Education
Brown v. Board at 70: We need ‘extraordinary courage’ to maintain our progress
I still remember where I used to be on May 17, 1954, after I first heard that the United States Supreme Court had issued this decision. Walking home from segregated Lincoln High School in Sumter, South Carolina, I and my classmates rejoiced that the Supreme Court recognized that “separate but equal” is “inherently unequal.”
We were ninth and tenth grade students and our youthful naivety convinced us that in September we might now not learn from old textbooks and used exercise books. We envisioned having more modern classrooms and well-equipped science laboratories. We had no concept that by the point we made any serious effort to implement this decision, most of us would graduate from highschool, college, and grow to be everlasting employees. The road to , one of the significant legal decisions of the twentieth century, began in little-known Clarendon County, South Carolina.
When the lawsuit was filed, Clarendon County was spending the cash $179 for a white student compared to just $42 for a black student. While white students attended schools with running water, modern libraries, state-of-the-art classrooms, and over 30 buses, black schools had much less. Black students were also forced to walk to school, a few of them as much as seven miles. The parents asked for a bus for his or her children and were refused. This denial sparked an unprecedented movement that gave rise to extraordinary courage in some bizarre people. With the assistance of non secular leaders, the local NAACP chapter, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, 23 brave men signed a petition that led to a lawsuit filed on May 16, 1950.
The case, named for Harry Briggs, the unique signatory of the petition, and R.W. Elliott, president of the Clarendon County School Board, was tried in federal court before a three-judge panel that issued a 2-to-1 ruling against the petitioners. The officiating judge was J. Waites Waring, a native of Charleston and grandson of a Confederate soldier. Judge Waring was awarded a federal judgeship for his successful management of the campaign of Democratic senator Ellison D. “Cotton Ed” Smith, a white supremacist.
Judge Waring’s role was to preside over the case of the blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard. Sgt. Woodard – a black, decorated World War II veteran traveling on a Greyhound bus to Winnsboro, South Carolina, still in uniform after his honorable discharge – was blinded when a neighborhood police officer forcibly pulled him from the bus and punched him. nightstick. Instead of receiving treatment, Woodard was thrown in prison. Charges were ultimately brought against the police chief, but he was acquitted by an all-white jury.
Education
Woodard’s case caught the eye of President Harry Truman, who showed “extraordinary courage” and issued Executive Order 9981 integrating the armed forces. Presiding over this case proved instructive for Judge Waring and prompted him to show “extraordinary courage” in his dissent from Briggs. He wrote: “They have shown beyond any doubt that the evils of segregation and color prejudice result from early training… and it is an evil that must be eradicated.”
Twenty years ago, I wrote somewhat desk book titled “Extraordinary Courage: The Story of Briggs V. Elliott, South Carolina’s Civil Rights Battle” to commemorate the courage of the Briggs plaintiffs. If I were writing this book today, I can be far more expansive in recognizing the “extraordinary courage” he displayed at the time. It took “extraordinary courage” for President Truman to issue the chief order and for Judge Waring to dissent. Their extraordinary courage has led to significant progress towards a “more perfect Union”.
We have made enormous progress during the last 70 years. But our progress is at risk, and as we mark the seventieth anniversary of that call, our nation finds itself at one other crossroads. We must ask ourselves: what form of country do you wish to leave to your kids and our kid’s children? This query motivated the Briggs petitioners, President Truman, and Judge Waring.
There seems to have been some backlash to the election of our first African-American president, our first African-American female vp, and our first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Perhaps now greater than ever, our country desperately needs “extraordinary courage” to protect the freedoms we hold dear and proceed our quest for a “more perfect Union.”
Education
Mississippi College changes name and eliminates football program
Mississippi College embraces its Christian ideology with a name change.
Mississippi College, a non-public institution, is changing its name to Mississippi Christian College. The decision was approved by the Mississippi Board of Supervisors on November 18.
The university can be eliminating its Division 1 football team in an effort to prioritize academic offerings. In an announcement, the university cited the upcoming bicentenary because the inspiration for the changes.
Mississippi Christian College wants to construct on its Christian ideology, in line with President Bake Thompson.
“These transformational and necessary changes are critically important to the future of this institution. As we look ahead to the institution’s bicentennial in 2026, we want to ensure that MC is a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to Christ for another 200 years.”
The college is rededicated to making a space where Christian education stays a priority.
“The institution may even undergo restructuring. A brand new structure will likely be introduced, which can mix the College of Christianity and Art with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the College of Pedagogy will change its name to the College of Pedagogy and Human Sciences. The chancellor was charged with evaluating the potential consolidation of a limited number of educational departments on campus.
Mississippi Christian Athletic Director Kenny Bizott reaffirmed his commitment to former student-athletes.
“We will support our current student-athletes who wish to continue their education at MC, as well as those who wish to transfer,” Bizott added.
Many may view these changes as extreme, but Mississippi Christian believes that every latest organizational change will help the institution fulfill its core functions.
Another Mississippi institution can be within the news for its failures on the legislative level. reported the Mississippi State Senate no payment Legislative Services Office (LSO) attorney Kristie Metcalfe is paid commensurate along with her peers.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi LSO on Metcalfe’s behalf. An office investigation found that Metcalfe was earning half the salary of white LSO lawyers. The investigation also found that Metcalfe is the one non-white worker employed within the office’s 34 years of operation. Race discrimination violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Education
Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries, including Toni Morrison, Richard Wright and Maya Angelou
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” “Forever” by Judi Blume. “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut.
According to the newest information, all of them have been withdrawn from the shelves of some Florida schools list developed by the Florida Department of Education and containing books removed by local school districts.
Recent changes in state law have made it possible for fogeys and residents to take this motion challenge books to school libraries and required districts to submit an annual report to the state detailing which books were restricted of their schools. Florida continues to steer the nation in withdrawing books from school libraries, in accordance with an evaluation by the American Library Association and the advocacy group PEN America.
“Restricting access means limiting the freedom to read,” said Kasey Meehan of PEN America. “Students are losing the opportunity to access books that reflect their own life experiences, to access books that help them learn and to empathize with people who… have different life experiences.”
The list, published for the 2023-2024 school yr, includes titles by American literary icons similar to Maya Angelou, Flannery O’Connor and Richard Wright, in addition to books which have turn into top targets for censorship across the country as a consequence of LGBTQ+ characters, discussions about gender and sexuality and descriptions of sexual encounters, e.g. “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson and “Gender Queer” by Maja Kobabe. Supporters of conservatism have described such content as “pornographic.”
The list of books removed from libraries also includes Holocaust accounts similar to “The Diary of Anne Frank: A Graphic Adaptation” and “Sophie’s Choice.” It’s an analogous story with the graphic novel, an adaptation of “1984,” George Orwell’s groundbreaking work on censorship and surveillance.
“Everywhere from Toni Morrison to Alice Walker to Slaughterhouse-Five to George Orwell,” said Stephana Farrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which tracks book challenges within the state. “If you take the time to look through this list, you will see that there is a problem with… this movement.”
In an announcement to the Associated Press, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Education maintained that no books have been banned in Florida and defended the state’s efforts to remove “sexually explicit material” from schools.
“Once again, far-left activists are promoting the book ban scam to Floridians. “The better question is why these activists continue to fight to expose children to sexually explicit material,” spokeswoman Sydney Booker said.
The list shows that the number of book withdrawals varies widely across the state, with some districts reporting no restrictions and others reporting hundreds of titles pulled from shelves. Farrell of the Florida Freedom to Read Project said that based on the group’s evaluation of public records, the department’s report is an undercount since it doesn’t include books removed in consequence of an internal staff review, only those withdrawn in consequence of a grievance filed by a parent or resident.
Farrell believes that almost all Florida parents want their children to have broad access to literature.
“We live in a country where parental rights should be recognized, heard and taken into account,” Farrell said. “We are asking for accountability and an accurate record of the impact of these laws on our children and what is available to them.”
Schools have restricted access to dozens of books by Stephen King, a master of the horror genre known for bestsellers similar to “It” and “Pet Sematary.” Clay County officials also found his book, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” inappropriate for college kids.
King, who spends part of the yr in Florida, talked about attempting to get his books out of students’ hands, urging readers to run to the closest library or bookstore.
“What the hell?” In August, King posted on social media reacting to the choice of some Florida schools to drag his books from shelves.
Multiple school districts in Florida have filed legal challenges for restricting students’ access to books, including Escambia County, which is being sued by PEN America and Random penguin housethe biggest publisher within the country.
Nassau County School District in September settled lawsuit brought by the authors of “And Tango Makes Three,” an image book based on the true story of two male penguins who raised a chick together at New York’s Central Park Zoo. Under the terms of the settlement, the district needed to return three dozen books to the shelves.
Education
Issa Rae meets with Georgia law students
Rae will speak to students about legal issues related to her success.
Georgia State University College of Law announced that Issa Rae will meet with students to debate the legal elements of her successful profession as a part of the course “The Legal Life of Issa Rae.”
On November 7, the producer-actress will hold a hearing at Rialto Art Center. The visit is the culmination of a course exploring Rae’s decades-long profession within the entertainment industry. Rae’s profession provides a wealth of legal diversity to explore as her profession extends beyond visual entertainment.
The classes are held as a part of the “Legal Life…” series. The series was created by George State University law professor Moraima “Mo” Ivory.
As a professor at Georgia State College of Law, Ivory curated a series that examined the legality of maintaining a prestigious profession. As reported, Rae is a course subject this semester BLACK ENTERPRISES.
The creator’s team worked with Ivory to take an in depth take a look at the contracts that helped Rae secure her deals.
“With the support of her team, we will also have the unique opportunity to analyze her real-world deals and discuss how her approach to deals is shaping today’s entertainment landscape. We are incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity,” Ivory told .
It was classy access for 10 years value of contractual agreements to be analyzed.
“This is the first class where every contract was an actual contract with the artist,” Ivory said. “Students can see how real deals actually happen and what real entertainment lawyer Issa Rae has been doing over the last 10 years.”
Ivory, a professor and Fulton County commissioner, believes that the language of the law is vital and that the power to see the language in connection with a noteworthy product allows students to beat the barrier of unfamiliarity.
“You have to look at what people are actually doing and what is happening at the moment. The more familiar they become with the language, the faster they will be able to master it and start representing clients.”
According to Ivory, Rae’s family and business partners were instrumental in checking out the complicated details of her business. The course was attended by “Rae’s mother, siblings, network executives and members of her staff.”
The longtime artist began her profession on YouTube with “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.” The show’s success led to a collaboration with host Larry Wilmore and a multi-show deal with HBO. Outside of television, Rae is a successful actress and producer of many shows including (2022). She also created her own media company HooRae media and music label Raedio.
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