Brown v. Board of Education, National Historic Site.
Topeka, Kansas
Theme: "Expressions for Freedom and Equality"
Show: May 1 - June 30, 2013
Reception: TBA

Artwork Due: April 15, 2013 (Postmarked Deadline)

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"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."

-From the opinion written by Chief Justice Earl Warren in 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education.

Contact Person: Jennifer Marsh at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Location: Brown v. Board of Education
1515 SE Monroe Street, Topeka, Kansas 66612
Phone: (785) 354-4273
Website: http://www.nps.gov/brvb/contacts.htm

Museum Contact Person: Dave Schafer, Superintendent

Interactive Link:
http://mms.nps.gov/ram/mwr/road31.swf
"The Road to Justice" is an interactive activity that allows you to think like an African American student in 1950. Find your way through the many challenges to a successful outcome!

"The Brave Warrior of Justice"
http://www.nps.gov/features/malu/feat0002/wof/index.htm

"The Civil War: 150 Years"
http://www.nps.gov/civilwar150/index.html

History & Culture

"The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) is one of the most pivotal opinions ever rendered by that body. This landmark decision highlights the U.S. Supreme Court’s role in affecting changes in national and social policy. Often when people think of the case, they remember a little girl whose parents sued so that she could attend an all-white school in her neighborhood. In reality, the story of Brown v. Board of Education is far more complex.

In December, 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court had on its docket cases from Kansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, and Virginia, all of which challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools. The U.S. Supreme Court had consolidated these five cases under one name, Oliver Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka. One of the justices later explained that the U.S. Supreme Court felt it was better to have representative cases from different parts of the country. They decided to put Brown first “so that the whole question would not smack of being a purely Southern one.” (For more information on each of the five cases, click on the highlighted state's name above.)

This collection of cases was the culmination of years of legal groundwork laid by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in its work to end segregation. None of the cases would have been possible without individuals who were courageous enough to take a stand against the segregated system."
-Brown v. Board of Education, NPS, Website