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Electoral Structures, Venue Selection, and the (New?) Politics of School Desegregation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2004

Stephen Samuel Smith
Affiliation:
Stephen Samuel Smith is professor of political science at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina (smiths@winthrop.edu)
Karen M. Kedrowski
Affiliation:
Karen M. Kedrowski is associate professor and chair of political science at Winthrop University (kedrowskik@winthrop.edu)
Joseph M. Ellis
Affiliation:
Joseph M. Ellis is a graduate student in political science at Temple University (ellisjm1@temple.edu)

Extract

Are school desegregation proponents more likely to succeed in local political arenas in the South than in federal courtrooms? To raise that question on the fiftieth anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education may seem absurd. Had local politics in the South been receptive to desegregation efforts, there would presumably have been scant need for the litigation leading to that landmark case. However, the legal environment, national political climate, and political situation in southern school districts have changed considerably in fifty years—in ways that make the question relevant. Today, we suggest, the answer may frequently be yes.Stephen Samuel Smith is the author of Boom for Whom? Education, Desegregation, and Development in Charlotte. Karen M. Kedrowski is author of Media Entrepreneurs and the Media Enterprise in the U.S. Congress. Joseph M. Ellis is interested in Soviet and post-Soviet politics. The authors thank Manning B. Shaw III for skilled research assistance; Ted Arrington, William Crotty, Anita Earls, Ken Meier, Jennifer Hochschild, and the anonymous reviewers for valuable comments; and the Spencer Foundation and the Winthrop University Research Council for grants to Smith. The authors bear sole responsibility for any errors.

Type
PERSPECTIVES
Copyright
© 2004 American Political Science Association

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