NYC Comptroller Lander Convenes New York’s Education Leaders to Commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board

New York, NY — New York City Comptroller Brad Lander hosted community leaders, policymakers, educators, and students at Brooklyn Borough Hall on Wednesday, May 22 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. The event, titled “Brown vs. Board 70 Years Later: The State of Integration in NYC Public Schools,” highlighted the ongoing challenges and potential solutions for addressing school segregation in New York City. 

“Even at the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board, it doesn’t feel like we’re further along than we were at the 60th or 50th,” Comptroller Brad Lander said. “Segregation was built into New York City’s DNA with decades of redlining, gentrification, and unequal access to schools — so it will take broad host of efforts to ensure all of our public-school students receive the quality schooling they deserve. Our Brown v. Board event highlighted the powerfully diverse coalition working towards ensuring New York City schools meet the class size mandate, improve student outcomes, and advance the vision of a less segregated school system.” 

The event addressed the persistence of school segregation in New York City, where 70% of schools remain intensely segregated due to historical and systemic factors such as redlining, gentrification, and unequal access to screened schools. Despite these challenges, the event presented a hopeful outlook with actionable solutions, including one presented in the Comptroller’s report co-authored by New York Appleseed, Intentional and Inclusive School Mergers. 

The report showcased a viable, cost-effective solution for New York City to meet class size mandates and reduce segregation through intentional and inclusive school mergers highlighting Arts and Letters 305 United in District 13 (Brooklyn) as a successful example of a racially integrated school merger of an overcrowded school and underfunded school. This merger, initiated during the fall of 2020, demonstrated the effectiveness of a deliberate focus on equity and integration, involving the community in the decision-making process and addressing racial and socioeconomic differences. 

“Doing the work to advance educational and racial equity is a lot less lonely when you get to do it with people that you love and respect,” Sadye L. Campoamor, the Comptroller’s Chief Equity Officer, said. “Wednesday evening was about bringing people together and moving them to urgent and hopeful action. It was about acknowledging the staggering cost of racism that keeps our school systems racially and socio-economically segregated. It was also an invitation to come together and work towards an anti-racist future and the multiracial democracy that all of our children deserve.” 

“CACF was honored to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education at Brooklyn Borough Hall with the NYC Comptroller’s Office, Councilmember Joseph, and so many of our wonderful partners in the education space. As we reflect on this historic anniversary, we must also continue to commit to creating a truly anti-racist and integrated New York City school system,” CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung said. “New York City has always been the most diverse city in the United States and providing all of its children with diverse school environments not only strengthens their education, but also better prepares them for the world they live in.”

Keynote speakers and panelists included: 

• Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller 
• Rita Joseph, Education Chair, NYC Councilwoman
• Nyah Berg, Executive Director, New York Appleseed 
• Sadye L. Campoamor, Chief Equity Officer, Office of the NYC Comptroller 
• Meghan Dunn, Superintendent, Community School District 13, NYC Public Schools 
• Matt Gonzales, Director, NYU Metro Center 
• Mark Winston Griffith, Co-Executive Director, Free Speech TV 
• Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Director, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families 
• Frantzy Luzincourt, IntegrateNYC Alumni, Strategy for Black Lives 
• Emily Muñoz, Chalkbeat Student Voices Fellow, Harry S. Truman High School 
• Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Director, Alliance for Quality Education 

The discussions focused on the necessity of engagement, thoughtfulness, and the value of integration for all future school mergers. Speakers highlighted the critical need for policies that promote diversity and inclusion within schools to ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students. 

View photos from the event on Flickr here.

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