Disparities found in the Iowa educational system were discussed by a panel of black history scholars in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

About 55 people gathered in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union Wednesday night for a program titled “White Racism in Iowa Education: Opening Doors, Opening Minds.” The discussion featured Alfredo Parrish, an Iowa attorney, and Hal Chase, professor of African American Studies at the Des Moines Area Community College.

Parrish dedicated his time at the podium to laying out the facts of racial segregation throughout the Iowa education system, while Chase used his to promote a book titled “Outside In: African-American History in Iowa.” Parrish, a managing partner with the law firm Parrish, Kruidenier, Moss, Dunn, Boles, Gribble and Cook in Des Moines and graduate of the University of Iowa, spoke candidly about the facts surrounding the educational system in Iowa.

“The sad fact is less than 30 percent of kids in Iowa’s public schools are in a college-track type program,” Parrish said. “Those numbers are significantly lower for minority students. It scares me that we are not recognizing the fact that schools in Iowa are becoming more segregated.”

Parrish said although he is an optimist, he still sees areas that need work.

“I know that this is a great state for minorities, but clearly, we have areas that need to be addressed,” he said.

After a short introduction, Chase devoted the remaining time of the presentation to a self-narrated slideshow that showed pictures from the book he spent a good deal of the past six years working on. The slides were of black men and women who have molded Iowa’s history. Ranging from such historical figures as George Washington Carver to the members of the Buxton Brownies, a semi-pro baseball team in the 1920s, the 600-page book covers nearly every aspect of black history in Iowa.

“We’ve gone beyond enslavement, beyond legal segregation, and now we need to get beyond the idea of race, and therefore, racism,” he said.

“My message is this — African-American history is a history that inseparable, dialectical, and one of the most important in our nation’s history. Any time I can expose the live racism that exists in this country, I will.”

Omar Correa, senior in community and regional planning, spoke about the issues the forum addressed.

“The segregation in Iowa schools is a disturbing one, and one that is nationwide. I think we could all be a little more aware,” he said.

Thuy Tran, junior in sociology, said she was disappointed in the turnout.

“I thought the lecture was great; I just think it’s sad that we all have an opportunity to learn, and that so few students showed up. I even bought the book,” she said.