2008 Woodie Awards
President of MPS, Blewett, at Downtown Milwaukee Campus
Glynis Reed
Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Features
Words often inspire us. Sometimes those words usually are followed by some type of struggle or come when we need that extra push. Phrases like "separate but equal" were thought to be enough to "sooth the savage beast" of racism.
Recently, I was introduced to the phrase "with all deliberate speed." These words were the title of the movie I watched and these words followed the United States Supreme Court decision in the landmark case of Brown v. The Board of Education, a case that confronted and started the segregation movement.
Thurgood Marshall was the attorney for Brown v. the Board of Education. He sued to outlaw segregation and created desegregation. The words of the justice when the case was decided were: Does segregation in public schools, solely on the basis of race, deprive children of the minority group of equal education opportunities? We believe it does. We've concluded unanimously that the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.
On Monday, April 21, 2008, Peter Blewett, president of the Milwaukee School Board, came to the Downtown Milwaukee Campus to speak about how MPS is carrying on the July 2007 decision of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In that decision the court said that "Race may not be used to assign students to a certain school."
I asked Mr. Blewett what is it he wanted people to know. He said, "I came to MATC to speak about segregation and desegregation and how it affects Milwaukee Public Schools and national events."
Saying that he wanted people to know "it's been 50 years since Brown v. The Board of Education and in the last 20 years we have made some progress and progress has retreated. I feel that over the last 25 years there is now more segregation than before. I believe that we should not continue in the same direction that we have in the last 25 years." He added, "The state of Wisconsin incarcerates more African-Americans than any other state in the U.S.A."
Recently, I was introduced to the phrase "with all deliberate speed." These words were the title of the movie I watched and these words followed the United States Supreme Court decision in the landmark case of Brown v. The Board of Education, a case that confronted and started the segregation movement.
Thurgood Marshall was the attorney for Brown v. the Board of Education. He sued to outlaw segregation and created desegregation. The words of the justice when the case was decided were: Does segregation in public schools, solely on the basis of race, deprive children of the minority group of equal education opportunities? We believe it does. We've concluded unanimously that the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.
On Monday, April 21, 2008, Peter Blewett, president of the Milwaukee School Board, came to the Downtown Milwaukee Campus to speak about how MPS is carrying on the July 2007 decision of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In that decision the court said that "Race may not be used to assign students to a certain school."
I asked Mr. Blewett what is it he wanted people to know. He said, "I came to MATC to speak about segregation and desegregation and how it affects Milwaukee Public Schools and national events."
Saying that he wanted people to know "it's been 50 years since Brown v. The Board of Education and in the last 20 years we have made some progress and progress has retreated. I feel that over the last 25 years there is now more segregation than before. I believe that we should not continue in the same direction that we have in the last 25 years." He added, "The state of Wisconsin incarcerates more African-Americans than any other state in the U.S.A."
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