Brown v. Board of Education

The 1954 decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Oliver L. Brown et.al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) et.al. is one of the most important judicial turning points in the progress of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later Thurgood Marshall and a fearsome legal team, it broke the legal basis for racial isolation in schools and other public amenities. By deciding that the discriminatory character of racial segregation ... "violates the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws," Brown v. Board of Education provided the foundation for determining future national and international policies with respect to human rights.

The case of Brown v. Board of Education was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were results of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics. Giving an end to this behavior is proper as a legal practice caused far reaching social and ideological implications, which persist to be felt throughout our country. The Brown decision stimulated and galvanized human rights struggles across the country and around the world.

What this legal challenge represents is at the core of United States history and the freedoms we enjoy. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown began a critical chapter in the maturation of our democracy. It reaffirmed the sovereign power of the people of the United States in the protection of their natural rights from arbitrary limits and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. These rights are recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

While this case was an important historic milestone, it is often misunderstood. Over the years, the facts pertaining to the Brown case have been overshadowed by myths and mischaracterizations. First, Brown v. Board of Education was not the first challenge to school segregation. As early as 1849, African Americans filed suit against an educational system that mandated racial segregation, in the case of Roberts v. City of Boston. And second, Oliver Brown, the case namesake, was just one of the nearly 200 plaintiffs from five states who were part of the NAACP cases brought before the Supreme Court in 1951. The Kansas case was named for Oliver Brown as a legal strategy to have a man head the plaintiff roster.