2024 House Resolution 262

Whereas, On May 17, 2024, the nation will mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, in which the court unanimously decided that “in the field of public education, the doctrine ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”; and

Whereas, The Brown v. Board of Education ruling was a triumphant civil rights victory following decades of litigation and fights to end state-sponsored segregation in U.S. public schools and provided hope and inspiration to those involved in the struggle for racial equality in the United States; and

Whereas, The ruling energized the then-fledgling civil rights movement, opened the door to and gave a legal basis for ending centuries of racial segregation, and is widely recognized as one of the most pivotal U.S. Supreme Court rulings of the 20th century; and

Whereas, The historic decision repudiated the doctrine of “separate but equal” ruling that separate educational systems, by their very nature, could not be equal. It must be noted that many areas of our nation are still struggling with the vestiges of segregation and many students are still not afforded equal opportunities in public education and the larger society; and

Whereas, The challenge of racial equality continues as we must work to build a society in which differences are embraced and opportunities made equally available, a society enriched by racial diversity, not segregated by it, and that we do all we can to build a society that will leave no one behind; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. We encourage Michiganders to dedicate time engaging each other on the importance of this Supreme Court decision and its impact on equal opportunity in public education and the larger society.