ADVISORY for Tuesday, Feb. 10 - Clinton Address
Columbia University, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education; Distinguished Participants Include Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Lawyers in Brown
NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- Columbia University and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) will host a year-long celebration in honor of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education -- the landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that state-imposed racial segregation in public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection of the laws. Jack Greenberg (CC '45, Law '48), a Columbia Law School professor, other Law School graduates and faculty were among the attorneys who represented the African-American plaintiffs.
"Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, declared the 'separate but equal' doctrine to be unconstitutional and closed the book on a chapter of profound injustice in our nation's education system," said Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger. "In partnership with the NAACP LDF, and under the expert guidance of Jack Greenberg, a renowned civil rights leader who helped argue that case, we begin a year-long commemoration of this groundbreaking decision and a series of reflections on its continuing significance."
The inaugural event, which took place on Monday, February 2, 2004, provided an opportunity for those who worked on this historic case to explore its origins and scope, and to make an evaluation of its success. It brought together Mrs. Thurgood Marshall, the widow of the attorney who represented the plaintiff in the case, and lawyers who played an integral role in the case, including Hon. Robert L. Carter (Law '41 LL.M.), Professor Jack Greenberg (CC '45, Law '48), Judge Louis H. Pollak, and Judge Jack B. Weinstein (Law '48 and longtime member of the faculty). Oliver Hill and Judge Constance Baker Motley (Law '46) also participated via live video conference. These distinguished guests were welcomed by Columbia Law School Dean David Leebron and the NAACP LDF's President Elaine Jones and President-Elect Theodore M. Shaw (Law '79).
"Cases like Brown do not simply happen," said Columbia Law Dean David Leebron in his opening remarks at the inaugural event. "This case, probably the most important constitutional law case of the last 100 years, is a demonstration of just how much talented and passionate lawyers can achieve."
Former U.S. President William J. Clinton, who will deliver an address on February 10, 2004 to students and faculty at Columbia University's Low Library, echoed this sentiment.
"Brown v. Board of Education was the seminal moment of the modern civil rights era and remains one of the most important cases in American legal history," said President Clinton. "Even more than being a precursor of the struggles to come, the Brown decision offered a vision of a new and better America. With Brown v. Board, America took a giant step toward living out the creed of equality enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. I am pleased to be able to attend this 50th anniversary celebration of Brown v. Board of Education, and thank Columbia University and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund for hosting such an important event."
He will be preceded by Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger (Law '71), a noted First Amendment scholar and Prof. Greenberg, who was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001 by President Clinton for his enduring work in defense of civil rights.
"In time, Brown v. Board of Education became even more significant than a decision that required desegregating schools," said Prof. Greenberg, reflecting on the events of five decades ago. "It became a springboard for the civil rights movement, leading to the Civil Rights Acts of the mid-1960s and major shifts in the status of black Americans and politics as we knew it before 1954."
The events which commenced during Black History Month will continue through December 2004. Future anniversary events will explore topics such as "America Before Brown," "Equality," "The Mystery of Brown," "Fairness in Equality in Criminal Justice," "Brown: The Arts and Culture," "Brown's Role in Changing the Judicial System," "Brown and the Law of Other Nations," and "Brown and the Future of Racial Justice." Speakers range from academicians to civil rights leaders to world leaders.
For more information, please visit www.law.columbia.edu.
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