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The bright hope of Brown was to build a society without the racial caste system that had for so long determined destiny according to skin color. The progress toward that goal has been tremendous. Yet we are a good distance from the finish. More worrisomely, we may no longer be running the race. In this political season, amid deep divisions over war, the economy, and the slate of so-called social issues, politicians of both parties seem to be running away from race. Not very long ago, racial equality was central to the national agenda. But it has been supplanted by other concerns. Everyone pays lip service to the need to help the less fortunate, to rebuild our inner cities, to assure quality education, and so on. But the true measure of a political movement is the agenda for which it is willing to ask sacrifice, and racial equality rarely makes the list.

Yet, for the Christian, the lack of national interest in racial suffering should provide both inspiration and an opportunity. The sparkling world Brown hoped to build is yet within grasp. But we will have to build it as individuals, with the small decisions of everyday life, rather than through bigger and better government programs. The nation is full of fatherless children to mentor, collapsed families to support, crumbling schools to visit—and human hearts to touch.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

More on Brown v. Board of Education is available from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Library of Congress, and Washburn University School of Law.

The United States Dept. of the Interior has listed the Monroe Elementary School as a National Historic Site.

Recent Christianity Today columns by Stephen L. Carter include:

A Politics of Gratitude | Stop whining, count your blessings, and love your global neighbors. (March 08, 2004)

Sports Mobs and Manners | There's a difference between cheering the home team and being boorish. (Aug. 25, 2003)

Roe vs. Judicial Sense | Forget briefly its immorality—it's just bad law (July 1, 2003)

Willing to Lose | By voting we place our hope in the next world. (March 4, 2003)

Virtue via Vouchers | The Supreme Court's recent decision can help prevent more corporate scandals. (Dec. 4, 2002)

Remedial History | The educational establishment seems confused about our spiritual heritage. (July 10, 2002)

Uncle Sam Is Not Your Dad | The separation of church and state protects families too. (March 22, 2002)

A Quiet Compromise | Why a moment of silence is better than school prayer. (Feb. 25, 2002)

Leaving 'Normal' Behind | Life before September 11 seemed more secure, but do we really want it back? (Dec. 4, 2001)

Rudeness Has a First Name | Instant informality actually sabotages true friendship. (Nov. 2, 2001)

Why Rules Rule | Debates on the Ten Commandments expose our culture's ultimate rift. (Sept. 6, 2001)

We Interrupt This Childhood | Parents who raise their children to do right face a barrage of resistance. (July 11, 2001)

And the Word Turned Secular | Christians should count the cost of the state's affirmation. (May 29, 2001)

Vouching for Parents | Vouchers are not an attack on public schools but a vote of trust in families. (Apr. 2, 2001)

The Courage to Lose | In elections, and in life, there is something more important than winning. (Feb. 6, 2001)

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July 2004, Vol. 48, No. 7