12
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2004
50 YEARS LATER
Brown v. Board of Education
Nation
still feels
effects of
decision
BY CLEVE R. WOOTSON JR.
STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
Jack Alexander remembers
segregation. The 73-year-old
Topeka, Kan., native remembers
walking out of his house on his
way to grade school.
To his right, one block down
the road, was a school only whites
could attend. Three blocks to his
left was an all-black school.
“I don’t remember ever ques
tioning why I couldn’t go to the
school on the right” he said.
Alexander’s education was
marked by the Brown v. Board of
Education case. His hometown
was the center of one of the most
important cases ever to reach the
U.S. Supreme Court.
The court combined five legal
disputes under the Brown v.
Board of Education heading
the class-action lawsuits all
sought an end to the same thing.
The separate but equal doc
trine said blacks and whites
could have equal facilities that
were segregated by race.
But the Brown decision,
which marks its 50th anniver
sary May 17, was about more
than schools, said Perry Hall,
UNC professor of African &
Afro-American studies.
“To some people (the case)
means integration, but to me
that’s not the most important
thing,” he said. “The decision
itself didn’t do anything except
hang the words on paper, but it
did lay the groundwork for black
folks themselves to talk about
how they’re going to achieve
progress in their lives.”
A statement by the Supreme
Court, Alexander said, was more
important in his city than years
of riots and civil rights marches
and centuries of racial tension.
“Without Brown, we would
not have civil and human rights
activities as we know them
today,” Alexander said. “For me,
it was the bedrock of civil rights.”
The supreme law of the land
said everyone in the nation was
equal, regardless of his skin
color, Alexander said. That
opened a lot of people’s eyes.
“Once that system was broke
down... and we decided that we
would do away with separate but
equal, then people got to looking
at (other things).”
Bill Richards, the president of
the Topeka chapter of the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
that represented Oliver Brown
and nearly 200 other Kansans in
the case, said the 1954 decision
was the nail in the coffin for abol
ishing apartheid for blacks in the
United States and the beginning
of anew social awareness for
blacks across the nation.
On paper, the Brown ruling
was an ending, putting a stop to a
doctrine that divided Americans.
But many say Brown was the first
step in a long fight for equality
that stretches into the present.
“It took the civil rights move
ment itself, with all the struggles
and marches and boycotts and
violence and sacrifice, to actual
ly bring about change on the
ground,” Hall said.
“There are students who are
not much older than you that say
they experienced the process of
desegregation.... There clearly is
a lot of work before we can say
there is anything like equal edu
cation opportunity for all people.”
Richards said the city still is
making progress 50 years later.
He said other things indirectly
related to race and socio-econom
ic status leave a lot of problems
with which they must deal. “We’re
still in the struggle,” he said.
That’s why Jack Alexander
says it’s not enough that he mere
ly remembers the Brown case.
He says he has to talk about it
with his five great-grandchil
dren. “Some of us lived through
that period of time and were a
part of some change, and hope
fully when they look back they
can see how, hopefully, the com
munity is getting better at deal
ing (with) that problem.”
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
In June of 1951, almost three years before the landmark
Supreme Court case that ruled the doctrine of “separate
but equal” unconstitutional, the University admitted to
its School of Law the campus’ first black students.
But it was not until 1955 —one year after the ruling in
Brown v. Board of Education that UNC fully integrated.
Under increased pressure from the National Assocation for
the Advancement of Colored People, officials repealed a
policy forbidding blacks from enrolling as undergraduates.
What started as a lawsuit to correct inequalities in the
Topeka, Kan., school system had ballooned into a reform
movement that forever altered the face of education.
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North Carolina guard Charlie Scott averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game after becoming the first black scholarship athlete at UNC.
LEADING THE WAY
Scott, Smith blaze a trail for black scholarship athletes at North Carolina
BY BRIAN MACPHERSON
SPORTS EDITOR
Dean Smith had his priorities straight when
it came to responding-to criticism.
When the longtime North Carolina basket
ball coach received a disparaging letter from an
alumnus shortly after awarding a scholarship
to Charles Scott, the school’s first black schol
arship athlete, he went straight to the files.
“I check this guy’s Educational Foundation
contributions, and it was like $25,” he said. “I
didn’t write a nice letter back. I would have if
he had given like SI,OOO.
“But I said that I’m the coach, and I make
the recruiting decisions. If we don’t win and
you’re not happy, then get me fired.”
But Scott who could not be reached for
this story didn’t exactly get his coach fired.
His unique talent wasn’t the only justifica
tion for his place on the roster, either. He
showed the strength of character necessary to
break down color barriers in the ACC.
He likely wouldn’t have chosen to take that
path, however, if he hadn’t seen those same
qualities in his coach.
He was impressed when Smith took him to
his predominantly white church to worship
during his recruiting visit.
“It showed me that if I went to Carolina, I’d
Black coaching candidates still face challenges
As an African American, I
have been truly blessed. I
have reaped the benefits of
the hardship endured by black
pioneers in the past for my sake
in the present and future.
They suffered the stinging sen
sation of a high-pressure blast
from fire hoses so I could vote in
the next election.
They took repeated blows to
the head so I could eat at the
restaurant of my choice.
They tolerated the spit and
curses that laced the words of
white protesters so I could attain
the best education and career
possible.
It’s been a long time coming,
but there’s still a long way to go.
While blacks have been able to
assimilate into common aspects
of American life through time,
the opportunities given to black
coaches in athletics have proven
to be unacceptable.
Only five of 117 Division I
NCAA football teams 4.3 per
cent have a black head coach at
the helm. NCAA basketball, a
sport dominated by black players,
yields a rate of only 20 percent.
In its 71st year, the SEC finally
got around to welcoming a black
football coach when Mississippi
State hired Sylvester Croom in
December.
Compare these numbers with
the fact that blacks comprise
more than half the student-ath
lete population in the revenue
just be one of the guys,” Scott wrote in an arti
cle after his career. “That’s what makes you feel
comfortable when you’re afraid. And make no
mistake, I was scared about what I was doing.”
He found comfort, though, in the tolerance
of his coach. One incident early in Scott’s career
deeply influenced his perspective of Smith.
When Scott arrived late for practice in
Carmichael Auditorium one day, Smith told
Scott to don a 25-pound vest and run the steps
of the bleachers, as per team policy.
“Though he usually ran us for about 10 min
utes, I was up there for half an hour,” Scott
wrote. “When I finally came down, he said,
‘Oh, Charles, I’m sorry, I forgot about you. I
thought you were out there practicing.’
“I said, ‘Coach, I’m the only black guy on this
team. How could you not notice I wasn’t out
there?’ The man just didn’t see color.”
Scott’s ability on the court also proved
Smith’s instincts correct he scored 17.6
points per game in his sophomore season.
The next season, he hit a last-second jumper
to hand UNC an 87-85 win against Davidson.
The win propelled the Tar Heels to their third
consecutive Final Four.
It was that success, in fact, that helped erase
any racial tensions that might have existed
within the team.
BRANDON PARKER
COLUMNIST
sports of basketball and football,
and the preposterous situation in
intercollegiate athletics today
becomes clear.
The covert tactics and excuses
that have been utilized against
blacks in past hiring processes for
head coaches are embarrassingly
blatant. 1
Maybe an administrator
wants someone with prior head
coaching experience. But by
implementing this criterion, the
field is narrowed from hundreds
of black candidates to no more
than 10.
After eliminating those blacks
who currently serve as head
coaches, the applications of eligi
ble minority contenders easily
could be— and usually are lost
among those of white applicants.
Maybe a school requires an
advanced college degree in order
to be considered for the job.
But it’s important to remember
that blacks are celebrating only
the 50th anniversary of the inte
gration of public schools. That
process still is not complete.
Yet blacks are expected to have
At the K-12 level, municipalities were faced with the chal
lenge of desegregation. Black-only high schools shut down,
and officials were forced to work around deep prejudices to
create an accepting environment for all races.
In higher education, everything from campus activism to
collegiate athletics underwent significant changes. The for
mation of groups like UNC’s Black Student Movement
showed that students were unwilling to sit back and accept
discrimination. On the playing field, color barriers quickly
fell as coaches chose players based on merit rather than race.
Now, 50 years after the Brown ruling, race relations are
still improving —and the case’s legacy remains relevant.
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But it wasn’t the only reason Scott bonded
with his teammates. Smith required that play
ers rotate roommate pairings on road trips,
and the team developed into a close-knit unit.
“The thing about a basketball team is that
you have a common goal,” Smith said. “That’s
why they are buddies.”
Individually, though, Scott began to domi
nate. He averaged 22.3 points and 7.1 rebounds
per game in his junior season, and he averaged
27-1 points per game in his senior season.
The ACC Player of the Year voting after
Scott’s junior season, in fact, created the only
racial conflict in which Smith became involved
Smith argued vehemently that Scott had
earned the award, but the exclusively white
media chose John Roche of South Carolina.
“That year, I don’t think there was a better
player than Charles Scott,” he said.
Despite that controversy, Smith tried to
minimize his own contribution to the improve
ment of racial relations in the South.
“I wasn’t into the Branch Rickey type, want
ing to get everything at once,” Smith said. “But
if I could have had five scholarship guys like
Charles Scott, we would have had them.”
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
better academic credentials than
people of a race that has experi
enced superior educational
opportunities for more than 200
years.
“In some ways, that’s like if you
had played basketball for only six
months and you had to go up
against someone who has been
playing ball all of their life,” said
UNC co-defensive coordinator
Marvin Sanders. “It doesn’t
match up.”
Maybe an athletic director is
afraid of how the alumni and
boosters will react to the hiring of
a black head coach.
But are the alumni at Georgia
Tech complaining about Paul
Hewitt?
Was there a negative reaction
by the boosters at Michigan,
Rutgers, Oregon or lowa State
after their trips to the 2004 NIT
semifinals with a black head
coach leading the way?
Granted, jobs are on the line
for both coaches and administra
tors when hiring takes place.
But what is the difference
between the risk taken when hir
ing a white coach and when hir
ing a black coach?
Both start with a record of 0-0
and have equal potential to suc
ceed or fail although the stan
dard for measuring progress isn’t
necessarily the same.
And don’t let a black coach
partake in the same erratic
behavior as party animal Larry
Eustachy, or strip-club patron
Mike Price.
Unlike these two white coaches
who were given a second chance,
black coaches would be better off
sending in their permanent
retirement papers.
“Most coaches aren’t Moses,”
said Floyd Keith, executive direc
tor of the Black Coaches
Association. “They aren’t going to
part the Red Sea.
“If you aren’t successful right
away or mess up, your chances of
being rehired are nil.”
Black candidates can find
themselves in a lose-lose situation
stay quiet and wait for an
opportunity that might never
come or speak out against the
system and become a marked
man without a chance.
Legendary UNC coach Dean
Smith, a pioneer in the advance
ment of blacks in collegiate ath
letics, voiced the importance of
networking and connections. He
also is aware, however, of the
difficulty blacks can face in
doing so.
“I’ve always told assistants to
go to camps and get to know oth
ers,” Smith said. “I don’t know
any coach that will hire an assis
tant that he doesn’t know person
ally. But if you aren’t in the loop
and you are black, it gets harder
and harder.”
Keith pointed out that many
administrators aren’t usually
familiar with coaches at histori-
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INTEGRATION
FROM PAGE 1
willing to recognize its mistakes.
But he said it is important to
remember the past to move on in
the future.
In order to push for continued
diverse enrollment, Terri
Houston, director of on-campus
recruitment and support for the
Office of Minority Affairs, said
the office hosts programs that
enable minority families to visit
the University and share in the
“Carolina” experience.
“Our University has made it
clear that we are striving for a
diverse campus and being a wel
coming community,” Houston
said.
Houston said that UNC tries
to recruit faculty, staff and stu
dents from diverse backgrounds
to reassure applicants and minor
ity students that UNC welcomes
and encourages diversity.
“We talk about diversity, but
they can see it in the people that
are in the University” she said.
Chapman recognized the
strides the University has taken
over past decades, but he said
that often, mere diversity doesn’t
guarantee racial justice.
“The low-paid workers are
more diverse than they used to
be, but they are still being paid
minimum wages and treated
with disrespect,” he said.
UNC still is not perfectly inte
grated, many said, and efforts
must be made to ensure that
minorities feel welcome.
“There are things we can do
and things we can talk about, but
actions speak louder than words,”
Houston said. “Holding ourselves
accountable is important.”
With the opening of UNC’s
free-standing Sonja Haynes Stone
Center for Black Culture and
History on July 1, the campus will
have a place to commemorate the
importance of diversity.
The center will feature presen
tations, projects and art galleries,
among other cultural arts.
“I know it has the potential, but
that is up to the University (to
Improve integration),” said Joseph
Jordan, director of the center. “It’s
quite possible the center will be a
place where people can feel com
fortable together.”
Students said they are looking
forward to the building’s opening
so that they can have a resource on
campus that sponsors diversity.
“The Stone Center will hope
fully open dialogue between dif
ferent groups of people,” said
sophomore Carmen Harris, a
member of the BSM.
Many said they hope the new
construction and dialogue
regarding minority issues will let
minority students know that they
are being heard.
“There needs to be a debate,”
Chapman said. “That in itself can
help make African-Americans
and other minorities feel like they
have a voice.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
cally black colleges.
“Comfort level is part of it,” he
said. “Some people who are die
decision makers don’t want to
have the responsibility of making
that move.”
This lack of initiative retards
the situation even further and
hurts the chances of minority
candidates finding an opening at
another university.
“I think someone who comes in
and breaks the ice makes it a little
easier for schools to hire another
black head coach,” said Steve
Robinson, assistant basketball
coach at UNC. “If you’ve never
had a model, you might say, ‘l’m
not sure what I’m getting.’”
Thankfully, we have had our
share of models. Men like Fred
Snowden, Willie Jefferies, Bob
Wade, John Thompson, Nolan
Richardson, Tyrone Willingham,
Sylvester Croom and many others
have stepped up and opened
numerous doors for aspiring
black coaches.
Nevertheless, the coaching
conflict speaks volumes of the
racial problem that remains in
American society today.
Until more opportunities are
created, more barriers are broken
and more color is added, it will be
impossible to fully erase the racial
divide and view all things in a
colorblind manner of equality.
Contact Brandon Parker
at bcparker@email.unc.edu.