We will not fail: NAACP and Black advocates push for equal education
OAKLAND, Calif. - It was almost like segregation had never ended, says Oakland s Oscar Wright.
Brown v. the Board of Education ended school segregation in 1954. But in Oakland in the 1980s, Wright says it seems like the landmark case had never happened. East of Telegraph was white, west of Telegraph was black, says Wright, a long-time education advocate.
The 97-year-old has been attending Oakland Unified school board meetings since the 80s, fighting for equal education every step of the way.
In 1993, Wright and the Black United Front for Educational Reform filed a complaint against the district in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But, despite an action plan put together in 2000, the problems continued.