Linda Brown of Landmark Brown v. Board Case Dies at 76

Linda in front of school as a child. May she rest in peace. (Image: Instagram)

It has been confirmed that a civil rights legend has been lost. Linda Brown, the student fighting to integrate schools in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, died Sunday in Topeka, Kansas. She was 76 years old, and is remembered for being a lifelong advocate for equality.

As a young teenager, Linda Brown attempted to attend an all-white public school in Topeka, which was a nearly impossible feat in the highly segregated South. The 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson had established the principle of “separate but equal,” reigning in an era of racist “Jim Crow” laws that lasted about 60 years. Brown’s legal protest of segregation in public schools was a monumental step in the Civil Rights movement, instituting the idea that segregation is “inherently unequal,” in the words of Justice Earl Warren. The 1954 decision states that school segregation is “detrimental” to minority children, and creates a “sense of inferiority.”

Kansas Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis said of Brown: “[Linda Brown]’s effect on our society would be unbelievable and insurmountable.”

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Russian Officials Banned from U.S. in Reaction to Poisoning

Trump banned 60 Russian officials Monday, joining a coordinated campaign by several dozen countries to retaliate for the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. The poisoning is believed to have been carried out by the Russian government, although this has not been confirmed by President Vladimir Putin.

The New York Times reports, “The mass expulsion of Russian personnel stationed in the United States was the largest ever, eclipsing even the darkest days of the global showdown with the Soviet Union.”

Despite banning these officials, Trump avoided publicly condemning Russia’s role in the attack just days after congratulating President Putin in his re-election, which is widely considered a sham.

Today in a Tweet: ‘Repeal the Second Amendment’

Twitter is blowing up after former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens writes a New York Times opinion piece.

Debt-Free College Bill Introduced in Congress

A new bill has been introduced into the Senate aimed at making higher education free for students. This bill could make free college for students a reality. The Schatz Bill (also referred to as the Debt-Free College Act) was introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI). Currently it has been co-sponsored by thirty-two other senators and representatives from varying states.

The programs that already exists in certain states, such ans New York or California, are fairly limited, with little to no resources for private school of out-of-state students.

Schatz noted  that while the cost of tuition itself is fairly affordable (about $9,000), factoring in cost of housing, books, and food makes that number much higher (over $20,000). And this is only an estimate for public school with in-state tuition–students attending private schools or schools out of their state of residence pay much higher rates. Additionally, tuition typically makes up for less than half of the cost of college.

Read Nicole Masaki’s full report here.

U.S. to Add Citizenship Question to 2020 Census

Federal officials announced Monday that they will be introducing a question about citizenship on the next U.S. census in an effort to enforce the Voting Rights Act. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross added the question after a request from the Department of Justice which states that better and more accurate information will help improve the enforcement of voting laws.

The State of California has moved to block the census question, citing that it could deter immigrants from voting in the following election. Early this morning, California filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Census Bureau and the Department of Commerce, according to Reuters.

Last But Not Least: ‘March for Our Lives’ Leaves Lasting Impact on Students Everywhere

‘March for Our Lives,’ the anti-gun protest which occurred nationwide on March 24th, has been the single largest youth-led march since the Vietnam War. Across campuses everywhere, students have been leading a gun safety revolution.

Videos of speeches from the March have gone viral, including that of Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez, in which she sits silently for six minutes and twenty seconds, the amount of time it took the Parkland shooter to kill seventeen students. Other notable speeches included MLK Jr.’s granddaughter, and celebrities like Jennifer Hudson and Miley Cyrus.

Read the chilling essay from CMN’s Duane Paul Murphy here.

Today’s Morning Scoop was compiled by Natalia Kolenko and the CMN Staff.  It’s like the saying goes: Tuesday is Monday’s better looking younger brother.