UPDATE: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a proclamation apologizing to African-American citizens for the years of state-sanctioned segregation.
Brownback signed the proclamation Thursday, the 58th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v. Topeka
Board of Education. The 1954 ruling declared that separate schools
for blacks and whites were inherently unequal and struck down the
doctrine of "separate but equal" as a justification for segregation.
The proclamation states that it is important for Kansas residents "to at last move forward, to seek reconciliation, justice and harmony." Brownback also called on residents to work toward eliminating prejudice and discrimination.
Among those at the event were Deborah Dandridge, chairwoman of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, and Mildred Edwards, the commission's executive director.
