A woman who became a central figure in the fight against racial segregation in US schools has died at the age of 75.
Linda Brown died on Sunday in Topeka, Kansas, her sister Cheryl Brown Henderson, founding president of The Brown Foundation, confirmed to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
As a girl in Kansas in the 1950s, Ms Brown’s father tried to enrol her in an all-white school in Topeka. He and several black families were turned away, sparking the Brown v Board of Education case that challenged segregation in public schools.
A 1954 decision by the US Supreme Court followed, striking down racial segregation in schools and cementing Ms Brown’s place in history as a key figure in the landmark case.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel at NAACP Legal Defence and Educational Fund, said in a statement that Ms Brown was one of a band of heroic young people who, along with her family, courageously fought to end the ultimate symbol of white supremacy – racial segregation in public schools.
The NAACP’s legal arm brought the lawsuit to challenge segregation in public schools before the Supreme Court and Ms Brown’s father, Oliver Brown, became lead plaintiff.
Several black families in Topeka were turned down when they tried to enrol their children in white schools near their homes. The lawsuit was joined with cases from Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
I have the deepest respect for the courage of Linda Brown and the entire Brown family. Their sacrifice changed the course of American history. My heart goes out to the entire Brown family today. https://t.co/f1KdCHwNLz
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) March 26, 2018
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separating black and white children was unconstitutional because it denied black children the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.
“In the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place,” Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote. “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
The Brown decision overturned the court’s Plessy v Ferguson decision, which on May 18, 1896, established a “separate but equal” doctrine for blacks in public facilities.
“Sixty-four years ago, a young girl from Topeka, Kansas, sparked a case that ended segregation in public schools in America,” Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer said in a statement.
64 years ago a young girl from Topeka brought a case that ended segregation in public schools in America. Linda Brown’s life reminds us that sometimes the most unlikely people can have an incredible impact and that by serving our community we can truly change the world. #ksleg
— Dr. Jeff Colyer (@DrJeffColyer) March 26, 2018
“Linda Brown’s life reminds us that by standing up for our principles and serving our communities we can truly change the world. Linda’s legacy is a crucial part of the American story and continues to inspire the millions who have realised the American dream because of her.”
Brown v Board was an historic marker in the civil rights movement, likely the most high-profile case brought by Thurgood Marshall and the lawyers of the NAACP Legal Defence and Education Fund in their decade-plus campaign to chip away at the doctrine of “separate but equal”.
A cause of death for Ms Brown was not released. Arrangements were pending at Peaceful Rest Funeral Chapel.
Oliver Brown, for whom the case was named, became a minister at a church in Springfield, Missouri. He died of a heart attack in 1961. Linda Brown and her sister founded in 1988 the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research.
