Rethinking Brown

I read the papers, so of course I knew that South Dakota's legislature is mounting what amounts to a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.

As famous civil rights cases go, I've expected something like that for a long time.

But in this day and age, I never dreamed anyone would seriously attempt to challenge Brown v. Board of Education.

The Nebraska State Legislature had other ideas... and the representative leading the charge for the re-segregation of the Omaha public schools is an African-American:

In a move decried by some as state-sponsored segregation, the Legislature voted Thursday to divide the Omaha school system into three districts -- one mostly black, one predominantly white and one largely Hispanic.

Supporters said the plan would give minorities control over their own school board and ensure that their children are not shortchanged in favor of white youngsters.

[...]

"There is no intent to create segregation," said Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, the Legislature's only black senator and a longtime critic of the school system.

He argued that the district is already segregated, because it no longer buses students for integration and instead requires them to attend their neighborhood school.

Chambers said the schools attended largely by minorities lack the resources and quality teachers provided others in the district. He said the black students he represents in north Omaha would receive a better education if they had more control over their district.

Omaha school district to split along racial lines (AP via CNN)