Alabama panel targets segregationist wording in law

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A state panel has proposed striking segregationist language from Alabama’s 1901 constitution that mandates separate schools for “white and colored children.”

The Anniston Star reports the Alabama Constitutional Review Commission voted 9-7 Monday to propose that Section 256 of the document instead say the state will maintain a system of public schools and to drop references to segregation.

The passage hasn’t had legal authority since the civil rights movement. Some state leaders say they’d like to strike the passage because it’s an embarrassment to Alabama.

Commissioner Carolyn McKinstry told the newspaper it’s disappointing more people didn’t agree on the topic.

Two prior attempts at striking the passage have failed. In 2004, opponents said dropping the language could allow courts to demand equal funding for the state’s school districts.

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Information from: The Anniston Star, http://www.annistonstar.com/