Although unpopular today, segregation within education was the norm of society until 1951. In the years preceding that time, the NAACP had tried to achieve desegregated schools, initially starting with the “separate but equal” motto of Plessy v. Ferguson. Plessy v. Ferguson held that as long as the separate facilities for the separate races were "equal," the segregation did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment. The NAACP fought for equality in teaching facilities, transportation, and salaries, with which they were very successful. Victories at the graduate school level inspired African Americans to fight for total equality. This led to the uproar of Brown v. Board. In 1951, a class action suit was filed against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. African American citizens found it unfair that their children were not allowed to attend the elementary school located seven blocks from their homes, just because it was for “whites only”. Rather, they had to walk six blocks to a bus stop that took them to school a mile away. After an intense deliberation, the court ruled in favor of the Board of Education, on the basis of “separate but equal”.
I got this written in class today. I need to find a book source. I also need to get more written tonight.
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