BROWN v. BOARD OF EDUCATION FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY COMMISSION
Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the Commission?

Established on September 18, 2001, by Public Law 107-41, the Commission was created for the purpose of encouraging and providing for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 landmark case that overruled Plessy v. Ferguson and the doctrine of separate but equal.

Who is on the Commission and how were they appointed?

The President, the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Brown Foundation, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site selected the members of the Brown Commission. The Commission has representatives from various federal agencies as well as from each of the five jurisdictions represented by the Brown decision -- Kansas (Brown v. Board of Education), South Carolina (Briggs v. Elliott), Delaware (Belton v. Gebhart), Virginia (Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County), and the District of Columbia (Bolling v. Sharpe). Massachusetts is also represented because the first legal challenge to segregated schools was decided there in 1849 (Roberts v. City of Boston).

Plaintiffs in the case of Briggs v. Elliott pose with NAACP officials, members of the Parent Organization and supporters at Liberty Hill A.M.E. Church. Photo reproduced by permission from Quest for Equality: Briggs Descendants Reunion.

Members

• Ralph Boyd, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Department of Justice
• Gerald A. Reynolds, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education
• Cheryl Brown Henderson, President, The Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research
• Stephen E. Adams, Superintendent, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, representing the National Park Service
• Deborah L. Dandridge, University of Kansas, representing The Brown Foundation
• Joseph A. De Laine, Jr., Retired pharmaceutical executive, representing South Carolina
• Robert N. Driscoll, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights, Department of Justice, representing the Attorney General
• Roger L. Gregory, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, representing the Chief Justice
• Dennis C. Hayes, General Counsel, NAACP, representing the NAACP
• Daniel D. Holt, Director, Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, representing Kansas
• Dr. John H. Jackson, National Director of Education, NAACP, representing the NAACP
• Brian Jones, General Counsel, Department of Education, representing the Secretary of Education
• Dr. Jesse Milan, President, Kansas NAACP, representing Kansas
• Littleton P. Mitchell, Delaware NAACP, representing Delaware
• Dr. Benjamin W Robertson, Sr., Pastor, Cedar Street Baptist Church, representing Virginia
• Josephine Robertson, Public school teacher, representing Massachusetts
• Carolyn N. Sawyer, President, Tom Sawyer Company, Inc., representing South Carolina
• Theodore M. Shaw, Associate Director, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, representing the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
• H. Patrick Swygert, President, Howard University, representing the District of Columbia
• Charles H. Toliver, IV, Judge of the Superior Court of Delaware, representing Delaware
• Lacy Ward, Jr., Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Tuskegee University, representing Virginia
• Dr. Roger Wilkins, Professor of History and American Culture, George Mason University, representing the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Dean Michael K. Young, Dean and Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence, George Washington University, Law Center, representing the Chief Justice

How will the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education be commemorated?

• Writing Contest(s)
• Public Lectures
• A Call for Papers
• Reunion of the plaintiffs and attorneys of Brown v. Board of Education, May 13-14, 2003 in Washington, D.C.
• Textbook Summit
• National Brown v. Board of Education/No Child Left Behind Conference in Washington, D.C. in January 2004
• National celebration of Brown v. Board of Education and opening of the Brown Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas on May 17, 2004

When will the Commission convene meetings?

• The first meeting was held on November 13, 2002 in Washington, D.C.
• The second meeting was held on March 27, 2003 in Boston, Massachusetts.
• The third meeting will be held on June 4, 2003 in Columbia, South Carolina.
• The fourth meeting will be held on October 30, 2003 in Wilmington, Delaware.
• The fifth meeting will be held in January 2004 in Farmville, Virginia.
• The sixth meeting will be held in March 2004 in Topeka, Kansas.

Is there an opportunity for the public to participate in Commission activities?

Yes, the public is welcome to attend all scheduled Commission meetings, the public lectures and the national celebration.

Where can I obtain additional information regarding the Commission or attending meetings and other public activities?

The Brown Commission website is currently under construction. For additional information, contact: