{"pk":65675,"title":"To Desegregate or to Integrate: Colorblind Imaginings of Education Amidst the Digital Divide","subtitle":null,"abstract":"<p>Education has historically served as a legal avenue for the construction of racial meaning, witnessed through the landmark case <em>Brown v. Board of Education</em>. Though <em>Brown </em>is primarily known for outlawing racial segregation, its impact in foundationalizing racial colorblindness—particularly through subsequent distinctions between desegregation and integration due to the case’s ambiguous verbiage—is often ignored. This article analyzes <em>Brown’s </em>racial footprint on the education system by examining the digital divide. An exploration of the case <em>Cayla J. v. State of California,</em> in conjunction with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Digital Equity Act, illuminates the reproduction of racialization stemming from post-<em>Brown</em> debates between colorblind desegregation and race-conscious integration. Given the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), preventative measures emphasizing race-conscious integration must be implemented to narrow the racialized digital divide. This article reviews prospective legislation regarding AI literacy as a case study of the modern digital divide, identifying its shortcomings and offering suggestions for future race-conscious education policy that embraces integration perspectives.</p>","language":"eng","license":{"name":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0","short_name":"CC BY 4.0","text":"Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.\r\n\r\nNo additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0"},"keywords":[{"word":"desegregation"},{"word":"artificial intelligence"},{"word":"AI"},{"word":"education"},{"word":"Brown v. Board"},{"word":"segregation"},{"word":"racial colorblindness"},{"word":"digital divide"}],"section":"Article","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3429x92s","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Elizabeth","middle_name":"","last_name":"Choi","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of California, San Diego","department":""}],"date_submitted":"2026-05-12T06:37:12.812319Z","date_accepted":"2026-05-13T01:40:34.166807Z","date_published":"2026-05-13T15:00:00Z","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/ucsdulr/article/65675/galley/50319/download/"}]}