The Road to Brown

The Road to Brown is an exceptional video in several aspects. It helps to depict the situation of segregation against Africans and how they won their freedom and equal rights through the assistance of a lawyer Charles Hamilton Houston. It is this lawyer’s belief that “A lawyer is either a social engineer or he is a parasite on society. He chooses to be the social engineer and chooses to overturn the ruling of Plessy versus Fergusson in which the ruling had been in the favor of segregation.

The movie opens to a scene of a school in which Brown is the principal of a school. This school is a mixed-race school where all races attend and travel in the same buses. According to the narrator of the movie, just 35 years prior to the shooting of the movie, this would not only have been difficult, it would have been illegal. The situation seems to have changed then.

Discrimination is outright. At the opening of the film, the narrator shows the difference between “schools for whites and schools for blacks”. The schools attended by the white children are well built and have all the facilities that would be required by the children. On the other hand, black schools are low class buildings that are already dilapidated. The discrimination is therefore absolute.

The aim of the film is to show the discrimination of all black citizens in various matters. It seeks to show how black people were discriminated against and were not allowed to vote, get access to education in white schools, use the facilities of white hospitals or even get buried in white cemeteries. The film however concentrates mainly on the education system that segregated children from sharing same schools. Apparently, it is easier to pursue justice against inequality in black people by first attending to education. Concentrating on one issue at a time would also give a leeway for other issues to be pursued.

The movie highlights a lot of injustice in the legal system. The mere concept of having a ruling that supports segregation is absurd. It is through the struggle of lawyers like Charles Hamilton Houston that the legal system has changed. The legal system no longer appreciates discrimination of any kind. Almost everyone has been able to demand for a right of equality. The legal system also seeks to ensure that every person has an equal platform.

According to the narrator of the movie, earlier in history, those who objected to the discrimination against blacks were lynched. Today things have change significantly. People go to the court of law to argue over matters that are of much less significance compared to matters like this that have led to better lives for everyone. Having an equal opportunity for every child implies a better tomorrow.

The movie is also a depiction of hope. It gives us a chance to compare three scenarios. The first is the period of slavery when the ruling of Plessy versus Fergusson was made. At that time, it was alright for people to support discrimination. Indeed, the legal system endorsed discrimination so much as to be able to rule in its favor. The second era is the era of the movie. In the era of the movie, Charles Hamilton Houston is content to just get a ruling in the education system. He argues that while the “separate but equal” mantra is alright, it may not be used against children. In the opinion of the ruling made in that case, segregation against children may lead to damage in their perspective that would be so extreme as to never be reparable. The third era is the existing era. Today, everyone has a right to choose where they want their children to attend school. The only limiter is the amount of money available in their hands. The three scenarios show progress. While people still discriminate against each other, the systems are against it. There are clauses in almost all legal systems that govern how discrimination should be avoided. People are considered equally to fill a place, sit comfortably in the same public travel system.

The movie also raises another concept. There is the law in the books and the law in action. Even after law ruled in favor of Brown in the case of Brown versus the Board of Education, the movie shows that the law in action continues to be used to discriminate against black children. The society has embraced the idea of discrimination against blacks. In some states, the ruling is said to be unconstitutional. Black people have to start the fight all over again. However, eventually the laws were slowly adopted the law starting from integration of buses, protection of black students attending integrated schools, integrated, lunch counters and integrated interstate buses. Starting from the 1964, the Civil Rights Act followed by the Voting Rights Act.

                                                             Works Cited

Elwood, William A, Mykola Kulish, and Steven A. Jones. The Road to Brown. San Francisco, Calif: California Newsreel distributor, 2004.