Ogletree spoke with The Crimson yesterday from Wayne State University in Detroit, where he addressed a symposium co-sponsored by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Brown v. Board of Education, which he chairs.

His speech in Detroit came the same day that the National Urban League released its State of Black America report, which includes a chapter by Ogletree.

“[T]he as-yet unfinished process of implementing Brown has turned out to be nearly as slow as the process of tearing down the Jim Crow system,” Ogletree wrote.

The report concluded that significant obstacles still face black Americans who attempt to purchase homes.

Fewer than 50 percent of blacks own their own homes, compared to more than 70 percent of whites. Blacks who apply for mortgages are twice as likely to be rejected as whites.

According to the report, whites on average live six years longer than blacks.

But blacks are substantially more likely to volunteer for military service, the report found.

As the Brown anniversary approaches, “it’s important that organizations like the Urban League make sure that we temper our celebration of progress with a sensible and honest reflection in the areas where we’ve had failures,” Ogletree said.

—Staff Writer Daniel J. Hemel can be reached at hemel@fas.harvard.edu.