By Dr. Kim Wiley, MCJ Director, Education Equity
When the Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional in 1954, it was a turning point in the fight for equity and justice in education. Brown v. Board of Education put a national spotlight on one of the grossest inequities in education. However, it did not mean the work was finished. Instead, it meant the work to provide all children with equal opportunity had just begun.
The ruling expanded the rights and opportunities of many students. It made explicit what parents and students were owed. It planted seeds that would grow into the disability rights movement in education and generations of advocates demanding better.
Our education equity work at the Mississippi Center for Justice builds on the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education but remains clear-eyed about how much remains to fulfill the promise of this landmark case.
The Challenges We Face
Mississippi has some of the most entrenched school segregation in the country. Today, 32 school districts remain under active federal desegregation orders. District boundary lines, rooted in decades-old decisions, continue to divide communities by race and income. When a family cannot afford to live in a well-resourced neighborhood, their children are assigned to an under-resourced school and the cycle reinforces itself.
The rise of school voucher programs is part of this story too. Born directly out of white resistance to integration after Brown, voucher systems have been rebranded as “school choice,” but the effect is the same: public dollars diverted away from the students who need them most. Our work is to fight for equitable funding and ensure that every child in Mississippi has access to a school that is fully invested in their future.
We are also watching the spread of anti-DEI legislation and efforts to erase the history of racism and civil rights from school curricula. You cannot understand America without understanding Mississippi. You cannot build a just future while suppressing the truth of the past. These laws are not about protecting children; they are about twisting the truth and pushing a specific political agenda forward.
The Opportunities Ahead
Brown opened doors that are still swinging wider.
Brown did something lasting: it established a legal and moral framework for inclusion. From that foundation grew the disability rights movement in education, affirming that every child — regardless of ability — deserves a full and meaningful education. We’ve stood with families across Mississippi to ensure those rights are not just words in a statute but realities in their children’s classrooms.
The ruling also made clear that parents and students are not passive recipients of education — they are rights-holders with a voice in how schools serve them. That principle has opened the door for us to build real partnerships with the communities we serve, bringing families into the work of shaping the schools their children deserve.
As we celebrate the 72nd anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, we encourage you to join us in building a fair and equitable education system that serves all students in Mississippi. You can learn more about our education equity work here: https://mscenterforjustice.org/our-work/education-equity/.