Statement on the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement today on the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka:

“Sixty years ago, United States Chief Justice Earl Warren handed down the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. We celebrate that decision as an important milestone in our progress on civil rights, reversing the misguided precedent of Plessy v. Ferguson in the field of public education and declaring separate educational facilities to be inherently unequal.

The decision also espoused the importance of education, as Warren wrote, “In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.”

Children are the members of our society least equipped with the resources and experience to plan for their future, and yet no period will have a greater impact on the rest of their lives than their education during their childhood. Unfortunately, dramatic inequalities in education still exist.

Democrats are committed to expanding opportunity for all and ensuring equality under the law. Sixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, we must not forget that the surest way to preserve the prospect of the American Dream for all is to invest in our future generations.”