This article explores the legacies of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision within the historical context of race relations in the United States. The pursuit by African Americans to exercise their rights of citizenship is described as influenced by the changing face of fear. The Supreme Court decisions that determined the status of African Americans provide the framework for the description of the strategies (e.g. litigation, community protest, and electoral politics that were used in the past). The last section looks to the future, assessing the current changes in the social and economic status of African Americans. Can education still make a difference and keep the promise of social justice, equity, and equality—the fundamental values on which the nation was founded—alive? Will new fears emerge even as some progress is made toward a more integrated society?
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