The Montgomery County Board of Education will hold a special forum commemorating Brown v. the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 11, at 2:00 p.m. in the Board of Education meeting room, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. The forum is part of a year-long recognition throughout Montgomery County Public Schools of the 50th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision.

Seven former members of the Board of Education, some of whose comments will be presented on videotape, will discuss major issues regarding integration and quality education that occurred in the decade they served on the Board. Topics will include the Montgomery Board's response to the Brown decision, the legacy of dual systems, bussing and school pairing, Quality Integrated Education, the experiences of minority Board members in breaking barriers, and the changing face of Montgomery County. Participants will include Rose Kramer (1950s), Lucy Keker (1960s), James “Pat” Dougherty and Roscoe Nix (1970s), Blair Ewing (1970s - 1990s), Alan Cheung and Ana Sol Gutierrez (1990s).

Current members of the Board of Education will participate by discussing challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the promise of Brown. The forum will be moderated by Jeremiah Floyd, Board member in the 1980s. Former superintendents of Montgomery County Public Schools and additional former Board of Education members are expected to attend the forum.