At some point in their school careers, almost every American student is taught about Brown
v. Board of Education, but who was Brown?
What was this famous court case about?
In the first half of the 20th Century, throughout the United States, segregation was the law
of the land.
Schools, as well as other public institutions and businesses, were commonly segregated on
the basis of race.
This had been upheld in the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson.
Linda Brown was an African American third grader who attended Monroe Elementary School
in Topeka, KS.
This was the all-black school she was required to attend because of the segregation laws
in place at the time.
To reach her school each morning, she had to walk six blocks to reach the bus stop before
traveling by bus another mile to reach her destination.
Meanwhile, Sumner Elementary School (an all-white school) was only seven blocks from her home,
but she was not allowed to attend it because she was African American.
Her father, Oliver Brown, attempted to enroll her in Sumner Elementary.
After he was refused, he took his case to court.
He was actually one of several parents who filed a class-action suit against the School
Board of Topeka, KS.
Even though there were thirteen parents involved in the case, it will be Mr. Brown’s name
that history will always remember.
A district court initially ruled in favor of the school board, but the case was appealed
to the United States Supreme Court.
The parents’ case was argued by Thurgood Marshall, who later went on to become a Supreme
Court justice.
The case was heard in front of the Court for the first time in the spring of 1953.
The justices were unable to reach a decision and asked to hear the case again in the fall.
The Court’s final ruling was unanimous.
By a 9-0 vote, the justices determined that state laws which created separate schools
for African Americans were unconstitutional, stating that these laws violated the Equal
Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Newly appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the Court’s opinion over the case.
This was a landmark Supreme Court decision and a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
Even though this decision set the stage for integration to take place, it would be many
years before it was seen in reality.
Topeka Schools began integrating as early as 1953, but would not see full integration
until 1956.
Other communities were even slower.
In Virginia, there was a movement to close schools rather than see them integrated.
Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and several other states also resisted the integration process
throughout the 1950s and even into the 1960s!
However, integration was eventually achieved, and today, children are allowed to attend
the school nearest to their home, thanks to the decision reached in Brown v. Board of
Education.