Course Details

Some of us remember–but others may be surprised to learn—that public schools in our nation’s capital were racially segregated until the landmark 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawing “separate but equal” schools for white and black children. This study group looks at the history of school segregation right here in Washington, DC—including a home-grown legal challenge that became an important part of the 1954 Brown case. We then examine desegregation and its consequences; we conclude by looking at the extent to which re-segregation exists today in DC schools. Excerpts of a remarkable documentary on the Brown decision's history will also be screened.