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On Saturday, May 15, 2004 the new civil rights movement will
march on Washington to mark the 50-year anniversary of Brown v. Board of
Education and demand an end to separate and unequal education in
America.
Fifty years ago the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the great lie of
"separate but equal." Fifty years ago the U.S. Supreme Court told the truth
that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." Fifty years
ago, the truth that educational integration is an essential prerequisite to
achieving a just, democratic, and fair society was finally acknowledged by
the high court.
Yet today, fifty years after this landmark decision, more black, Latina/o
and Native American children attend segregated and unequal schools than ever
before.
Then, as now, only the power of a growing mass civil rights movement can
make the court's decision real and move this society toward the
long-deferred promise of integration and equality.
On April 1, 2003, the new civil rights movement showed how the power of mass
struggle can defeat the attacks on the gains we have made toward realizing
Martin Luther King's Dream. We marched together over 50,000 strong, people
of all races, young and old, defending affirmative action at the U.S.
Supreme Court. Our unity and our strength brought us victory. To move
forward - to make progress toward achieving integration and equality in
education, we must start with defending this precious high court victory for
affirmative action.
Despite real progress and overwhelming popular support for the gains of the
Civil Rights Movement, a growing majority of black, Latina/o and Native
American students are educated in underresourced and understaffed, separate
and unequal schools. The right-wing attacks on our progress toward
integration have done real harm. The setbacks we have suffered are the
direct result of a well organized and concerted legal and political attack
on the integrationist gains of the 1950s and 1960s.
We must defeat these new segregationists, just as we did their predecessors
by organizing a mighty, integrated, independent and active youth-led civil
rights movement.
Now it is our duty to realize the promise of Brown, so long deferred and
still so necessary for progress to occur within our nation. On May 15, 2004,
we will march and rally in Washington, DC - young and old of all races and
backgrounds, united and proud. We march for equal educational opportunity
for all, to defend affirmative action, integration, and immigrant rights.
Achieving King's Dream of integration and justice today requires the defense
of affirmative action and defeating the right-wing attacks on immigrants. We
march together determined never to waver until equality is won.
All of us who are genuinely committed to the ideal of a truly integrated and
equal society must do more than simply commemorate the Brown v. Board of
Education decision. We must struggle. We must organize. We must march.
March on Saturday, May 15, 2004. March to put an end to separate and unequal
education. March for equality and integration. March to defeat the
right-wing attack on immigrants. March to say that everyone in America
deserves equal opportunity. March for Martin Luther King's Dream. March to
realize the promise of Brown v. Board of Education. |
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