Bill Text: DE HCR25 | 2021-2022 | 151st General Assembly | Draft
Bill Title: Recognizing May 17, 2021 As The 67th Anniversary Of Brown V. Board Of Education Of Topeka.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 40-8)
Status: (Enrolled - Dead) 2021-05-13 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES [HCR25 Detail]
Download: Delaware-2021-HCR25-Draft.html
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SPONSOR: |
Rep. Griffith & Sen. Sturgeon & Sen. Brown |
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Reps. Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Briggs King, Bush, Carson, Chukwuocha, Cooke, Dorsey Walker, Heffernan, K. Johnson, Kowalko, Lambert, Longhurst, Lynn, Matthews, Minor-Brown, Mitchell, S. Moore, Morrison, Osienski, Schwartzkopf, K. Williams, Wilson-Anton |
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 25
RECOGNIZING MAY 17, 2021 AS THE 67TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF TOPEKA.
WHEREAS, May 17, 2021 marks the 67 th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ; and
WHEREAS, in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson , the Supreme Court held that the doctrine of “separate but equal” did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, allowing state-mandated segregation laws to remain; and
WHEREAS, citizens in the communities of Claymont and Hockessin solicited the counsel of Louis L. Redding, the state’s first African American attorney, to address racial segregation in Delaware’s education system; and
WHEREAS, resident Sarah Bulah’s request to the Department of Public Instruction and the Governor to provide her child, Shirley, with bus transportation was denied as Shirley could not ride on a bus serving white children; and
WHEREAS, African American parents living in Claymont petitioned the all-white Claymont High School to admit their children into the school and were denied; and
WHEREAS, these historic cases became known as Belton v. Gebhart and Bulah v. Gebhart in the Delaware Court of Chancery; and
WHEREAS, Louis L. Redding argued that state laws requiring school segregation by race denied African American students their constitutional right to equal protection under the law; and
WHEREAS, Chief Judge of the Delaware Court of Chancery, Collins J. Seitz, ruled that the facilities and programs at the all-black schools were not equal and ordered the students to be allowed to enroll in the all-white schools; and
WHEREAS, the ruling in Bulah v. Gebhart was the first substantial legal victory for those opposed to the institutional practice of segregation in Delaware and in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the ruling did not apply broadly, as Chancellor Seitz opined that the responsibility of striking down the principle of “separate but equal” belonged to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the State Supreme Court affirmed his opinion; and
WHEREAS, Belton and Bulah were consolidated as Belton (Bulah) v. Gebhart to join four other cases before the Supreme Court, and was a part of Brown v. Board of Education decision; and
WHEREAS, the unanimous ruling in Brown v. Board of Education reversed a previous ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson and found that “separate but equal accommodations” were a violation of the 14th amendment and denied persons of color the equal protection of the laws of the United States; and
WHEREAS, the ruling found that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” effectively beginning the end of racial segregation in our public schools; and
WHEREAS, the ruling’s impacts were even more broadly felt, instituting the principle that the Constitution forbids segregation on the basis of race in any instance;
WHEREAS, an integrated society is one that fosters a greater sharing of cultures, ideas, and values, resulting in a richer community experience for all citizens; and
WHEREAS, we must continue to work towards ensuring that we provide the resources necessary to make sure that our schools are accommodating and effective for students of all backgrounds
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 151 st General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that we recognize and honor May 17, 2021 as the 67 th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka .
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House and Senate recognize and honor the courage and fortitude of Louis L. Redding, Collins J. Seitz, Sarah Bulah, Shirley Bulah, Ethel Louise Belton, and the Claymont parents and students that sparked the action leading to Belton v. Gebhart .
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House and Senate recognize that the work against institutional racism must be continued by all Delawareans.
SYNOPSIS
This Resolution recognizes May 17, 2021 as the 67th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
