DETROIT - To commemorate the 49th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed racial segregation in public schools, the Wayne State University Law School and its Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African-American Legal History have organized a black-tie celebration to be held at the Detroit Institute of Arts Saturday evening, May 17.

The date marks the anniversary of the 1954 decision in the Brown v. Board of Education case, in which the nation's highest court ruled that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore violate the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and its guarantee of "equal protection of the laws" to all citizens.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will join Wayne State President Irvin D. Reid as hosts for the evening, which begins with a VIP reception at 6 p.m. A strolling supper at 7 p.m. will be followed by the program at 8 p.m., then dancing to the Jimmy McKee Orchestra afterwards.

During the program, the law school will announce a campaign to raise $3 million for an endowed chair - the Damon J. Keith Distinguished Chair in Law - in honor of the widely-known federal jurist and equal rights advocate who holds an advanced law degree from Wayne State.

Keith, a native Detroiter and a senior judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, donated many personal papers and other memorabilia to help establish the Keith Collection, as it is popularly known, at Wayne State in 1993. The archival collection, housed in WSU's Walter P. Reuther Library, now includes the papers of many distinguished black lawyers and jurists and is an important resource for researchers seeking information on African-American legal history. The Keith Collection has raised $2.5 million - far beyond it's original $1 million goal - for support. Plans are underway to designate it as the Damon J. Keith Law Center of African-American Legal History.

In 1998, the Keith Collection commissioned a poignant exhibit highlighting the struggle of African Americans for equal rights. Titled "Marching Toward Justice: the History of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," the exhibit opened in Washington, D.C., early in 1999 and has been traveling since to major cities around the country. It is currently on display at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.

Saturday's invitation-only event at the DIA is a tribute to the late Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall headed the team that argued successfully before the court on behalf of the petitioners in the Brown v. Board of Education case. The court's unanimous ruling in the case struck down the legal basis for segregation. During Saturday's program, University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman will offer reflections on affirmative action and diversity.

DaimlerChrysler is the lead sponsor for the event. Other major sponsors are Charity Motors and Plastech Corp. Numerous other corporations, institutions, organizations and individuals are joining in support of the program. For information, call the WSU Law School "Event Line" at (313) 577-4834.

For media inquiries, please call Tom Sakely or Cheryl Yurkovich in the WSU Public Relations Office, (313) 577-2150.