History & Culture

The Brown v. Board of Education decision is far more complex than a little girl whose parents sued to get her into an all-white school. This landmark victory for equality was decades in the making. Attorneys, parents, scientists, activists, and students struggled to steer the nation toward justice. After the decision, and even today, there is more work to be done by everyday citizens with a common goal -- equality.

More information can also be found in this guide or the site's official Historic Resource Study. Read the report online.

From Segregation to Incarceration

The End of African American Higher Education Institutes in Kansas
Court Decisions

The decisions from the highest court in the land shaped the world we live in today.
Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall led a life in the pursuit of equality, and was on a path destined to lead him to the U.S. Supreme Court. Read More...
Briggs v. Elliott

When their petition for buses was ignored, 20 parents in South Carolina filed suit to challenge segregation itself.
Clark Doll Test

The Clark Doll test was instrumental to the Brown v. Board of Education case.
Charles Hamilton Houston

Houston developed a "Top-Down" integration strategy, and became known as "The Man Who Killed Jim Crow" for his desegregation work.
Rev. Oliver L. Brown

Rev. Oliver Leon Brown served as lead plaintiff, one of 13 plaintiffs, in the Board v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court case.
The Five Cases

Brown v. Board was the bundling of 5 cases regarding segregation. Learn about the others here.
Brown v. Board of Education

Started by the NAACP, 13 parents in Topeka, KS. enrolled their children in white schools but were refused.

African American Experience Fund

The mission of the African American Experience Fund of the National Park Foundation is to preserve African American history by supporting education programs in National Parks that celebrate African American history and culture. There are 26 National Parks identified by the African American Experience Fund: