National and/or Washington, D.C. Events ABA Events | Federal Brown Commission/National History Day | Howard University Humanities Council | NAACP | Smithsonian ABA Events 1. Still Segregated? Race in America's Schools Taped for broadcast on National Public Radio's "Justice Talking," this event is being held in conjunction with the American Bar Association Midyear Meeting in San Antonio, Texas on February 7, 2004. The program will use a debate format, moderated by NPR's Margot Adler, to discuss the present state of racial equality in education. Featured are Charles J. Ogletree, Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Clinical Programs at Harvard Law School and Armstrong Williams, host of the nationally syndicated television program, The Right Side with Armstrong Williams. This program is presented by the ABA Commission on the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. "Justice Talking" is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Justice Talking: www.justicetalking.org 2. Brown and Its Legacy: A Student Dialogue This program is being held at Wayne State University in Detroit on Thursday, March 24-25, 2004. To engage students in a discussion about Brown v. Board of Education, lawyers and judges will visit high school classes in Detroit and two adjacent counties to lead discussions about Brown. Then representatives from those classes will assemble to discuss the subject in a televised exchange with community leaders, including ABA President Dennis Archer. That activity will be followed by a daylong, multi-disciplinary academic symposium dedicated to the Brown decisions and their impact, conducted under ABA Brown Commission auspices in conjunction with the National Bar Association and Wayne State University. A reception and dinner will be held on March 24. ABA President Dennis Archer, Commission member Judge Damon Keith, noted author Peter Irons, and journalist/historian Roger Wilkins will be among those participating. 3. Public Seminar on Brown v. Board of Education In partnership with the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the American Bar Association Brown Commission will conduct a "Fred Friendly"-style seminar focusing on Brown v. Board of Education. This public program will be held at the Center's Kirby Auditorium on the afternoon or evening of Thursday, April 29, 2004. It will feature a moderated panel discussion by experts in various fields responding to hypothetical scenarios constructed around legal, ethical, and public policy issues emanating from Brown. Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree, who chairs the ABA Brown Commission, will moderate the program. Since 1990 Prof. Ogletree has moderated dozens of similar programs, many of which have been nationally televised on PBS. The program will be presented to a live audience of lawyers, judges, bar leaders, educators, and the general public. 4. Brown v. United States of America: Debating the Issues Past, Present, and Future August 7, 2004—9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association (ABA) in Atlanta, Georgia, the ABA Commission on the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education will conclude a year of special programs commemorating the Brown decision with “Brown v. United States of America.” This event—an interactive exploration, in the form of a trial, of the decision’s legacy in American law and society—will ask some of the nation’s top judges, lawyers, scholars, and policy experts to debate four key issues emanating from the Brown decision that remain unresolved today. The four allegations will be tried by two teams of lawyers, one for each side, through the testimony of expert witnesses called by the plaintiff Brown family and the defendant United States. The trial will be presided over by a panel of judges before a jury of individuals representing the legal profession, educators, policy experts, and other interested parties. At the end of the trial, the jury will deliver a verdict on the four allegations made by the plaintiffs. Audience members will also have an opportunity to render their verdict in the case. Journalists will be on hand to report on the proceedings and interview participants in the trial. In addition, the Damon J. Keith Collection exhibit, "Marching Toward Justice: The History of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," will be displayed at the ABA Annual Meeting. For further information on ABA events, e-mail abapubed@abanet.org. Federal Brown Commission/National History Day Brown v. Board of Education Essay Contest In cooperation with the federal Brown Commission, National History Day is inviting students in grades 6-12 to participate in a national essay contest in conjunction with the 2003-2004 National History Day competition. The essay must relate to the NHD theme of "Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History." Click on the NHD Brown contest link above for information on deadlines and procedures. First-, second-, and third place-winning students receive cash awards of $1,000, $500, and $350, respectively. Travel expenses to a May 17, 2004 awards ceremony also will be provided to the first-place winning student (and parents). Howard University Brown @ 50: Fulfilling the Promise During the Brown semi-centenary year, the Howard University School of Law seeks to educate the public about the significance of this landmark decision, honor the heroes of Brown, and engage the current and next generation of civil rights leaders and the general public in a discussion of Brown's ideals and their meaning in the world today. To advance the goals of this initiative, the School of Law is hosting discussions, community meetings, and other educational projects. Among the many activities are "The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education: Reflections of the Last 50 Years," a joint Howard Law/Yale Law conference on February 26-28, 2004 (keynote speakers: Vernon Jordan and Roger Gregory); and the May 17 opening of the exhibit, "Marching Towards Justice: The History of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," on loan from the Honorable Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African American Legal History. Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. Charles Hamilton Houston: Paving the Way to Brown The Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. presented a day-long symposium (October 18, 2003) on the life, work, and legacy of attorney Charles Hamilton Houston, known as the "man who killed Jim Crow." NAACP NAACP Brown 50th Anniversary National Commemorative Programs The NAACP is organizing a series of "Brown 50th Anniversary National Commemorative Programs." Among scheduled activities are the NAACP Education Summit of the States, which will be convened May 14-16 in Topeka, Kansas and the Brown v. Board Anniversary Day State Commemoration Proclamation (Kansas State Capitol Building in Topeka) on May 17. In addition, the NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Howard University will host a Brown v. Board 50th Anniversary Commemorative Awards Gala at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC on the evening of May 17, 2004. At this event, individuals and institutions that played a significant role in the Brown decision will be honored. See also: Special issue of The Crisis. Contact: Dr. John H. Jackson National Education Director NAACP 4805 Mt. Hope Drive Baltimore, MD 21215 Tel: 1-877-NAACP98 Smithsonian Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is presenting this special exhibition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brown. It opens on May 15, 2004 and closes on May 30, 2005. Using objects, images, and video presentations, the exhibition will portray the struggle for social justice leading up and the following the Court's ruling on Brown. Also discussed will be the decision's impact on today's society, both in the United States and abroad. The museum is conducting a series of associated public programs in collaboration with national and community organizations, including a February 20-21, 2004 symposium, "Race and Rights: Brown v. Board and the Problems, of Segregation, Desegregation, and Resegregation in the United States." Events