As part of NCHC's tribute to Dr. Ada Long (1945-2024), this response to "Honors as Neighborhood" (1995) encourages scholars and practitioners to (re)consider the problems with conceptualizing honors programs as neighborhoods given the systemic inequalities associated with both. Drawing from experience at an R1 regional institution in the…

Although the United States Supreme Court declared segregation in education under law unconstitutional in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, the public high schools in Jackson, Mississippi, would remain segregated until 1970. The present study examines the effects of this social climate on the high school band programs in…

On this 50th-year anniversary of "Alexander v. Holmes Board of Education" (1969) nationally enforcing school desegregation in fall 1970, Mississippi is being sued for racial disparities in public education between Black students and White students in Williams et al. v. Bryant et al. (2017). Using quantitative and qualitative primary…

In this paper, I examine the use of litigation as a strategic tool of resistance for thwarting school desegregation. Utilizing "Cowan v. Bolivar County Board of Education" as a case study, I argue that, despite losing the constitutional right to racially segregate public schools according to an explicit white supremacist doctrine, whites…

What accounts for the variation in southern state colleges and universities responses to initial desegregation? This article analyzes southern state university responses to qualified Black students' applications to historically white public colleges. Furthermore, the study tests V.O. Key's hypothesis in Southern Politics in State and Nation--that…

Historical racial segregation within Mississippi's public universities and colleges has led to litigation that spanned 25 years and eventually led to sweeping changes in policies and practices. Among these changes were the standardization of admission criteria and the creation of the Summer Developmental Program (SDP). This study sought to better…

In 1956, southern Congressmen signed the Southern Manifesto, rejecting the Supreme Court's "Brown v. Board of Education" ruling. This moment, in the general American consciousness, marked the rise of White massive resistance to Black advancement, a racist foray doomed to be swept aside by civil rights forces and a determined federal…

The purpose of this case study was to examine how Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) implemented the negotiated ruling of the "Ayers" desegregation lawsuit and settlement to empower the institution and similarly situated historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The spoken and written words of three administrators of…

The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools was born out of the turbulent years of the Civil Rights Era. "Plessy v. Ferguson" in 1896 had established the doctrine of separate but equal facilities, including schools. While the decision in "Brown v. Board of Education," handed down by the Supreme Court in 1954, ruled that…

This article examines the contemporary role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in public higher education systems. The article is based on the premise that in order to address persistent questions about whether HBCUs are a relevant sector of public higher education, a contemporary, rather than historical, analysis is…

REVIEWED ARE VARIOUS LEGAL DECISIONS IN FEDERAL COURTS FOR TEACHER DESEGREGATION IN SOUTHERN SCHOOLS. THE COURTS HAVE STATED THEIR ORDERS FOR FACULTY DESEGREGATION IN RATHER GENERAL TERMS OR SET A STANDARD OF ONE OR TWO TEACHERS WHOSE RACE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE MAJORITY AT A GIVEN SCHOOL. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE "SOUTHERN EDUCATION…

Using Mississippi and North Carolina as cases, the author examines progress made toward the desegregation of enrollments in public colleges and universities. Enrollment trends are analyzed in the context of contemporary social, legal, and educational policy initiatives intended to desegregate dual systems of public higher education. Despite more…

Describes a plan to end Mississippi's 26-year-old college desegregation case, which is hailed by government officials but criticized by others, who say it fails to improve access to college for black students. (EV)

The Brown Decision, whose 50th Anniversary was observed in 2004, was a landmark case that ended the doctrine of separate but equal. During the observation of the anniversary, many pundits reflected on the political, social, and historical significance of Brown. This article takes a different approach in reflecting on the importance of Brown. A…

James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi 24 hours after Kennedy was inaugurated. His struggle, the efforts of the state to exclude him, and the delay tactics waged by Ole Miss are described. Escorted by federal marshals, Meredith eventually registered in October 1962. (SLD)