9/22/04

A panel discussion focusing on the fifty years since Brown and this landmark decision's legacy for access to justice and other equal justice initiatives will take place on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at the Lansing Center. This program, which is entitled: "Connecting the Dots: Brown v Board and its Impact on Equal Justice," will be held from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. in Room 102 and is being offered in conjunction with the State Bar of Michigan's 69th Annual Meeting. The Bar's Equal Access Initiative, chaired by Charlotte H. Johnson, organized the forum.

The discussion will explore the connections between Brown and access to justice. The panelists will address the significance of Brown beyond the education sphere and discuss how this ground breaking decision evolved as an access facilitator, exploring its successes, failures and future implications. One of the program's goals is to identify avenues for forward movement on civil rights issues.

Brown v Board of Education is a 1954 US Supreme Court decision that struck down the previous doctrine of "separate but equal" within public education and required the desegregation of schools across America.

The panel members are: Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive Director Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law from Washington, DC; Linda V. Parker Director, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and Frank H. Wu Dean, Wayne State University Law School. The Honorable Cynthia Stephens, Co-Chair of the State Bar of Michigan Standing Committee on Justice Initiatives and judge of the 3rd Judicial Circuit in Wayne County will moderate the panel . The panel discussion is free and open to all.

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