The College of Charleston is hosting a series of events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision.

On Friday, April 4, 2014, “Charleston and Educational Equality: The Role of Briggs in the Brown decision” will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the historic federal courthouse in downtown Charleston. This is a public panel that will focus on the historic significance of the Briggs vs. Elliott decision. Invited guest speakers include federal Judge Richard Gergel; Jack Bass, author of Unlikely Heroes, a book about the southern federal judges that shaped the Brown decision; Joseph De Laine, the son of Rev. De Laine, the activist who first initiated the lawsuit, and Dave Dennis, former 1961 Freedom Rider, retired civil rights lawyer, and co-organizer of the Algebra Project (with Robert Moses).

On Thursday April 10, 2014, a public forum entitled “From Equality to Quality: A Public Forum on Quality Education with Civil Rights Activists and Mayor Joe Riley” will b held at the College of Charleston from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Panelists include the Honorable Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Robert Moses, legendary civil rights activist, and two local Charleston activists, Dave Dennis, and Millicent Brown. Each panelist will speak briefly about their involvement in the twentieth century civil rights movement, and will discuss current efforts to implement equal access to quality education in South Carolina and across the nation. Maurice Cannon, principal of Burke High School, will moderate the event.


[Related: Learn more about the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance.]


“Our goal in hosting these events is to ensure the role of South Carolina in the historic decision that overturned segregation in schools is remembered, says Jon Hale, professor of educational history. “We want to continue the important conversation about the status of quality education for all students 60 years after the Brown decision.”

For more information, contact Hale at 843.953.6354 or halejn@cofc.edu.