Brown Symposium

Brown is Dead? Long Live Brown!
A Commemorative Symposium on the Influence of Brown v. Board of Education on Lawyers and the Law

May 17, 2004 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The Justice Action Center's symposium on April 26, 2004 commemorated this historic case and critically examined the legacy of the Court's ruling that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

The morning began with a keynote address by Gary Orfield, Professor of Education and Social Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The first panel, Is Brown Dead? The current state of desegregation in America, addressed whether the promise of Brown has been fulfilled. The panelists were Danielle Holley, Associate Professor of Law, Hofstra University School of Law; Miranda K. S. Massie, Associate, Scheff & Washington, P.C.; Dennis D. Parker, Civil Rights Bureau Chief, New York State Attorney General's Office; and Juan F. Perea, Professor of Law, University of Florida Levin College of Law. Denise C. Morgan, Professor of Law, New York Law School, moderated.

The afternoon keynote address was given by Derrick A. Bell, Jr., Visiting Professor of Law, New York University School of Law.

The afternoon panel, Long Live Brown! The effect of Brown beyond American education law, discussed the case's progeny in other areas of the law. Edward A. Purcell, Jr., Professor of Law, New York Law School, moderated the panel consisting of Penelope Andrews, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law; Rachel Godsil, Associate Professor of Law, Seton Hall Law School; Hiroshi Motomura, Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law; and David S. Schoenbrod, Professor of Law, New York Law School.

The New York Law School Law Review’s symposium issue “Is Brown Dead? Long Live Brown!” collected the scholarly contributions that emerged from the April 26, 2004 live event. Click here to view the articles.

To download a printable PDF version of the symposium brochure, please click here.