Historical Context
In May of 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States of America released its ruling on the federal case Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka. This landmark court case deemed it illegal for any public school to segregate students based on their race. Rooted in antiquated beliefs that buttressed the enslavement of People of African descent in the nation for over 250 years, the “separate but equal” doctrine became legal in the Jim Crow South in 1891 with the Plessy v. Ferguson decision and laid the groundwork for the disenfranchisement, subjugation, and terrorization of Black people and communities for the following 60 years. During which, schools for African Americans were systematically underfunded in comparison to their white counterparts often resulting in the “double taxation” of Black communities. In combination with the destruction of thriving Black townships all over the nation, these cyclical denials of equal education would only expand the wealth and education gaps in the country.
Despite igniting the Civil Rights Movement, the desegregation of public schools was a slow and disheartening process for many African Americans. In addition to the physical, emotional, and mental trauma experienced by many Black children during the process, many Black teachers, staff, and administrators suffered the termination of their employment resulting in learning environments that lacked cultural competence and community cohesion. In the years following, African American students have consistently had lower graduation rates and testing scores than their White counterparts, and, increased likeliness to be diagnosed with learning/emotional disabilities. This has led directly to many of these children being funneled into the School-to-Prison Pipeline.
Symposium Overview
As we embark on the 3rd Annual Symposium for Disability and Accessibility at Yale, we take time to reflect on the historical significance of the Brown v. Board of Education decision and to critically reflect on the educational landscape at the nexus of blackness and disability 7 decades later. Conversations of exploration include:
- How do race and disability intersect in education?
- What have been the positive and negative ramifications of desegregation on Black youth?
- What are the experiences of students and families at the intersection of race and disability?
- What are the historical aftermaths of the Brown v. Board of Education decision?
- The engagement of teachers to be culturally competent and create an accessible classroom
- Race, disability, and the law
- Cross-cultural unification in the disability community
- Race, disability, and the Carceral State
- Disability, race, and the Arts
- Race and Mental Health
- Lived experiences and advocacy
- Education and trauma-informed pedagogies