HISTORY IS NOT BORING

Sixty years ago today, segregated public schools were ruled unconstitutional in a unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. I know, it's scary that it was just sixty years ago. What's scarier is that racists still walk among us. It's fucking frightening really. The case, known as Brown vs Board of Education, was brought about by thirteen parents, with guidance and counsel from the NAACP. Oscar Brown, pictured above with his wife and daughter, was the named plaintiff. Read up on it here.

To commemorate the court's decision, Sammy Davis Jr. recorded a version of "Black and White" (a song some of you might recognize from the Three Dog Night version) for the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. The song was written in 1956 by David Arkin (factoid: actor Alan Arkin's father) and Earl Robinson in celebration of the decision. It was first recorded by Pete Seeger, followed by a version by Robinson, and Davis's version, a year later. In 1971, Greyhound, a reggae group from the UK had a hit with the song as their debut single. Three Dog Night's version followed in 1972. Because the latter isn't exactly a favorite around these parts, here's Greyhound's version, along with Robinson's. To fill things out, there's a version of Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion" by Greyhound with the Pioneers. I just ran into it, so what the hell.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Greyhound - Black and White mp3 at Wireframes Antanix (?)
Earl Robinson - Black and White (streaming) at YouTube With complete lyrics. Some were omitted in other versions.
Greyhound and the Pioneers - Mother and Child Reunion mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Visit:
Brown vs Board of Education at Wikipedia