The segregation in education began with Plessy v. Ferguson of 1896. Plessy v. Ferguson, “which upheld the doctrine that ‘separate but equal’ facilities for blacks and whites were constitutionally permissible, justified separate (usually inferior education of African American children in both the North and South” (Cusher, 2015, p. 38). The segregation of schools continued until 1954. The ruling of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka laid the foundation of desegregation in the public school systems. As a result of this case, the Supreme Court “declared that ‘separate but equal has no place in public education’ and that ‘separate facilities are inherently unequal’” (Cushner, 2015, p. 44).
After the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka provided the start for desegregation in the schools, “on September 4, 1957, nine black teenagers attempting to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the first time were turned away by the National Guard, which was called out by Governor Orval Faubus ‘to preserve the peace and aert violence’” (Cushner, 2015, p. 33). Central High School was just one of a variety of methods to block integration, …show more content…
According to 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience, “On March 3, 1981, following a high-speed chase, African American motorist Rodney King was subdued with extreme force and arrested by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)” (Wynn, 2009, p. 67). Black community was shocked at this incident because the beating was recorded on the videotape. U.S. News & World Report reported that “the episode received national attention, and many observers cited the videotape as evidence of endemic police brutality against African American suspects” (Gergen, 1992). However, this event did not cause the civil unrest, but acted as a root of the