This past Sunday, Linda Brown, the young girl who was the main subject of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 passed away. The bravery of Brown and her father changed history. This landmark Supreme Court case ended the legal segregation of schools. It also showcased the Court’s ability to influence both national and social policy. Her case began when her father, Oliver Brown, attempted to enroll her in an all white school named Sumner School. Ms. Brown’s father played a vital role in the case as he was the lead plaintiff on the case and the case which combined theirs and those of similar stories became known as Oliver L. Brown et.al. vs the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Mr. Brown was a pastor at the local Methodist church of his community and a worker for the Santa Fe Railway. According to the Brown Foundation, Linda Brown recalls her father stating the following: “These were the circumstances which so angered black parents,” “My father pondered, ‘Why?’ Why should we have to tell our children that they cannot go to the school in their neighborhood because their skin is black?”
Ms. Linda Brown passed away at 75 (some reports claim 76) years old. Her and her father’s efforts left a lasting impact on the nation. “The Brown decision initiated educational reform throughout the United States and was a catalyst in launching the modern Civil Rights Movement. Bringing about change in the years since Brown continues to prove difficult. But the Brown v. Board of Education victory brought Americans one step closer to true freedom and equal rights.”