40th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education observed

May 11, 1995
Contact:
  • umichnews@umich.edu

EDITORS: Media representatives interested in covering the Town Hall Meeting or interviewing moderator Carl Rowan and the panelists should contact Diane Swanbrow at (313) 747- 4416.

ANN ARBOR—Forty years ago, Brown v. The Board of Education was first implemented, desegregating U.S. schools. On June 2, the University of Michigan will host a Town Hall Meeting to explore the impact and educational implications of that momentous U.S. Supreme Court decision. Washington Post columnist Carl T. Rowan will moderate the meeting, free and open to the public, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Rackham Auditorium.

Rowan, the author of seven books, will facilitate discussion of the following question: What has the experience of implementing the Brown decision told us about the resilience of racism, about the ability of schools to promote equity and excellence, and about the nature of educational reform in a diverse society? After the discussion by an invited panel of scholars, Rowan will solicit and mediate questions from the audience.

Panelists include James Banks, University of Washington; Michele Foster, Claremont Graduate School; Carl Grant and Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin- Madison; Gary Orfield, Harvard University; Theodore Shaw, U- M Law School; and Geneva Smitherman, Michigan State University.

The Town Hall Meeting kicks off a conference for panelists and other educators to be held at the U-M School of Education, June 3 and 4. The U-M’s School of Education, Law School, Office of the President, School of Social Work, and Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs are sponsoring the event.

Office of the Vice Provost