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Episcopalians join commission commemorating historic Brown decision
2002-283-6
12/19/2002
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[Episcopal News Service]
Episcopalians join commission commemoratinTwo Episcopalians from parishes in the Diocese of Kansas are among those appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on a new commission charged with designing ways to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka that effectively struck down school segregation in America.
Deborah Dandridge, a member of St. David's in Topeka and Jesse Milan of St. Martin's in Edwardsville, are two of the 21 members on the nationwide panel.
The group will design public education activities to mark the anniversary on May 17, 2004 of the court's decision that struck down the 'separate but equal' policy in the United States. The commission was created by an act of Congress and was signed into law by President Bush in September 2001.
Dandridge, who is an archivist and researcher at the University of Kansas, was selected for membership by Topeka's Brown Foundation. Milan, who is president of the Kansas Chapter of the NAACP, was selected by Bush as one of the representatives of the state of Kansas.
Dandridge said, 'To me this commission represents one of the important ways our nation will be honoring a Supreme Court decision that revolutionized race relations and sparked hope for others around the world to work for social change without violence or war.' Milan, who has been active in civil rights issues for decades, said, 'This is one of the points in my life where I can do what I always have tried to do--make life better for people in the future.'
Dandridge said one of the goals of the commission is to work with textbook companies to expand the information on the Brown case presented to schoolchildren. Milan agreed that information is critical to people's understanding of the case and its ramifications for American society. But he wants to push the commission to go further. 'The group must address the greater question of equal protection under the 14th amendment,' he said. 'We have to look to the future and think about the kind of America we want.'
Milan also said he hopes this new role will provide him the opportunity to visit with church groups about how they can participate in this commemoration and develop ways to discuss issues of race in their congregations. 'It is a gift from God to have two Episcopalians on this commission,' he said. 'This really is a teaching moment.'
ic Brown decision
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