Panel debates effects of Brown v. Board of Education after 50 years

Yvette Alex-Assensoh, a professor of political science and student in the law school, remembers first-hand the effects of Brown v. Board of Education. She watched as the U.S. Supreme Court decision, which ruled separate educational facilities were unequal and unconstitutional, allowed her mother to find work and her father to get a job without having to drive eight hours, returning only on weekends.\nShe also noticed its consequences -- facing integration as the only black student in an integrated class and the racism that went along with that distinction. Alex-Assensoh spoke about her experiences Monday as part of a five-member panel that discussed the landmark case and what it means today in the Moot Court Room at the law school. The discussion, sponsored by the Black Student Law Association, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling. \n"As a young child entering first grade in 1973, I was basically an experiment for white administrators," she said. "They were trying to figure out how to gingerly traverse the tightrope between the Brown mandate and the discontent of some white parents who were not ready for integration ... Now, more than 32 years later, I still recall the frequent questions from my white classmates about my hair and why one side of my hand was black and the other side, the palm, remained partially white."\nAlex-Assenoh was joined by Becky Biller Elmore on the panel, a third year law student and president of the Latino Law Student Association; Brian Glazer, a second- year law student and president of the Federalist Society; Steven Comuntzis, a second year law student and Federalist Society member; and Freedom Smith, a third year law student and president of the BLSA.\nComuntzis addressed the topic of Brown from a federalist standpoint. He said the case made the right decision, but it should have been determined by the legislature, not the courts.\n"It would have been better if the legislatures had gotten the law right," Comuntzis said. "But to ignore the fundamental rights of black students to be integrated into society ... is tantamount to impinging on the liberties of the individuals involved. Would the Constitution sanction such practice? It was written, after all, for the citizens of the land of the free."\nSmith spoke about a joint essay the BLSA wrote about the Brown decision. She said it was hard for the group to consider the case as entirely positive, despite the good it did, because of its vague nature and what it didn't explicitly say. \n"The best thing that came out of it is it recognized that (blacks) have a right to be here, that the 14th amendment was here for us and that we did exist as American citizens," Smith said. "So, it's not that we didn't recognize that there was something great to come out of Brown. But, when you look at Brown, it's so vague. It didn't say that Plessy v. Ferguson was wrong. They didn't do that. Because they weren't ready to make that step. They were willing to recognize that 'OK, maybe we can't deny them any longer, but we're not ready to fully accept them yet.'"\nAfter the three presentations, the floor was opened for questions from the approximately 40 people in attendance. Second-year law student Sylvia Bier attended the discussion to learn about the different perspectives surrounding the issue. She said she was pleased with what she saw. \n"Race matters," she said. "Race always seems to matter, so I try to inform myself as much as possible. I appreciate honesty in all forms, and I appreciate that to really get to the heart of the matter, we have to push buttons. So, that's what I look for. As to whether they achieved it, I don't know. But I will say I'm glad I came, I don't think I wasted my hour. It's good to get different perspectives." \nSmith said one of the worst aspects of the Brown case was knowing it took as long as it did to get passed. \n"Looking back, I think we, as black Americans, appreciate the Brown decision," Smith said. "But it's a shame that it had to come to this. This is the land of the free, this is the home of the brave. Why did we have to wait until 1954 to get acknowledged in this country?"\n-- Contact campus editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.