Matthew Delmont: Brown v. Board—What It Achieved and Where It Fell Short
Summary
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Matthew Delmont discusses the symbolic and practical significance of the landmark decision. Although it deemed legal segregation unconstitutional, Brown v. Board did not result in meaningful school integration right away. In fact, the decision represents the long history of civil rights, in which activists had to outflank intense political reluctance and backlash.
Matthew Delmont is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College and a Guggenheim Fellow. An expert on African American history and the history of civil rights, he has written five books: Half American (2022), Black Quotidian (2019), Why Busing Failed (2016), Making Roots (2016), and The Nicest Kids in Town (2012). His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, NPR, and several academic journals. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Delmont earned a BA from Harvard University and an MA and PhD from Brown University.
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