The 50-Year Fight to Desegregate Denver Schools

In the wake of Brown v. Board of Education, Denver Public Schools created a de facto segregation that was so bad, a group of Park Hill parents sued and their case went all the way to the Supreme Court. That landmark decision in 1973 led to decades of busing, white flight, and now “school choice,” prompting many parents and activists to ask, has DPS become de facto segregated again? To mark the 50th anniversary of Keyes v. School District No. 1, Chalkbeat reporter Melanie Asmar worked with Historic Denver on a new project uncovering the half-century fight to desegregate Denver schools, the challenges that remain today, and the story of one school that’s been at the center of it all: Park Hill’s Stedman Elementary. 

Parents, don’t forget! Round one of Denver Public Schools’ choice process ends on Tuesday, February 14. 

Rachel B. Noel and educator Debbi Blair talk about the Noel Resolution in this clip from the Higher Education Diversity Summit.

For more on busing, check out this 2019 piece featuring locals recalling their own busing experiences. 

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