Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division
While in Mississippi, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke noted the work of the DOJ as it pertains to the 30-plus Mississippi school districts that remain under federal desegregation orders.
Earlier this month, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) participated in the Civil Rights Division’s tour to engage with stakeholders in underserved communities.
On June 1st, Clarke traveled to Lexington, Mississippi, a town that currently has a civil rights lawsuit pending against the municipality and its Police Department.
RELATED: Civil rights lawsuit pending against Lexington Police Department
While speaking in Lexington at Holmes County Circuit Court Complex, Assistant Attorney General Clarke discussed the Justice Department’s commitment to address civil rights issues, including enforcing federal school desegregation orders, addressing jail and prison conditions, and prosecuting hate crimes while ensuring law enforcement accountability.
In her comments, Clarke noted that there are currently around thirty schools in the state of Mississippi that remain under federal desegregation orders, even after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954.
Clarke explained that the DOJ is ensuring that school districts provide black students in Mississippi with equal access to education programs.
“In our ongoing efforts to fulfill the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education, we currently have thirty-two open cases with school districts here in Mississippi,” Clarke said. “And in each of those cases, we are working to ensure that these districts comply with desegregation orders from courts.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, desegregation plans and court orders are resolutions of past segregative discrimination by school districts determined by the Office of Civil Rights or by the courts, in some instances with the participation of the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (CRD).
Some of the Mississippi desegregation cases have been open for decades. Below is a list of the open Mississippi desegregation cases, per the Department of Justice:
- United States v. State of Mississippi (Scott County School District)
- United States v. Hinds County School Board (Lauderdale County School District)
- Lee and United States v. State of Mississippi (Forrest County School District)
- United States v. Hinds County Board of Education (Clinton Municipal Separate School District)
- United States v. Brookhaven Municipal Separate School District
- United States v. Marion County School District
- Harris and United States v. Yazoo County Board of Education
- United States v. Columbia Municipal Separate School District
- United States v. Lawrence County School District
- United States v. South Pike Consolidated School District
- United States v. Kemper County School District
- Harris and United States v. Yazoo City Municipal School District
- United States v. State of Mississippi (Walthall County School District)
- United States v. State of Mississippi (Copiah County School District)
- Baird and United States v. Benton County Board of Education
- United States v. State of Mississippi (Kosciusko Public School District)
- United States v. Louisville Municipal Separate School District
- United States and Dorris v. Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District
- United States v. State of Miss. (Attala County School District)
- United States v. North Tippah Consolidated School District
- United States v. Nettleton Line Consolidated School District
- Harris and United States v. Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District
- Cowan and United States v. School District IV of Bolivar County (Cleveland City School)
- United States v. South Tippah Consolidated School
- Hudson and United States v. Leake County School District
- Adams v. Rankin County Board of Education
- United States and Barnhardt v. Meridian Municipal Separate School District
- United States v. Neshoba County School District
- United States v. Lincoln County School District
- United States v. North Pike Consolidated School District
- United States v. State of Mississippi (Laurel School District)
Just six years ago, after nearly 50-years of litigation in a desegregation lawsuit, two Mississippi Delta high schools were merged in a case where the school district tried to preserve historically black and white schools. U.S. District Judge Debra Brown ruled that the defendant’s plan maintained illegal traces of segregation.
The Interim State Superintendent of Education Mike Kent explained that Desegregation Orders are unique to those specific school districts. Therefore, he told Magnolia Tribune, all negotiations and interactions occur at the local district level.
Kent added that “the Mississippi Department of Education is not involved.”
While in Mississippi, Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi traveled to Indianola where she toured Lockard Elementary School, a majority-black public school, and visited Indianola Academy, a majority-white school, with State Representative Otis Anthony.
“The school tours were followed by a community meeting at the Mississippi Center for Justice’s Indianola office,” the Justice Department said in a release. “During the meeting, community leaders and educators discussed efforts to advance equitable educational experiences throughout the state.”
Assistant Attorney General Clarke also traveled to Clarksdale City Hall for a community meeting with Mayor Chuck Espy, U.S. Attorney Joyner and local stakeholders where she reiterated the Justice Department’s commitment to work with state and local partners to address civil rights and racial equity issues.
Anne Summerhays
