Press

- High school students from throughout the Capital District will come to the New York State Museum
Monday, May 17 to participate in a national teleconference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the historic Brown v. the Board of Education Supreme Court decision that ended federally sanctioned racial segregation in public schools.

The State Museum is one of the host sites for the national program, whose theme is "Looking Back and Moving Forward." Local students will be among more than 400 participating in the 'teach-in" teleconference, sponsored by New York University. Area high schools participating include Albany, Troy, Schenectady, North Colonie and Guilderland. Also attending will be the Albany Boys and Girls Clubs, the Albany Medical Center Science and Technology Entry programs and the State Museum's Discovery Squad program.

In the case of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." This groundbreaking case provided the legal foundation of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
The "Looking Back" teleconference session will include comments from a former student affected by the closing of the segregated schools, the grandson of the lawyer who mounted the original court case, the daughters of the original plaintiff in a key Delaware court case and the man who led the walkout of students in affected schools.
Following the telecast, students will break into small groups for the "Looking Back" session when they will discuss their reaction to the telecast and their opinions on the relevance of the Brown case to the Capital District.

The state Education Department, New York State United Teachers, the local NAACP chapter and the African-American Institute are co-sponsors of the local event. It is part of a three-day national conference at New York University May 17-19.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.