On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that state laws requiring segregated public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional.
The family of Linda Carol Brown, age 21, was one of a number of families involved in the case who all strove for equal educational opportunities for their children.
This case was an important milestone in the Civil Rights Movement and a major step toward desegregating schools. However, today many schools remain segregated in practice, though not in principal.
The lawyer who argued the case was Thurgood Marshall, who later served as the first African-American justice of the Supreme Court.
Websites
“8 things you should know about Brown v. Board of Education” from History.com
Brown v. Board of Education primary source documents from the National Archives and Records Administration
Primary source documents and background information on the case.
“70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, new research shows rise in school segregation” by Carrie Spector
A report from researchers at Stanford and USC shows that racial and economic segregation among schools has grown steadily in large school districts over the past three decades.”
“7 realities for Black students in America, 70 year after Brown”, Hechinger Report
WCC Library Books
Defining Moments: Brown v. Board of Education by Diane Telgen
“Examines Brown v. Board of Education, using a narrative overview, biographies and primary sources.”
Audacious agitation: the uncompromising commitment of Black youth to equal education after Brown, by Vincent D. Willis
“In the decade after the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board decision, it became clear to students, parents, and community members alike that court cases were insufficient in the pursuit of educational justice. This book explores what made it difficult for educational equality to become obtainable after the Brown decision as well as the resilience and activism of younger Black students who sought to enforce equality–even when the government could not.”
Race, law, and culture: reflections on Brown v. Board of Education, by Austin Sarat
“More than 40 years after Brown v. Board of Education put an end to the segregation of the races by law, current debates about multiculturalism and racial hate speech reveal persistent uncertainty about the meaning of race in American culture.”
Films on Demand
All films in the library’s Films on Demand database are closed-captioned and can be embedded in Canvas.
Black/White & Brown: Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka (57-min., 2004) by KTWU
“This fascinating program connects viewers with the people, places, events, and ideas that shaped the landmark civil rights case. Interviewees include Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of lead plaintiff Oliver Brown; Zelma Henderson, who, until her death in 2008, was the only surviving Brown plaintiff; and the children of other plaintiffs, attorneys, and activists.”
Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP (56-min. ,2014) by PBS
“Marshall, who went on to become the first black Supreme Court justice in 1967, made the work of civil rights pioneers like the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks possible, by laying the groundwork to end legal segregation and changing the American legal landscape.”