Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Panel Discusses Brown v. Board of Education

January 22, 2004

Capital University Law School celebrated Martin Luther King Day by sponsoring a panel discussion on the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The panel was part of Capital University’s annual Martin Luther King Day of Learning. Panelists included Law School Professors Mark Brown, Mark Strasser and Floyd Weatherspoon. Torian Lee, director of student and minority affairs, moderated the discussion.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas, which declared racial discrimination in public education unconstitutional. The forum focused on the impact this landmark decision has had on the local and national levels. Speaking before an audience of about 125, each panelist discussed the positive and negative repercussions of the decision, as well as the importance it held for speeding the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Questions from students and professors ranged from the impact of the African-American community of the 1950s and 1960s; the relevancy of affirmative action; and the benefits of affirmative action on whites in lower economic classes. Responses covered a range of opinions regarding Brown v. Board of Education, the constitution and other landmark civil rights decisions.

[ View Photo Gallery ]