11/21 The Judiciary

The Judiciary

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1)

This case revolves around an 8 years old girl named Linda Brown who wants to go to school around her neighborhood in Topeka, Kansas. The school that she wants to go to is an all-white segregated school. The school official refused to register her to the school due to the fact that the board of education in Topeka keeps the white and non- white schools separated. Brown’s parents filed a lawsuit to force the schools to allow her to register to the school nearby. The case made its way to the Supreme Court. When this case made it to the Supreme Court, the question about segregation in public schools and equality was addressed.  The Court was asked to determine whether the segregation of schools was constitutional. Brown's attorneys argued that the operation of separate schools, based on race, was harmful to African-American children while the Board of Education, on the other hand, claimed that the separate schools for nonwhites in Topeka were equal in every way, and were in complete conformity with the “separate but equal” standard.

 “Segregation [in public education] is a denial of the equal protection of the laws. To separate [some children] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.”

Chief Justice Warren wrote in his decision that segregation in the public school cause harm to children of color. The Supreme Court went on saying that even though the facilities, teachers, and supplies are equal, separation itself was fundamentally unequal and that it was a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14^th amendment. The Court also wrote that a quality education was critical for all children and ruled that it was the state's job to ensure educational equality.

I thought that this case was extremely important because this case does not deal with palpable inequalities such as bad facilities or bad supplies that can be corrected, but with the fundamental  notion that separating us solely based on our skin color is wrong and unequal. It is a major step forward for civil rights movement. This case inspires people to challenge segregation in education and social life everywhere. This case also brought about education reform.