Brown v. Board of Education Fast Facts
Here’s what you need to know about the landmark US Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education.
About the Case
The first plaintiff was Oliver Brown, an African-American welder and assistant pastor, who brought the case against the Topeka Board of Education for not allowing his nine-year-old daughter, Linda Brown, to attend Sumner Elementary School, an all-white school near their home.
In 1954, there were four African-American schools and 18 white schools in Topeka.
Four similar cases were combined with the Brown complaint and presented to the Supreme Court as Brown v. Board of Education. The full name of the case is Oliver L. Brown et al v. Board of Education of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas, et al.