“One More River to Cross” – Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown:

A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies.

Charles Lawrence


The author argues that segregation and discriminition still exist in America. To ilustrate this problem, the author presents the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education. He explains how discrimination is affectiing our school system.

• “The mere placement of black and white children in the same school does not remove that brand imprinted by years of segregation.” (Pg. 283)

nowadays many of our schools are mix and whites, blacks, and latinos children can take classes in the same classrooms, one still can see white privilege and how different black and latinos are been treated by some proffesors and school staffs.

• “We must Devise and Demand Remedies That Go beyond Mere Pupil Placement.” (Pg. 287)

This quote is very explicit and direct. In other words what it is saying is that we need to reconignize that the problem exist so we can find solutions. As Johnson says, we need to use the words in order to make any change.

• “It is nontheless important that we keep these self-evindent truths clear in our minds. Too often we have been sidetracked in our struggle because we have lost sight of our goal, or accepted the oppressor’s definitions, or mistaken the means for the ends”. (Pg. 293)

All of us who reconigze the existance of discrimination in our school system and want to make a change, need to keep fighting no matter what. Each individual has the right to be treated as any one else, it doesn’t matter the color of his’her skin or background. We need to fight to create equality in our society.


I found this article a little dificult to read but is is very interesting. I agree with the author’s argument about segregation and discrimination in our schools. I hope one day we don’t have this problem any more. I have experienced discrimination myself since I came to this country and school was not the exception. I can tell myselft how difficult and frustrating it is for a child to go through something like that.