On May 17, 2024, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the landmark court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. It is often regarded as one of, if not the most important, U.S. Supreme Court decisions. The ruling overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine, paving the way for the civil rights movement. It was the first stone in the path to a truly equal America.
Brown v. Board of Education was not the ultimate solution, however. Educational attainment in America is still discriminatory. Students of color still largely underperform on standardized tests, have lower graduation rates and fewer educational opportunities as a result of receiving lower funding due to past policies such as redlining and job discrimination, which put them in poorer neighborhoods.
Fortunately, it seemed for a while as though we’d gained significant enough ground to build upon, beginning to close the gaps in educational attainment and providing support through affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. These programs aimed to factor in people’s socioeconomic background into education and recruitment processes to prevent historic patterns of discrimination from persisting.
Today, to say these programs are controversial would be an understatement. They are caught up in constant scrutiny from those who believe that it is unfair to consider the past when deciding on the present and are worried that this will only swing the pendulum of discrimination rather than do away with it. However, the momentum of past policies will continue to hang over the heads of generations to come unless an outside force is introduced. DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — is that outside force.
Some students, as a result of their status and family history, must work harder to earn less. As presidential candidate Kamala Harris aptly stated, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” DEI allows these people to be recognized and fairly rewarded for their persistent efforts alongside their merit.
Brown served as a critical moment in history, which encompassed decades of struggle and a reengineering of mainstream political ideology. At the time, many were strongly against the ruling. That does not serve to prove it wrong. Similarly, no matter how contested it is, DEI is still necessary in promoting equal opportunity in America; the bigger question is how it should be implemented.
For any one policy, there are endless ways to implement it. There are also many different policies that can be installed to achieve the same goal. The most obvious step is to increase the funding, training and overall quality of education for everyone, considering that American schools, on average, underperform when compared to countries of similar economic disposition.
An alternative application could be focusing DEI more heavily on class rather than people’s immutable characteristics. It’s far less controversial, and since economic oppression is a significant component of one’s social status, it would still benefit the people who need it most. Nonetheless, America must make room for these conversations to be had.
We like to believe that in due time, justice naturally prevails. But in this skew of mind, we tend to forget all the decades of lawsuits and appeals, the forgotten names that paved the way for the victory of Brown. In the same vein with which we respect the struggles of the past, we must not take the future for granted. A better future will not fall out of a coconut tree. It must be fought for, it must be carried out, and most importantly, it must be debated.
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Silas Buryak is a rising senior at Moanalua High School.
“Raise Your Hand,” a monthly column featuring Hawaii’s youth and their perspectives, appears in the Insight section on the first Sunday of each month. It is facilitated by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders.
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