Mount Vernon NAACP holds Brown v. Board of Education celebration at MVHS

Mount Vernon community members visited Mount Vernon High School for an educational celebration of the 70th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education on Friday, May 17, 2024. The Mount Vernon chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) held the celebration to recognize figures who fought against segregation and to acknowledge the progress that is still needed.

Judge Nichelle A. Johnson, Judge Tamika A. Coverdale and Attorney Mayo Bartlett served as panelists and held a discussion about the history of segregation in the United States and in New York. 

The film “Separate but Not Equal: The Stories Behind Brown v. Board of Education,” was screened before the discussion began. The film chronicled the events leading up to the Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation unconstitutional.

“Things that we try to say happened a long time ago, did not,” said Mr. Bartlett. "We’re talking about things that are recent. The people we are reading about, the people you saw there (in the film), those are the people we see when we walk outside. Everybody in this room is a survivor of Jim Crow, from the youngest child to whoever the oldest among us is.” 

Judge Coverdale discussed the lesser-known women who played pivotal roles in the civil rights movement, including Judge Constance Baker Motley. 

“We have to do better, it has to be the entire story, so that everyone knows the truth,” said Judge Coverdale. “We thought it was important for you to know about Judge Constance Baker Motley. She is extremely important in this part of civil rights because without her, the case may not have gone that way.” 

Several members of the crowd asked civil rights related questions during the panel discussion. Nazir Garnett, a DWSA graduate who is interning for Judge Johnson, asked about how dissenting opinions affect the development of laws. 

“We couldn’t let the day go without celebrating the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education,” said Judge Johnson, “We have to honor the people who led that fight: regular people, the attorneys and even judges. The dissenting opinions of some of those judges that stood up are very important, so we recognize that.” 

At the end of the discussion, Judge Coverdale noted how important it is for the youth to know about the history of civil rights and what came before them because they can effect change as well. She encouraged young people to go into the courts and see the possibilities of what they can do in their lives.