House Democrats have made a firm commitment to combat the Trump administration’s efforts to erode civil rights in education. They have emphasized the existence of ongoing educational disparities that disproportionately affect students of color. During a forum on Capitol Hill led by Representative Bobby Scott, a prominent Democratic leader in the House education committee, the importance of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court was discussed on its 64th anniversary. Additionally, a resolution was presented calling for the U.S. Department of Education to enforce the Civil Rights Act.
If the Trump administration continues down its current path, Representative Scott warns that achieving the envisioned equity of the Brown decision will become questionable, as opposed to a matter of when. The enforcement of civil rights in education is one of the most contentious aspects of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ tenure. She has reversed Obama-era policies regarding transgender students, altered the handling of civil rights investigations, and is contemplating the repeal of other initiatives addressing racial disparities in school discipline. DeVos claims that she aims to create a fairer and more effective system of federal civil rights enforcement in education. Critics argue that she willingly disregards the widespread and improper discrimination prevalent in many schools.
During Representative Scott’s forum, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi accused the Trump administration of undermining civil rights protections in schools from the very beginning, thereby hindering opportunities for children to succeed. Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn of South Carolina expressed his profound connection to the Brown decision, stating that its impact propelled him to become a member of the United States Congress. Researchers from the Government Accountability Office also presented their recent findings on civil rights issues during the forum, including a 2016 report on enrollment trends in terms of race and socioeconomic composition.
Notably, the researchers highlighted the alarming resegregation of many schools. In Ferguson, Missouri, for instance, black male students lost 211 days of instruction compared to their white counterparts’ 54 days. These and other statistical discrepancies revealed through the latest Civil Rights Data Collection should deeply concern us, according to Dan Losen, the director of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Democrats were not the only ones commemorating the anniversary of the Brown decision. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos acknowledged its impact on social media, hailing Linda Brown’s, the case’s plaintiff, courageous fight against legal segregation and emphasizing every student’s right, regardless of race, to a quality education. Republican Representative Virginia Foxx also praised the plaintiffs of the Brown case during a session on the House floor, celebrating their success in putting an end to the abhorrent practice of separate but equal education and providing millions of children with the educational opportunities they deserved for a successful life.