Where Do We Go From Here? Assessing the Limits and Possibilities of Education for Black People in the U.S., 70 Years after Brown

In this paper we consider how race and racial inequality continue to shape the experience of Black students in schools and educational institutions throughout the US. We begin by exploring the legacy of Brown and its significance for schools today. From there we explore the nature of the racial barriers that continue to obstruct educational opportunity for millions of Black children, (although Black students are the focus of this paper, we recognize that not only Black children are affected by inequality in educational opportunities) using the case of Los Angeles to draw attention to the ways in which lack of opportunity within schools corresponds to lack of opportunity and hardship outside of school. Our goal is to draw lessons from schools that appear to serve Black students well, whether they are integrated or not, so that they can be applied in other schools. Beyond documenting challenges facing Black people in US schools in the third decade of the 21st century, we intend to use this paper to also explore King’s critical question:
Where do we go from here? As we assess prospects for ensuring equitable educational opportunities for Black people in the United States on the 70th anniversary of the historic Brown decision, we believe King’s question is as pertinent now as it was in 1967. Throughout this paper we argue that even in the face of significant constraints created by the exploitative and exclusionary patterns of racial capitalism (Robinson, 2000; Glaude, 2017), education will continue to be important to the future prospects of Black people in America. For this reason
we conclude by describing some of the educational change strategies that are most likely to make it possible for King’s dreams of justice to be fulfilled.