McNeil Discusses Brown v. Board

by Jessica Lancia

Genna Rae McNeil shares her knowledge of law with the Adelphi community

"In order to understand where we are going, we must understand where we have been," Genna Rae McNeil, professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spoke. Standing just over five feet, she could barely look over the lectern of Adelphi's UC Ballroom when she came to deliver her speech on Brown v. Board of Education on February 11th. She sat in the corner of the stage with a smile and her legs crossed, listening to Adelphi's Director of the Center for African American and Ethnic Studies Program, Marsha Darling, deliver her introduction. She cited McNeil's impressive credentials, including countless awards and the publication of four books.

As McNeil delivered her speech, "Matters of Justice - Brown v. Board of Education and its Legacy after 50 years," she accomplished far more than simply recapitulating the past, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the cardinal school desegregation lawsuit in American history. She also talked about the alarming current trend towards re-segregation and answered questions raised by attendees.

With a clear, steady, and earthy voice she spoke about the 1954 Supreme Court case held in Topeka, Kansas, describing Brown v. Board of Education as a "watershed movement in the context of the Black Freedom Movement." She talked about how the people involved "moved to change society regardless of the threats and fears." Describing its importance, McNeil stated that "Brown was a catalyst for further politicizing of movements." If it weren't for that trial, McNeil asserted, the Civil Rights struggle would not have taken on the intensity that it did. The psychological impact of the court case sparked the Civil Rights Movement, according to McNeil.

McNeil also spoke in a matter-of-fact way about the events that led to the famous court case. "It was a path cleared and paved... by political movements of blacks who supported the freedom movement." She recounted the stories of ground-breaking men, including civil rights activist and lawyer, Charles Houston, about whom she wrote a prize-winning book. "Houston said that intelligent leadership plus intelligent mass action will cause change." Using this and other inspirational quotes, McNeil continued to inform the audience, finally claiming that primary revolutionary thinkers on the issue of Civil Rights like Houston paved the way for the attack on segregation in the 1950s.

McNeil continued by asserting her critique of Brown, stating that "although it was a great decision, it was not a great opinion." She stated that the problems with the decision were multiple. "The first problem is the interpretation of the 14th amendment," specifically, that the decision never asserted that segregation violates the Equal Protection clause. The decision was passed based on harm done to African Americans, and not on the idea that segregation was constitutionally wrong. The second problem with the decision was the "compromise for unanimous decision made at the expense of exposing the harsh reality of segregation's other purpose: white supremacy." Third was that the decision created a sense of false superiority among white children. Fourth was the refusal to understand that segregation demoralized children and retards their growth, and the failure to understand that racism is wrong whether de jure or de facto. Finally, McNeil stated, the problem with the Supreme Court decision was that "Brown I did not call for immediate relief Brown II and thus set the standard for 'deliberate speed,' which means delay."

McNeil noted the disheartening facts that although the Supreme Court decision was made in the mid fifties, it was not until 1968, shortly after the death of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. that desegregation was finally implemented on a large scale. She quoted the esteemed Thurgood Marshall, stating that "Unless our children begin to learn together there is little hope that we will learn to live together."

Finally, McNeil spoke of the troubling current trend towards re-segregation. "Education is not a right. The court has ruled that it is not a right." McNeil believes in the fundamental right to education as implied in the constitution, like the right to privacy, marry, and travel. She believes that the need is pressing for a federal constitutional amendment which will improve education.

McNeil is convinced that the "achievement gap" that sociologists talk about is accurate. "Research shows that a relationship between race-based economic discrimination and education exists." Wealth, McNeil believes, can affect economic achievement and explain the discrepancy between black and white education levels. "Schools bring little influence to bear on the achievements of individuals," she stated. "Family background is a strong predictor of a child's achievement."

She mentioned statistics which shocked some, and saddened most. The poverty line in 2001 was an income of $9,044 per year. Six point nine percent of white families live below this level compared to 19.1 percent of black families. She also stated that the median income for a white family is about $44,000, while for an African American family, it is approximately $30,000. These economic discrepancies, McNeil insists, are the alarming cause for the discrepancy in education, something which she thinks the federal government should have a hand in regulating.

During the question-answer portion of the evening, one woman was worried about what she, as an individual, could do in her community to help. "You don't have to be a civil rights lawyer to make progress," McNeil said. "As long as you promote excellence in your field you will make a contribution."