Bush and Kerry Mark '54 Ruling

Bush used the occasion to push for the policies that he considers part of building an "opportunity society."

"Many African Americans with no inheritance but their character need access to capital and the chance to own and build for the future," he said. "While our schools are no longer segregated by law, they are still not equal in opportunity and excellence. Justice requires more than a place in a school. Justice requires that every school teach every child in America."

Bush was unsparing in his description of the evil of segregation, saying it "codified cruelty, at the service of racism" and "dulled the conscience of people who knew better." But he heralded the progress that began with Brown, often called the most important legal case of the 20th century. "We honor those who expose our failures, correct our course and make us better people," he said.

Kerry hailed the 50-year-old decision but said much work remains to create equal opportunity for all races. Without naming Bush, Kerry charged that some are working to roll back racial progress.

"Today more than ever, we need to renew our commitment to one America," the senator said. "We should not delude ourselves into thinking for an instant that because Brown represents the law, we have achieved our goal, that the work of Brown is done, when there are those who still seek, in different ways, to see it undone -- to roll back affirmative action, to restrict equal rights, to undermine the promise of our Constitution."

Kerry won his loudest applause when he criticized the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind education program, which he voted for but contends has been mismanaged and underfunded. "You cannot promise no child left behind and then pursue policies that leave millions of children behind every single day," he said.

Kerry pointed to "nearly 4 million students in this nation going to schools that are literally crumbling around them," Hispanic fourth-graders who are one-third as likely to read at the same level as their white counterparts, and disappointing high school and college graduation rates for African Americans. Then he expanded his indictment beyond education.

"We have not met the promise of Brown when one-third of all African American children are living in poverty," Kerry said. "We have not met the promise of Brown when only 50 percent of African American men in New York City have a job. We have not met the promise of Brown when nearly 20 million black and Hispanic Americans don't have basic health insurance."

The Kerry campaign described his address as a non-campaign event, but aides distributed a background paper that was sharply critical of the president's civil rights record. The paper cited Bush's support for judges who "want to roll back civil rights in America" and accused Bush of opposing affirmative action and his Justice Department of weak enforcement of civil rights laws.

The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, where Bush spoke, is run by the National Park Service. It includes a "Tunnel of Courage" with period footage of jeering crowds.

During an interlude in the warm-up speeches as the flag-waving crowd awaited Bush's arrival, Air Force One flew directly over the school as a youth choir sang "Let There Be Peace on Earth." The flyover, a reminder of the huge benefits of incumbency, was carried live on local television.