UIUC, Parkland College to Host Brown v. Board of Education Panel

The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Parkland College, in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will host a panel presentation in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the momentous Brown v. Board of Education court ruling tearing down racial barriers that denied full access to education for all.

The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Parkland College Student Union cafeteria. UIUC College of Education Professor Lorenzo Baber, director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership, will facilitate as panelists share the impact the ruling has had on their lives and their communities.

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was a groundbreaking ruling that overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. While the decision primarily focused on K–12 public schools, its ripple effects extended into postsecondary education, fundamentally shaping the landscape of educational opportunities for all across colleges and universities.

To engage the Champaign-Urbana community, Dr. Baber will offer a general overview of Brown's transformative impact on expanding opportunities for postsecondary education and the ongoing challenges that make education for all an unfinished journey, even 70 years later.

An interactive discussion will explore how local collaborations can continue to build on the promise of Brown while addressing persistent inequalities.

This event is part of Black History Month 2025 at Parkland College with events focused on this year's theme, "African Americans and Labor," throughout the month. For a full listing of events, visit parkland.edu/bhm.