Ranking Member Scott Commemorates 72nd Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education

Ranking Member Scott Commemorates 72nd Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education

WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, House Committee on Education and Workforce, commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Watch Ranking Member Scott's remarks on YouTube.

Here is a transcription of his remarks:

"Hi, I'm Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia's Third Congressional District, and I serve as the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and Workforce. Today, we gather to commemorate the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark decision that was never just about classrooms or school buildings - it was about equal opportunity, equal access, and the fundamental promise that education is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.

"Seventy-two years ago, the Supreme Court rejected the doctrine of 'separate but equal' and declared that segregated schools are inherently unequal. Brown was a civil rights victory that recognized that education is the foundation of opportunity and democracy itself. But as we know, the decision alone did not end inequality. Progress required the federal government, sustained commitment, and the persistent courage of generations who continue to fight for justice.

"However, since 1969, Republican presidents appointed the next 11 Supreme Court justices. In fact, all but five of the last 20 Supreme Court justices since 1965 have been appointed by Republicans. Those justices formed a conservative bloc that questioned the constitutionality of desegregation. And this has had the effect of chipping away at the federal government's authority to compel bold, meaningful strategies to fully integrate schools and achieve equity in education.

"This very retreat is why our public schools are now more segregated now than they were in the late 1960s. And today, the Trump Administration and the Supreme Court appear adamant about returning us to the Jim Crow era of racism and inequality. We have witnessed unrestrained efforts to dismantle equity, diversity, and inclusion programs, attacks on affirmative action, and the firing of the staff responsible for enforcing civil rights protections at the Department of Education.

"These actions are not just administrative decisions. They are attacks on equal educational opportunity itself - a fundamental erasure of the promise of Brown. Because the federal government joined states and segregationist organizations to contribute to racial segregation and inequality in the past, it stands to reason that the federal government must also be part of the solution to end segregation.

"And this is why we must remember that the Department of Education is not simply a building or a bureaucracy. It is one of our nation's most important civil rights institutions. It is responsible for protecting students from discrimination, expanding access to opportunity, and ensuring that every child, regardless of race, income, disability, gender, or ZIP code, has access to a quality education. And that is why we must reject and fight back against all attempts by the Trump Administration to dismantle the Department of Education.

"At a time when schools are becoming more segregated, and inequalities continue to grow, we should be strengthening our commitment to educational equity, not retreating from it. The promise of Brown v. Board of Education remains unfinished. And now more than ever, we must continue to fight to preserve the promise for the future, and we must defend equal access to education, protect civil rights enforcement, and ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Thank you."

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