By Brian No, Special Writer
Gov. Jon Corzine joined state leaders and high school students at Princeton University to celebrate the 60th anniversary of integrated New Jersey public schools Thursday morning.
New Jersey was the first state in the union to constitutionally mandate integrated schools in 1947, seven years before the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
”We have been at the forefront (of desegregation) right here in New Jersey, and we have taken that and moved even more strongly into the future,” Gov. Corzine said.
Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells and Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy joined the governor for the event, which took place in Richardson Auditorium. It also featured a keynote speech, a panel discussion, and a question-and-answer session.
Nearly 400 students from a dozen New Jersey high schools were invited to learn about the landmark anniversary, including students from Lawrence and Princeton high schools.
”We have worked to ensure that every child, no matter where they live, has access to a good education, and to making sure that every person has access to the promise of America,” Gov. Corzine said.
Despite the progress made, officials emphasized that more work had to be done.
”We cannot rest on the progress we’ve made today because it isn’t enough,” Commissioner Davy said. “One reason for this event is not only to remind ourselves of how far we’ve come, but to remind ourselves of how much we have left to do.”
The event, titled “Then & Now: Celebrating 60 Years of Integration in New Jersey Public Schools,” featured a keynote speech by Bernard K. Freamon, a Seton Hall University law professor. Professor Freamon provided a historical overview of the state’s constitutional mandate, saying that New Jersey’s law had “national side effects” in spurring other states to also desegregate.
A discussion panel featured Princeton resident Shirley Satterfield, who recounted her experiences growing up in the borough and attending Witherspoon and Nassau Street elementary schools under segregation. She said her teachers often had low expectations for her and other black students, despite the fact that Princeton was a leader in school desegregation in New Jersey.
Secretary of State Wells emphasized the educational value of learning about the historic anniversary.
”What a great opportunity to reflect on the past and to focus on the future. … This will be a phenomenal history lesson. Go back to school and share all of this,” she said to the assembled students.
Junayd Abdul-Kareem, a student from Atlantic City High School said he and his classmates came to see the university and to learn about the landmark constitutional mandate. “We came out here to learn about the values of integration and what happened back in the day. We’re also trying to get the experience of coming to Princeton,” he said. Uzair Anjun, also from Atlantic City High, echoed Abdul-Kareem. “It’s a college experience, and also it’s good to see what’s going on and see how things have changed over 60 years,” he said.Gov. Corzine also challenged the students to lead.
”I’m very, very proud of what we’re doing here. I ask that everyone take the lessons (that they learn today) and lead us to a better place in the world,” he said.
