Kanya Bennett’s Post

Today marks the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruling that declared race-based segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This decision was a major victory for civil rights, setting the stage for future progress. However, the fight for truly equitable education continues as Markus Flynn mentions. Today, nearly 70% of Black students attend highly segregated schools. Furthermore, more than 70% of Black students attend schools that are high-poverty. As a result, many face systemic challenges that impact their psychological development and educational outcomes, which we all know impact upward mobility.

As we continue commemorating #BrownvBoard, we recommend reading our colleague, Kim Forde-Mazrui's article, “For All of Our Children: Justice Thurgood Marshall’s Faith in Integration Is Still Right.”   https://lnkd.in/exKG3KTv    This article uses social science and legal research in support of true integration for the benefit of every student and is part of a larger publication focused on #Brownat70 and #Millikenat50 – Read the whole volume here: https://lnkd.in/e-Um65VB 

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court struck down state-sanctioned segregation of public schools as unconstitutional, declaring that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” A year later the court ordered states to begin integrating schools “with all deliberate speed.” Court-ordered desegregation in the wake of Brown led to significant educational gains for students of color, including graduation rate increases of 30 percent and 20 percent for Black and Hispanic students, respectively. In the intervening decades, however, progress toward integrated, equitable schools has stalled, and today America’s public schools remain as segregated as they were in the 1960s. The 70th anniversary of this landmark ruling is approaching, and we're making this a moment of renewed commitment to integration efforts as a means to achieve school resource equity. Join us on April 4, along with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. and Columbia Law School, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. Register here! https://lnkd.in/gzHqkran 

“Reparations is a pathway to #justice, the destination is justice reparations are only a half step on the way there” - @citizenstewart @citizenstewart and @blovesoulpower are back, and this time they’re tackling the reparations debate with a fresh perspective. Get ready to have your mind blown! Reparations ain’t the finish line, it’s the starting gate. Sure, it’s about acknowledging the horrors of slavery and #JimCrow, but it’s also about building a path towards true justice. What does justice even look like in this context? Is it just a payout, or is it something deeper, more systemic? Calling all parents, students, and educators! Let’s get real about reparations. Is it a stepping stone, or are we missing the bigger picture? What kind of policies and programs could help bridge the racial wealth gap and create a more equitable future? Share this post, tag someone who needs to join the conversation, and let’s move beyond the debate to chart a course for real, lasting justice. #ReparationsAndBeyond #JusticeIsTheGoal #BuildingABetterFuture #reperations #reperationsnow #blackeducation #bettinalove #citizenstewart https://lnkd.in/e3QCwEYd

70 years ago today, the Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional in the landmark Brown v. Board decision. As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of this historic event, we honor Brown’s promise of equitable education by setting a blueprint for action. We worked with an inspirational group of colleagues to lay out a vision of an equitable education system that mirrors America’s rich diversity. We’re calling for: ✅ State Policy change: Rethinking district lines and enshrining equitable funding ✅ Actionable Research: Studying segregation’s impacts on school funding and access to key resources, and exploring effective integration tactics ✅ Strategic Advocacy and Litigation: We must use every tool in the toolbox to achieve integrated, well-resourced public schools, including community- based litigation and advocacy. We can turn this vision into reality together! Check out the link below to read the shared vision document https://lnkd.in/g9vt3EQz

Time for my third EJA Fellow Update! I’ve continued working on matters that seek to interrupt exclusionary discipline practices in Illinois. So for this update, I thought I would share more information on harmful exclusionary practices and how they disproportionately affect students of color. Exclusionary discipline practices refers to any discipline that removes a student from the classroom – so typically suspensions and expulsions. Research has shown that students of color are disciplined more often and more severely than their white peers, starting as early as pre-school. According to the Department of Education, in the 2021-2022 school year, Black students made up only 15% of the students in the United States. But Black students made up 26.2% of students given one or more out-of-school suspensions. For expulsions with educational services, this number jumps to 29%.    Not only do racial disparities exist in exclusionary discipline practices, but these practices have far-reaching consequences. Studies have shown that exclusionary practices lead to worse academic performance, lower levels of school engagement, greater chance of leaving school before graduation, and increased likelihood of future involvement with the criminal justice system. Students often get behind on classwork and material during a suspension or an expulsion. While exclusionary discipline practices have decreased since the mid-2010s, the racial disparities in those practices still exist. Schools have also begun to use administrative transfers, which can also pose challenges to students of color. As a former educator, I am grateful that organizations like Chicago Lawyers’ Committee are committed to interrupting exclusionary practices that harm students of color.   I wouldn’t be doing this work if it weren’t for Equal Justice America! If you can, consider donating so they can continue to fund important work all across America: https://lnkd.in/gWKPy-Ec #EJAFellowUpdate Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Equal Justice America University of Illinois College of Law

May 17, 1954- Brown v. Board of Ed is decided May 17, 1954: In a major civil rights victory, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to federal tolerance of racial segregation, specifically dealt with Linda Brown, a young African American girl who had been denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) took up Linda’s cause, and in 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka reached the Supreme Court. African American lawyer (and future Supreme Court justice) Thurgood Marshall led Brown’s legal team, and on May 17, 1954, the high court handed down its decision. In an opinion written by Chief Justice Earl Warren, the nation’s highest court ruled that not only was the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional in Linda’s case, it was unconstitutional in all cases because educational segregation stamped an inherent badge of inferiority on African American students. A year later, after hearing arguments on the implementation of their ruling, the Supreme Court published guidelines requiring public school systems to integrate “with all deliberate speed.” Brown v. Board of Ed served to greatly motivate the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and ultimately led to the abolishment of racial segregation in all public facilities and accommodations. Click here for more info:https://lnkd.in/giwVmbi4

In our new blog, Carolyn Phenicie, EdTrust's asst. comms dir. of #P12, reflects on the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. She writes, "Even as we celebrate how far we’ve come in seven decades, we can’t overlook either the work that remains — nor the harmful backlash and consequences of that landmark decision." Read here: https://edtru.st/4dDxsqd #BrownvBoard70

#Louisiana is all over national news because of a new state law requiring public schools to display the #10Commandments in legible font and on a poster no smaller than 11” x 14”. This makes Louisiana the first state to pass such a law since the #SupremeCourt decision in Stone v. Graham in 1980 that ruled #Kentucky statute requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments was unconstitutional.   Now, I am no expert on #constitutionallaw, but what I do know is that a law like this won’t actually change the moral character of Louisiana students, which it has promised to do. Instead, it will merely create legal troubles for the state and waste taxpayer dollars in what will almost certainly end up being a Supreme Court case. The governor, #JeffLandry, knows this. He’s said, “I can’t wait to be sued.”   David French, an evangelical Christian conservative columnist for the #NewYorkTimes, in his June 20th op-ed “Thou Shalt Not Post the Ten Commandments in the Classroom,” writes, “I happened to grow up in Kentucky and went to classes before the Ten Commandments were ordered removed, and I can testify that the displays had no impact on our lives. My classmates and I were not better people because of the faded posters on the walls.” He is right.   Over the last twenty-five years, I have, every day, communicated with my patients. This #communication is complex, and it doesn’t happen by hanging posters on the wall. Patients come in with low self-esteem, fear, and anxiety, and I have to convince them that at Columbia Dental P.C. they are part of a community of patients and providers and that everything is going to be OK. Likewise, if Louisiana really cares about the moral character of its students, it should dedicate resources to fostering a sense of #community where students can live, learn, and grow. As a business owner, I’ve also seen firsthand overzealous politicians like Mr. Landry wasting taxpayer dollars on issues that frankly don’t matter and are not in the interest of their constituents rather than facing the real issues. It makes me sad to see people in positions of power neither understand how to foster community nor their obligation to the people they represent. 

Today we want to highlight the commendable work of Executive Director Tim Saintsing, who led a collaborative effort to analyze the correlation between academic achievement and the death penalty. The research conducted underscores the disparities within our justice system, revealing a higher likelihood for Black and brown defendants to receive the death penalty compared to their white counterparts. #CriminalJustice #SocialJustice #EducationImpact #KIPP https://lnkd.in/eKdfKgVw