May 17, 2006

REID: 52 YEARS LATER, THE LEGACY OF BROWN V. BOARD LIVES ON

Washington, DC — Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid today released the following statement on the fifty-second anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

“Fifty-two years ago today, the Supreme Court reached a unanimous decision in the Brown v. Board of Education case that struck down racially enforced school desegregation in public schools. This landmark ruling was pivotal in the fight for civil rights and set a moral benchmark in the history of the Court and of the country.”

“As we celebrate the historic Brown v. Board decision, which rejected the notion of ‘separate but equal’ public schools between races, we should be mindful of the positive direction this decision has guided America for over a half-century. As America moves forward, I call on all Americans to honor the legacy of Brown v. Board by committing our nation to an impartial and fair-minded judiciary, which will embrace a diversity of perspectives and reject decisions rooted in ideology.”

“At the same time that we honor the symbolic legacy of the Brown v. Board ruling, I encourage Congress and all of my Senate colleagues to do everything possible to extend the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act. The Senate has already commenced hearings on this crucial civil rights legislation, which has rightfully enfranchised millions of minority and non-native English speaking American citizens since first being passed into law over four decades ago.”

“I remain encouraged by the bipartisan process we have enjoyed thus far with reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and trust that my Republican colleagues will continue working in this way, much in the spirit of the Brown v. Board decision, on future matters concerning equal rights and the fairness of our federal judiciary.”

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