Brown v. Board of Education

https://www.nps.gov/brvb/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education_National_Historical_Park Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park was established in Topeka, Kansas, to commemorate the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision aimed at ending racial segregation in public schools. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and, as such, violated the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens "equal protection of the laws." The site consists of the Monroe Elementary School, one of the four segregated elementary schools for African American children in Topeka, and the adjacent grounds. The path to equality has been anything but smooth. It's taken courage and dedication by everyday people coming together for a common goal to carry the country toward true equality. Parents, teachers, secretaries, welders, ministers, and students drove their communities, and the country along with them, toward justice in a series of often unsteady turns leading to the Brown v. Board decision. The park is located in downtown Topeka, Kansas at 1515 SE Monroe Street. Visitor Center The Monroe School building serves as the Brown v. Board of Education NHS visitor center. It houses several exhibits, restrooms, and a WNPA bookstore. Brown v Board NHP Exterior Brown v Board National Historical Park The Monroe Elementary School Building. Monroe Elementary School Monroe School and park visitor center Monroe Elementary School, was one of the four segregated elementary schools for African American children in Topeka Monroe Classroom Historic classroom image, 1949 Monroe School Class Photo 1949 Exterior of Monroe School Front entrance to Monroe school Front entrance to historic Monroe school. National park programs Visitors join a national park program around the Monroe school building and grounds Visitors join a national park program around the Monroe school building and grounds Equalization Schools of South Carolina South Carolina built over 700 modern schools for African American students in the 1950s and 1960s to avoid desegregating its school systems. Children in a classroom Monroe Elementary School Cultural Landscape The Monroe Elementary School in Topeka Kansas is associated with the 1954 Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. Linda Brown, who attended the segregated Monroe Elementary School, was denied enrollment in Sumner Elementary School. The location of the schools and the quality of their education were material to the Court's findings, which led to legal and social changes demanding classroom equality for all Americans. A green lawn and row of trees in front of the two-story brick school. Shaping the System under President George H.W. Bush President George H.W. Bush was an ardent supporter of the national parks. Explore some the parks that are part of the legacy of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who served as the 41st president of the United States from January 20, 1989 to January 20, 1993. President George H.W. Bush shaking hands with a park ranger at the World War II Memorial Service First Agreement Provides Operational and Ecological Benefits NPS and USFWS have operated under a “Service First” agreement for fire management in several NPS units in the Midwest since 2008. The Service First statute authorizes agencies within the US Department of Interior and US Department of Agriculture to conduct shared management activities to achieve mutually beneficial land and resource management goals. The Mid-Plains Interagency Fire Management Zone recently received the NPS Midwest Regional Office Fire Management Award. Archeology at Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Following the landmark Oliver L. Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in 1954, public schools could no longer segregate students using racial categories or ethnic backgrounds. In 1992, the events surrounding this historic case became the basis for the creation of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, which includes the Monroe Elementary School. View of Monroe Elementary School. Things to Do in Kansas Find things to do in Kansas. Single story square building in the distance partially obstructed by a field of golden grass. President Eisenhower and Civil Rights A brief overview of President Eisenhower and his administration's role in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s. a black and white image of President Eisenhower surrounded by reporters. Series: Things to Do in the Midwest There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation. Steep bluff with pink sky above and yellow leaves below. Robin White Robin White experienced profound loss and the injustices of discrimination as a child. Surrounded by women, she grew up understanding the importance of nature, family, cultural heritage, and her own worth. During more than 40 years in the National Park Service (NPS) White valued community engagement and diversity, first as an interpretative ranger and later as a superintendent. Robin White in her NPS uniform and ranger flat hat stands in front of a brown sign. The Modern Civil Rights Movement in the National Capital Area The national capital area’s everyday people contributed to the overall success of the modern Civil Rights Movement. From students to pastors, lawyers to teachers, parents and every-day people planned efforts between the 1950s to the 1960s to eliminate segregation and the discrimination. Civil Rights leaders surrounded by journalists and media. The Continuing Debate over the Meaning of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision On June 29, 2023, the US Supreme Court decided the cases Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, et al. In the majority and dissenting opinions, several justices continued the debate over the meaning of the Brown v. Board of Education decision issued by the Supreme Court in 1954. The Road to 'Separate But Equal' Learn more about important historical events that paved the way for the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision of 1896. Written for the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park as part of an HI-397-X: Internship at Historical Agencies Course with Dr. Kim Morse at Washburn University. A black-and-white illustration of a well-dressed Black man being told to leave his seat. Series: A Timeline of Resistance: The Perseverance of African Americans from the Revolutionary War to the Civil Rights Era The story of African American’s fight for equality did not begin or end with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In the National Capital Area, dedicated activism and self-determination has been documented since the Revolutionary War through the present day. This series consists of six articles that outline distinct timelines of resistance and activism in the fight for freedom. A young African American girl gazes at the camera holding a banner for the March on Washington Constance Baker Motley Constance Baker Motley was a woman of unquestionable talent, perseverance, and courage; she dedicated her life to upholding the law and paving the way for many other women of color to pursue prominent positions in the legal profession. Learn more about her life and how she championed ideas of justice, equality, and tenacity. Image of Constance Baker Motley making a peace sign after her election to the New York State Senate. Telling the Whole, and Sometimes Difficult, Stories Superintendent Jim Williams reflects on the challenges the NPS faces telling the heroic, yet traumatic, stories of racially segregated public schools. The Brown v. Board of Education Decision Related to Native Americans Superintendent Jim Williams explores how the US Supreme Court raised the issue of whether declaring racial segregation of public schools unconstitutional in 1954 would affect the education of Native Americans. Series: Superintendent Articles about Brown v. Board of Education NHP As a former history professor and trained historian, Dr. Jim Williams brings his own perspective to park management. Occasionally, he shares his thoughts and research in this series of articles related to Brown v. Board of Education as a park and as a landmark Supreme Court decision. Superintendent Jim Williams in NPS uniform Public Remarks about Brown v. Board of Education NHP Occasionally Superintendent Jim Williams is asked to deliver public remarks. He shares those remarks from occasions since he became superintendent in 2022. Claymont Community Center Receives a National Park Foundation ParkVentures Grant Claymont Community Center in Claymont, Delaware, was the recent recipient of a National Park Foundation, ParkVentures grant to create a multi-generational art program for community residents. “A Walk in the Park: Discovering the First State through Nature and Art,” allowed participants to engage in recreational and educational opportunities available at partnering sites of First State National Historical Park, Delaware’s only National Park Service location. A group of people can be seen standing on the steps of Claymont Community Center in Delaware. President Jimmy Carter's Remarks on the 25th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Decisions President Jimmy Carter's remarks delivered at the White House on the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decisions in Brown v. Board of Education, May 17, 1979. Dr. King and the Brown Decisions Text of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech in 1956 about school integration and the Brown v. Board decisions. 1954: Brown v. Board of Education For African Americans, the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education encouraged and empowered many who felt for the first time in more than half a century that they had a "friend" in the Court. The strategy of education, lobbying, and litigation that had defined the Civil Rights Movement up to that point broadened to include an emphasis on a "direct action. people in period costume stand in front of park sign, brick building behind Oral History Interview with Dennis Vasquez Mr. Dennis Vasquez begins by describing the course of his career with the National Park Service, beginning in 1977. He describes his work on standardization of the National Park Service brand, including standardizing signage, brochures, text fonts, and exhibit presentations between 2002 and 2004. Headshot of a middle aged white man with white and gray hair in front of a brick wall Oral History Interview with David A. Smith Mr. David Smith describes the course of his career with the National Park Service beginning in 1982. He details the circumstances under which he became the Superintendent for Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in 2011. A white park ranger with brown hair and a beard stands in front of an american flag while smiling Oral History Interview with Warren Bielenberg Mr. Warren Bielenberg discusses hist time as Chief of Interpretation for the Midwest Region and the work that he did for Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. He describes the trajectory of his career with the National Park Service, beginning in 1967. a balding older white man with short brown hair, brown glasses, and a white mustache Oral History Interview with Sam Vaughn Sam Vaughn, former interpretive planner at Harpers Ferry, describes the course of his career with the National Park Service beginning in 1973. He discusses the problems and pitfalls of creating interpretive exhibits for the Brown v. Board of Education site. Brown arrowhead logo, point down. At top right, white text, National Park Service. Oral History Interview with Robin White Ms. Robin White begins by describing her career with the National Park Service beginning in 1982. She recounts how she came to be the Chief of Interpretation at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Portrait of a black female park ranger wearing her flat hat, and a green overcoat Oral History Interview with Randy Speaker Randy Speaker, Deputy City Manager and City of Topeka Community Development Director from 2002 until 2012, discusses cooperative planning efforts with the Brown v Board of Education site to prepare for the visit of President Bush in 2004. An older white man with black and white hair wearing a black suit with white shirt and red tie Oral History Interview with Katherine Cushinberry Ms. Katherine Cushinberry discusses her work for the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas, which was her first assignment in the National Park Service. Brown arrowhead logo, point down. At top right, white text, National Park Service. Oral History Interview with Karen A. Hiller Karen Hiller, member of the Brown v. Board/Sumner Legacy Trust and Topeka City Council member, discusses the struggles to save the Sumner Elementary School site and include it in the wider narrative of the Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site. middle aged woman with short black and white hair, modern glasses gold earrings Oral History Interview with Harry Butowsky Mr. Harry Butowsky describes how he first started working for the National Park Service in 1977 doing Section 106 compliance reviews. From there, he moved on to writing for the Park History Division, including doing planning studies, investigating and reporting on adverse uses of park facilities and how the National Park Service spent its funds. older black man with short white and black hair, metal rimmed glasses and a gray sweater. Oral History Interview with H. Tyrone Brandyburg Mr. Tyrone Brandyburg discusses his work as Chief of Interpretation for Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site between 1997 and 2000. middle aged Black male park ranger with black and gray short hair, black glasses and a mustache Oral History Interview with Treva J. Sykes Ms. Treva Sykes recounts how she came to be hired by the National Park Service to be the maintenance worker for the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in 1995. an older white woman with curly brown and white hair, speckled glasses and a black and white shirt Oral History Interview with Deborah Dandridge Deborah Dandridge, archivist for the University of Kansas and member of the Brown Foundation, discusses her involvement with the Brown v Board site.  An older mixed-race woman with white hair and black glasses smiles at the camera Oral History Interview with Theora McVay Ms. Theora McVay traces the course of her career with the National Park Service beginning in 1975. She explains how cooperative agreements work and what she did as administrator of the Midwest Regional Office’s cooperative agreement with the Brown Foundation. Headshot of an older white woman with short white hair, black glasses a red shirt and brown sweater Oral History Interview with Teri Gage Teri Perry Gage, former administrative assistant at Brown v. Board of Education discusses the early days of the sit and its transition from the local post office to the school. A white female park ranger with medium length brown hair wearing her green and grey service uniform Oral History Interview with Stephen E. Adams Mr. Adams describes his career with the National Park Service, beginning in 1974, prior to his move to Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in early December of 1999. An older white man with white hair and metallic rimmed glasses in a white shirt and blue sweater Oral History Interview with Sherda K. Williams Ms. Sherda Williams begins by detailing the course of her career with the National Park Service beginning in 1990. She discusses her first impressions when she arrived as superintendent of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.  headshot of an older woman with short brown and white hair and purple glasses smiles Oral History Interview with Sändra J. Washington Ms. Sändra Washington describes the course of her career with the National Park Service, beginning in 1990. She briefly describes the earliest studies for Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site before it was established as a national historic site by Congress. portrait of an older black woman with short black hair wearing a brown grey and black shirt