WRPRH119A001-002: Brown v. Board at 70: Unfulfilled Promises & Unfinished Activisms for Education Equity
Instructor: Christopher R. Rogers, Ph.D
Class meetings: x001 - T/Th 11:30am - 12:55pm | x002 - T/Th 02:30pm - 03:55pm
Location: Gest Hall 103
Office hours: T/ Th 01:00pm - 02:15pm / OR by appointment (in person/virtual)
The landmark victory of Brown v. Board (1954) was popularly understood to symbolize the ability of all students, particularly Black students, to have access to high-quality schooling and shatter the grip of segregation in our schools and public institutions. Seventy years after Brown, public schools across the country are still deeply segregated and unequal. As R. L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy recently offered, “The segregation that was meant to be uprooted with the Brown decision not only persisted, but it has grown, and today, we stand at a critical juncture—the promise of education as opportunity that has existed for more than 100 years is on the verge of being no more.” In this writing seminar, we will explore 19th, 20th, and 21st century perspectives emerging from Black-led education organizing in the wake of the 70th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision to inform how we understand the purpose of education in our own lives and as a social anchor. Through three acts, we will consider: (1) Black education antecedents and experiments that took place through Reconstruction up until the dawn of Brown v. Board; (2) a multidimensional exploration of Brown v. Board I (1954) and II (1955) decisions; and (3) contemporary realities of U.S. public education for Black communities, including ongoing grassroots experiments and interventions needed to bring about an inclusive, equitable, and relevant education. Course readings will include anchor texts for each act, combined with supplemental articles, essays, and multimedia artifacts. Assignments will involve essays that build on personal experiences in education toward defining dimensions of equity and concluding with arguments for how a proposed intervention could expand equity and inclusiveness in U.S. schools. [Counts towards the concentration in African and Africana Studies.]
Instructor: Christopher R. Rogers, Ph.D
Class meetings: x001 - T/Th 11:30am - 12:55pm | x002 - T/Th 02:30pm - 03:55pm
Location: Gest Hall 103
Office hours: T/ Th 01:00pm - 02:15pm / OR by appointment (in person/virtual)
The landmark victory of Brown v. Board (1954) was popularly understood to symbolize the ability of all students, particularly Black students, to have access to high-quality schooling and shatter the grip of segregation in our schools and public institutions. Seventy years after Brown, public schools across the country are still deeply segregated and unequal. As R. L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy recently offered, “The segregation that was meant to be uprooted with the Brown decision not only persisted, but it has grown, and today, we stand at a critical juncture—the promise of education as opportunity that has existed for more than 100 years is on the verge of being no more.” In this writing seminar, we will explore 19th, 20th, and 21st century perspectives emerging from Black-led education organizing in the wake of the 70th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision to inform how we understand the purpose of education in our own lives and as a social anchor. Through three acts, we will consider: (1) Black education antecedents and experiments that took place through Reconstruction up until the dawn of Brown v. Board; (2) a multidimensional exploration of Brown v. Board I (1954) and II (1955) decisions; and (3) contemporary realities of U.S. public education for Black communities, including ongoing grassroots experiments and interventions needed to bring about an inclusive, equitable, and relevant education. Course readings will include anchor texts for each act, combined with supplemental articles, essays, and multimedia artifacts. Assignments will involve essays that build on personal experiences in education toward defining dimensions of equity and concluding with arguments for how a proposed intervention could expand equity and inclusiveness in U.S. schools. [Counts towards the concentration in African and Africana Studies.]