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Brown v. Board of Education:

Legacy and Challenges

Johnson Obamehinti

Texas Home School Coalition Association REVIEW © February 2005

February is Black History Month in the United States.  Originally established as Negro History Week in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a noted African-American author and scholar, this event evolved into  Black History Month in February of 1976 . This commemoration has increasingly been referred to as African-American History Month, although both names are currently in use.  THSC is pleased to feature the following insightful article by a home school father and the founder of the Minority Homeschoolers of Texas.

Today education is the most vital function of local and state governments. Its importance is stressed by enforcement of compulsory school attendance laws. Until the mid-1950s, legal school segregation (equal but different or separate but equal) was the norm in the United States of America.

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest legal authority of the land. This court is responsible for the interpretation of the Constitution and for reviews of rulings from the various states’ highest courts, federal courts, and federal appellate courts.

On May 18, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that changed American society by nullifying the old Jim Crow law in the South. This decision was unanimous.  The opinion was crafted by then-Chief Justice Earl Warren. His intent was to extend rights and freedoms enumerated in the Constitution to all Americans. It was stated that all school boards throughout the United States must proceed with plans for desegregation with deliberate speed—implementation without delay.

The enforcement of this ruling was met with great resistance from local and state governments. Several civil rights leaders paid heavy prices to ensure that the local and state governments abided by it. Some of these leaders lost their jobs, homes, and lives. Surely, minorities have made some gains since this decision was handed down. More minority youths have finished high school and have attended professional schools or colleges of their choice. However, greater challenges lay ahead of us as African-Americans in the United States.

In 2004 we celebrated the golden anniversary of this landmark ruling and the positive changes which resulted, including the advent of home schooling among ethnic minorities. Fifty years later, many schools in the urban areas are predominantly attended by children of minorities, while their white counterparts go to schools in the suburbs, which are better funded, better equipped, and better maintained than urban schools.  Many urban schools with non-white student populations are plagued with overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings, and inadequate educational tools such as computers and laboratory equipment. These conditions, as well as many other situations, continue to lure minorities into the home schooling movement.

As the nation deliberated on the effect of this ruling over the past fifty years, one famous black entertainer, who spoke during a celebration in Washington, D.C., challenged African-Americans to be more accountable for the education of their children. He emphasized the importance of self-reliance, discipline, and moral values. This pronouncement generated a lot of heated controversy among those who maintained the status quo. The hard truth was spoken. Though this truth was new to a vast majority of black families, minority home schoolers have long accepted these ideals as their responsibilities. It is high time we let people know that minority home schoolers care deeply for their children and remain steadfast in their conviction to educate their children at home. Minority home schoolers promote moral values, character building, self-reliance, and community volunteerism, in addition to academic pursuits.

Home schooling among minorities has defied the assumption that minority youths are only good at sports, do not like to read, and have uncanny entrepreneurial skills. More minority home schoolers are finishing high school and performing at the top of their classes in colleges and professional schools. These statistics are impressive and continue to grow.

It cannot be overemphasized that every cause has its price. Home schooling requires sacrificing by surviving on one income for the family. It helps to be prudent with our God-given resources. The end result of our endurance will yield productive leaders of the future.

Finally, the struggle for equality involves more than civil rights. It involves the preparation of our minority youths to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.” Minority home schoolers must continue to plow the ground, be steadfast, and hold fast their convictions without wavering. We must stop blame games and instill core moral values in our young people. Minority youth and their families must take responsibility for their education. Get knowledge and understanding, because where knowledge is lacking, people perish. Opportunities abound for those who are able and willing to take advantage of them.

Johnson Obamehinti is the founder and former president of MHOT (Minority Homeschoolers of Texas), a statewide organization for promotion of home schooling that specifically serves minority home educators in Texas. Johnson and his wife Feyi have homeschooled their three children.

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