Article Title
Surprising Legacies of Brown v. Board
Publication Title
Washington University Journal of Law & Policy
Abstract
Perhaps the most powerful legacy of Brown v. Board is this: opponents in varied political battles fifty years later each claim ties to the decision and its meaning. So although the analogy between Brown and same-sex marriage has divided Black clergy, each side vies to inherit the civil rights heritage. President George W. Bush invoked Brown in opposing race-conscious college admission practices. The success of Brown in reshaping the moral landscape has been so profound that I fear we do not fully comprehend its legacies—and may fail to attend sufficiently to continuing controversy and complexities in its wake. I will talk today about legacies that may not be so obvious—after first considering how to understand what Brown did and did not accomplish directly.
Recommended Citation
Martha Minow,
Surprising Legacies of Brown v. Board,
16
Wash. U. J. L. & Pol’y
11
(2004),
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_journal_law_policy/vol16/iss1/3