In this edition: Volume 1, Issue 2

May 1, 2011
School Desegregation Ruling Mango Languages Review
National Teacher Day Join the Diversity Club

School Desegregation Ruling

This month Rasmussen Col-
lege Diversity Committee will
celebrate the Anniversary of
the School Desegregation Rul-
ing. On May 17th, 1974 racial
segregation in public schools
was unanimously ruled uncon-
stitutional. This case was held
by the Supreme Court in
Brown versus the Board of
Education of Topeka and was
argued by Thurgood Marshall,
who would later become the
first black justice on the Su-
preme Court. They ruled, this
was a violation of the Four-
teenth Amendment (the 14th
Amendment is a clause guaran-
teeing equal protection under
the law)
Chief Justice Earl Warren sum-
marizes this ruling:
"Today, education is perhaps the
most important function of state and
local governments. Compulsory school
Diversity Matters
ance of our most basic public responsi-
bilities, even service in the armed forces.
It is the very foundation of good citizen-
ship. Today it is a principal instrument
in awakening the child to cultural
values, in preparing him for later pro-
fessional training, and in helping him to
adjust normally to his environment. In
these days, it is doubtful that any child
may reasonably be expected to succeed
in life if he is denied the opportunity of
an education. Such an opportunity,
where the state has undertaken to pro-
vide it, is a right which must be made
available to all on equal terms.
We come then to the question presented:
Does segregation of children in public
schools solely on the basis of race, even
though the physical facilities and other
"tangible" factors may be equal, deprive
the children of the minority group of
equal educational opportunities? We
believe that it does."
Let’s celebrate this ruling and the
incredible strides we have taken

attendance laws and the great expen- as a nation.

ditures for education both demon- Information from: http://
strate our recognition of the impor- usinfo.org/PUBS/LivingDoc_e/
tance of education to our democratic earlwarren.htm
society. It is required in the perform-

National Teacher Day

RASMUSSEN COLLEGE

The origins of National Teacher Day Congress to create a national day to

are murky. Around 1944 Arkansas
teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge
began corresponding with political
and education leaders about the
need for a national day to honor
teachers. Woodridge wrote to Elea-
nor Roosevelt, who in 1953 per-
suaded the 81st Congress to pro-
claim a National Teacher Day.
NEA, along with its Kansas and
Indiana state affiliates and the
Dodge City (Kan.) Local, lobbied
celebrate teachers. Congress declared
March 7, 1980 as National Teacher
Day for that year only.
NEA and its affiliates continued to
observe National Teacher Day in
March until 1985, when the NEA
Representative Assembly voted to
change the event to Tuesday of the
first full week of May.
Happy Teacher Day!
Information from: www.nea.org

www.Rasmussen.edu
 Page 2 DIVERSITY MATTERS

“Diversity without unity makes about as much sense as dishing up flour, sugar, water,
eggs, shortening and baking powder on a plate and calling it a cake”
-C. William Pollard

Mango Languages
UPCOMING
Mango Languages was EVENTS
recently added to the
database offerings avail- Tuesday, May 3rd:
able to students, staff, National Teacher
and instructors via the Day
Library Resource page
on the Student Portal Sunday, May 8th:
(portal.rasmussen.edu). Mother’s Day Cele-
Our Library Edition bration in the United
includes a variety of States
resources to help pa-
trons of all kinds learn
practical conversation Tuesday, May 10th:
skills for the world’s Mother’s Day
most popular languages. brunch served in
With convenient remote the front lobby (all
access, a fun and engag- day)
ing format, Mango Languages We hope you had a chance to
is bound to be one of the try out this service. If you
most effective, relevant and have any questions please Tuesday, May 10th:
budget-conscious resources contact Dennis Johnson, Mother’s Day in
your library can offer! Campus Librarian at: Mexico
dennis.johnson@rasmussen.edu.
Wednesday, May
11th: Mother’s Day
Join the Diversity Club in India

Thursday, May 12th:

The Diversity Club is a great way
to get involved and have your
voice heard on issues that matter
to you.
We meet on the first Thursday of
each month in Room 111 from
4:30 pm to 5:15 pm.
For more information contact
Donnie Murphy, Academic Advi-
sor at:
donnie.murphy@rasmussen.edu
or Katie Brisson, Program Man-
ager at:
katie.brission@rasmussen.edu.
Mother’s Day in Ja-
pan
“We all should know
that diversity makes for
Friday, May 13th:
a rich tapestry, and we
Mother’s Day in the
must understand that Hmong Culture.
all the threads of the
tapestry are equal in
Tuesday, May 17th:
value no matter what
Anniversary of De-
their color.”
segregation Ruling.
-Maya Angelou Displays will be in
the front lobby

www.Rasmussen.edu