Free Write quiz (bell, brown, and courts) Flashcards
What is Bell’s arguement
Civil rights victories are achieved not through moral or political convictions alone, but when the gains for Black people also benefit white people, or at least don’t threaten their interests. Bell used the Brown decision as a prime example of interest convergence, arguing that the desegregation of schools was not solely a moral imperative, but also served white interests by improving the nation’s image on the world stage during the Cold War. He believed that white people in power would not readily support policies that primarily benefit Black people if those policies also negatively impact their own interests. He suggests the interest of blacks in quality education might now be better served by concentration on improving the quality of existing schools, whether desegregated or all-black.
What is Brown v. Board of Education
1954, MO by Justice Warren. A group of parents sued the Topeka Board of Education with the complaint that the Board’s segregation policy was unconst because it violated the EPc of the 14th amend. SC reevaluated separate but equal and found that they were inherently unequal so they overruled it. Used social science that said segregation was harmful to black children. The decision failed to specify directions or orders for how schools should be integrated and many local officials and school officials refused to cooperate. Just one year later, the Court issued a second opinion in the case that ordered schools to proceed with desegregation “with all deliberate speed.”
