As a child, Kamala Harris was bused in school integration plan that resonates in Michigan

Vice President and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris once shared that, in the 1970s, she was one of the many schoolchildren bused across Berkeley, California, in an experiment to integrate the area's schools, according to the New York Times.

Fifty years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark decision in a school desegregation case that began in Detroit — a decision that has had ripple effects across the state and the nation for decades. That case, decided July 25, 1974, was Milliken v. Bradley, which began when the NAACP sued then-Michigan Gov. William Milliken over what the organization argued were intentionally racially segregated schools due to racist housing policies that kept Black Detroiters out of certain neighborhoods and therefore certain school zones.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision, in a 5-4 vote, blocked the school district from creating and executing a plan to desegregate schools by including suburban school districts in busing or other integration efforts, limiting any desegregation efforts to come.

Harris' personal history with school busing in the 1970s and her comments made about being a part of those efforts could shed light on how she might approach modern divisions in American public schools.

How Biden and Harris differed on school busing

In 2019, Harris and Biden clashed at a Democratic primary debate ahead of the 2020 election when Harris decried Biden's opposition to busing in the 1970s, according to CNN. Biden later tried to clarify that his opposition to busing had to do with desegregation efforts mandated by the U.S. Department of Education.

Harris' position on busing was informed by her own experience in California, the New York Times reported.

According to Berkeley Public Schools, Harris was a part of the second class to be bused in an integration effort in the northern California school district in elementary schools.

At the time, according to a statement on the district's website, "Our elementary schools ... reflected the racial composition of our neighborhoods, which like many neighborhoods across America reflected the history of segregation stemming from policies which restricted the opportunities of non-white residents."

Still deep racial divides in America's schools

A half-century since the Milliken decision, research has shown that school districts in the country remain racially segregated by income, with students from low-income families disproportionately attending schools with lower per-student funding.

It's unclear how Harris would approach equity in school funding, as most funding for schools comes from the state.

Later this week in the Detroit Free Press: We investigate what has and hasn't changed in southeast Michigan's schools since Milliken v. Bradley.

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.