Presidential Document2024-11260
70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
Primary source
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Published
May 21, 2024
Signed
May 16, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 44545-44546]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11260]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 21, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 44545]]
Proclamation 10758 of May 16, 2024
70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Seventy years ago, the Supreme Court delivered a
unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education that
outlawed racial segregation in our Nation's public
schools, finding that ``separate but equal'' is
``inherently unequal.'' That landmark decision helped
us move closer to realizing the idea that defines who
we are as a Nation: We are all created equal and
deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.
While our society has never fully lived up to that
idea, we have never fully walked away from it either--
and on this milestone anniversary, we promise we will
not walk away from it now.
As we commemorate 70 years since Brown v. Board of
Education changed our Nation, we also commemorate the
important foundation that was laid in Delaware. A
mother in Hockessin, joined by the parents of eight
other students in Claymont, simply wanted their
children to attend school and be treated with dignity
and respect. Through Bulah v. Gebhart and Belton v.
Gebhart, courageous lawyers and judges in Delaware--
like Louis Redding and Chancellor Collins Seitz--helped
lay the legal groundwork for the Brown v. Board of
Education decision to strike down the insidious
doctrine of separate but equal.
Brown v. Board of Education may have opened up schools
to all our Nation's students, but the fight to get
these students into classrooms persisted. There were
still people in power who wanted to pull America back
to the past, doing everything they could to keep school
doors shut to Black students. Our Nation will never
forget the stories of the Little Rock Nine, the group
of students who were refused entry to their local high
school by the National Guard blocking the doors. We
will never forget the story of Ruby Bridges, who at
only six-years-old had to be escorted by United States
Marshals to her elementary school because an angry mob
tried to prevent her from entering. Across the country,
Black students who entered newly desegregated schools
endured discrimination, harassment, and racism from
their peers, educators, and school administrators. Yet,
these students in the face of danger returned to class
again and again, backed by community and civil rights
leaders who were determined to take a stand for racial
justice and equity that would benefit future
generations of Americans. They showed us that bravery
exists in the youngest of hearts, possessing the guts
and courage to stand up for the best of our country.
All the while, they kept faith in our Nation and in our
North Star--the sacred ideals at the heart of who we
are.
Today, we know that the lessons learned from Brown v.
Board of Education served as a catalyst for the most
fundamental civil rights legislation of our time like
the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act.
But while the decision in Brown v. Board of Education
has allowed so many schools to develop diverse,
inclusive learning communities that value empathy,
kindness, and tolerance, the full potential of Brown v.
Board of Education remains unfulfilled. There is still
so much work to do to ensure that every student has
equal access to a quality education and that our school
systems
[[Page 44546]]
fully benefit from the diversity and talent of our
students--because diversity has always been one of our
Nation's greatest strengths.
Since I came into office, we have prioritized making
our schools more equitable. My Administration secured
nearly $2 billion in additional Title I funding under
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to help
provide a high-quality education to our most
underserved students. Additionally, my American Rescue
Plan delivered historic funding to our Nation's
schools, supporting critical programs that help level
the playing field like after-school and summer
programs. Further, after the Supreme Court effectively
ended affirmative action in college admissions, I
directed the Department of Education to analyze what
practices help build more inclusive and diverse student
bodies. At the same time, we are making sure to tell
the full truth of our Nation's history, and I am proud
to have signed a bill to expand the historic sites of
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park,
preserving this essential history.
On this milestone anniversary, may we honor the Brown
v. Board of Education decision and all the people who
have fought so hard to open classroom doors to every
student. It is a reminder that the promise of America
is big enough for everyone to succeed and that every
generation of Americans has benefited by opening the
doors of opportunity just a little bit wider to include
those who have been left behind. Today, may we
recognize the inherent value in having diverse,
thriving schools and continue working together to build
a future worthy of the dreams and aspirations of our
Nation's students.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 17, 2024,
as the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.
I call upon Americans to honor all the civil rights
leaders, activists, educators, and students who have
fought for decades to make our schools more equitable
and work together to realize the promise of America for
every American.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.
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(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-11260
Filed 5-20-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 21, 2024.
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