Together and Equal

On May 17, 1954, the US Supreme Court unanimously rejected its previous ruling that public school education could be separate and equal.  In deciding Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka the highest court in the land mandated that schools throughout the nation be desegregated.  After initial turmoil in the reluctant southern states (surprise, surprise) the public school systems throughout the US began massive efforts to integrate public education.  I, for one, think that mandatory busing was one of the greatest endeavors this nation ever undertook.  Only by sharing daily experiences and visiting different neighborhoods will our children learn not to fear or hate other people simply because of the color of their skin.

Thurgood Marshall was the lead attorney who argued the case on behalf of a group of children who had been denied enrollment in certain public schools based on their skin color.  Oliver Brown, of Topeka, Kansas, was one of the appellants.  Interestingly, Thurgood Marshall would go on to become one of the most influential and celebrated justices on the US Supreme Court.  To boot, he was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court.

-- Charlie