There have been many significant Supreme Court cases in America’s history. From Roe v. Wade to Marbury v. Madison, the Court has held power to change the way society functions. During the years after the Civil War, African Americans were given the freedom they were so desperately seeking, but years of discrimination plagued over them. This notion that blacks were free but not equal was exemplified in the court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson. The case stated that facilities could be separate so long as they were equal. But unfortunately, this was not the case. Any historic photo will show that facilities for blacks were lacking in the quality that the whites had. Notably, this was noticeable in schools. Whites would have exceptional facilities while African Americans were left to mere shacks covered in tar to gain an education. One man in particular, John Stokes, noticed this discrimination and decided that something should be done.Thus came the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education. Made up of five separate cases, this court case was to stand up for the right that all people had under that Fourteenth Amendment: that all citizens are guaranteed equal protection under that law. In his novel, Students on Strike, Stokes documents his experience in trying to build a new school for black students attending Robert Moton High School to match the ones made for white children. “I had to get the story straight,” said Stokes. “There was so much missing history in regards to [Brown v. Education]. Concepts were left out. I felt that someone needed to step forward.” Indeed, there are missing details that students cannot learn from sitting in a classroom. One of the cases that made up Brown v. Board was Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, which was the case that Stokes was involved in. Barbara John, a sixteen-year-old girl, stood up and proposed that the students of Robert Moton take action. “[There was] something about… her persona that led many to believe that she came to us first,” said Stokes. Others activists were present at the time, but “they did not have the will power, the knowhow, the attitude to stick to it… we trusted Barbara. We trusted her because she stood out.” From there, events unfurled that Stokes did not predict.
Originally, all the students “were on strike for a new building,” said Stokes. He now feels overwhelmed by the fact that it surmounted to a historical decision that desegregated schools. Stokes strives to take this achievement and help other young students achieve big goals, but in a smart way. Nonviolence has been voiced by many activists, and Stokes was a follower of this principle. “We thought war with our minds” said Stokes. “We were spies within ourselves.” To make sure they could achieve whatthey wanted to attain, teamwork is extremely important. During the strike, no one child could go to school, because then the administrative board would look down upon their cause. With everyone in thie case together, change was imminent.
Stokes came to Neuqua Valley High School to share his experience with the student body. his presentation consisted of real life stimulations and visuals to show the discrimination that the African American people endured. A slideshow was used to show pictures of magnificent schools built for while children, but then a rundown shake for black children. He then allowed students to ask him questions, giving the audience to go into the topic more deeply and conclude any curiousity that they had.
Despite all the progress made in the 1960s, there is still work to be done. According to Stokes, the biggest problem in today’s educational system is a lack of respect for education. To combat these problems, this generation will have to step up to the podium and delve into various issues that need to be done. At this age, teens can still be impact. Stokes himself was not scared to rise to the occasion because he “knew that it was time for someone to step up and take a stance under the guards of inequality,” said Stokes. “I couldn’t look back.” Looking at the hallways of Neuqua Valley High School, potential lies in everyone. From the words of Stokes himself, “You need to move forward. Do not lose sight of the ball. If you lose sight of that ball, then we shall repeat history all over again. You have to grab the baton and run with it, don’t drop it, run with it so that all people will have a chance for equality … become a social engineer.”
By Christy Kim, staff writer
