unfinished Experience" explored the road to Brown. An October program (TBA) will look at present and future issues in education.

Wisconsin Lawyer