Brown v. Board of Education Oral Histories from the children of the plaintiffs

[get these nets]

One of the overlooked aspects of Brown V. Board of Education was the decision's wording on the speed of integration "with all deliberate speed". This made enforcement less forceful in line with the tradition of placating to segregationist since Reconstruction and death of Lincoln.

There has always been this tendency to appease segregationists/racists and to try to do things on their own accord even though the courts have ruled their actions unconstitutional.

Enforcement of Supreme Court rulings or Federal Laws was tricky, and tied to each state and local lawmakers willingness or reluctance.

The activists knew that it would be a multi-pronged fight, and that the Fed. fight was the big one and that they'd be fighting state governors and legislatures after that.

We see in 2024, elected officials in AL & TX OPENLY saying that they reject Supreme Court rulings and their authority about other matters, so imagine in the early 1950s. "State's Rights" have been a rallying point for the last 160 years here.

 

[get these nets]

One of the downsides of Brown v. Board is how it dismantled many black communities since many black high schools had to be downgraded into Junior High/Middle Schools. Black High Schools were educational and often times social epicenter of the community. Many of the black teachers lived in the same community their school was located in. There was a sense of community when the teachers knew and lived in proximity to their students parents. Often times the parents children would go to these said schools. To also add, many of these schools were mandated to be downgraded by the state. Only a few manage to remain by taking it to court on a state level or due to certain factors like a population boom.

Many black teachers would have to go to white high schools and may have to take different titles they're not accustomed to. Ex. A science teacher at a black high school, may now have to be a Phys. Ed teacher, or teach social studies. Some would prosper, some would end up quitting due to a loss of interest, some would end up fired since they're not adhering to these new quotas in an integrated school. Black students integrating into white schools faced hell by their new white classmates.

Businesses in the black community would also be impacted since students during that time were allowed to go off campus for lunch and would patronize the local restaurants in the community.

Black schools would receive hand me down books with torn up pages, hand me down desks that weren't in the best conditions and still prospered attending HBCUs. When I've done several oral history interviews about HBHS (Historically Black High Schools) many of the alumnis feel as if integration of our schools was just as impactful as the highways purposely running through black neighborhoods.

Props OP on this thread, hopefully it leads to a great topic of discussion on here.

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I think segregation stood in contrast to what the country professed to be about life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. And what the Constitution and Amendments guaranteed to American citizens. Paying taxes and not being able to attend local public school was wrong, and fortunately the activists forced the legal system to change that.

In terms of how those changes were eventually implemented, it was uncharted territory and as such was difficult for the activists and educators to predict and navigate.

"Separate but equal" was never equal in terms of state funding. Not during Jim Crow and not immediately after Brown v. Board, so parents wanted to send their children to the better resourced schools. States fought tooth and nail, and like you pointed out...rather than release equitable funding to the Black public high schools,,those systems were restructured.