But the timing of the directive is also a cause for great concern among some of Bulgaria's human rights activists. According to the most recent draft of the Ethnic Equality Act, the legislation calls for the desegregation of Bulgaria's schools and establishes the framework for oversight bodies, or Ethnic Equality Commissions. These bodies would have the power to investigate cases of discrimination and to impose sanctions on those whose actions violate anti-discrimination principles. The greatest obstacles, of course, in the passage of this legislation will be public opposition and the lack of political will. It is for this very reason that international advocacy and outside pressure from the European community will be invaluable.
History provides many powerful lessons of the often painfully slow process of social change.
The United States Supreme Court passed the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 at a time when racism and discrimination had become the very fabric of life in many southern states. The decision of the Court was met with defiance and violence. Many southern states tried to ignore the decision and some districts even closed their public schools to avoid desegregation. But this response only helped to strengthen and mobilize political support for desegregation. And while even now, over forty-five years later, discrimination and racism remain a serious problem in many areas throughout the United States, the Brown decision helped to pave the way for a strong civil rights movement and a continuing effort to eliminate racial and ethnic inequality.