Speaking at the 57th anniversary commemoration of the 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision, Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday called the case the greatest one ever decided by the court and said the struggle for civil rights is not over.
Holder spoke at the commemoration in Topeka, Kan., the home of the 1954 ruling that stated that separate public schools for black and white students are unconstitutional. He was introduced by his wife, Dr. Sharon Malone, whose sister was one of the first black students to attend the University of Alabama. Malone’s sister became the first black graduate of the school.
In prepared remarks, Holder said, “The work of upholding civil rights in – and beyond – our schools is far from over. And so long as discrimination and division continue to keep Americans apart and create obstacles to prosperity, we must continue to stand vigilant – and to speak out – against injustice in all its forms.”
He added that the nation continues to struggle with civil rights issues. “There are still too many children whose opportunities in life are limited by the circumstances of their births,” he said. “There are too many neighborhoods that continue to be menaced by gun-, gang-, and drug-fueled violence – and too many communities where young people are more likely to go to prison than to college.”
Holder has been criticized by some conservatives for his handling of civil rights issues. The DOJ’s handling of a case against members of the New Black Panther Party has drawn backlash from conservatives. The members of the anti-white fringe group allegedly intimidated voters by wearing military-style clothing outside a polling place in a black Philadelphia neighborhood during the November 2008 election. One of the men held a nightstick.
Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) in March pushed Holder about the case at a House hearing, claiming that the Attorney General allows reverse racism to flourish in the DOJ Civil Rights Division. A testy Holder vehemently disputed the accusation.
