Russ Feingold: “It has been nearly 50 years since the Supreme Court ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of…”

“It has been nearly 50 years since the Supreme Court ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Then-Chief Justice Earl Warren said: "We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of `separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." This week, the tenet of equality that lies at the foundation of the Brown decision was reaffirmed and strengthened. In fact, it is becoming more and more infused into our Nation's increasingly diverse identity. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed the principle that diversity is a compelling national interest and that race can be a factor in higher education admissions decisions. The Court upheld the admissions policy at the University of Michigan Law School in Grutter v. Bollinger. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, on behalf of the 5-to-4 majority and citing Brown, wrote: "This Court has long recognized that 'education . . . is the very foundation of good citizenship." O'Connor stated for the Court: In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.”