The Topeka Unit NAACP, has played an important role in
the history of our City, State, and Nation. The greatest victory for the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People took place in part right here in Topeka, Kansas, the Brown v. Board of Education.
On May 17, 1954 the Supreme
Court outlawed segregation in the public schools system and effectively
overturned Plessy v. Ferguson. However, many schools in Topeka remained segregated. The Brown case, ruled upon originally
on May 17, 1954 in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, was reopened in
1979. Judge Rodgers ordered a remedy plan August 8, 1994, after the Tenth Circuit
Court found that past Boards of Education were guilty of "benign neglect"
in preventing racial imblance in Topeka's schools.
The remedy plan was designed to "eliminate the vestiges
of the former de jure segregated system with respect to student assignment and faculty/staff assignment. The first plan submitted
by the Topeka Board of Education placed most of the burden on minorities
and schools on the east side.
On March 28, 1994 the Parks/Scott Brown vs. Board of Education
of Topeka Remedy Plan Proposal was submitted. This Plan was fair and balanced in that it suggested closing an equal number
of schools on the east and west side.
After the final Brown Remedy Plan was submitted to the
Court, the district filed for and was granted unitary status April 16, 1999.
After 55 years of Brown v. Board, the challenges for
African American children are still apparent. Their remains an achievement gap between African American
and White students that is persistence and in many cases widening.
There are other areas of concern. To date the unemployment
among African Americans and other minorities are at an all-time high.
Social injustice is infiltrating our ranks at will; Civil rights are being
denied.
We must address the school-to-prison pipeline, including
students being sent to detention centers for problems that in years pass would have been handled in the principal's office.
Ending police use of racial profiling by focusing on a person's behavior
and not his or her physical appearance.
The Topeka Unit of the NAACP has worked hard to bring about
meaningful changes in our City, State and Nation over the years. I want to think the membership for a
job well done, and encourage you to become a member. Join today.
Rev. Ben J. Scott, Sr., President
Topeka Unit NAACP
