Brown v. Board of Education Resources for Educators and Learners

November 3, 2020

In 1954, as a direct response to Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka combined multiple cases into one. The Supreme Court ruled, “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” thus ending segregation in schools. The first Black children to attend schools were met with extreme hostility.

  • Georgia Public Broadcasting set up an online exhibit in Google to tell the story of desegregating schools with photos, videos and documents. Learn More >
  • The U.S. National Archives hosts a comprehensive exhibit on Google about desegregating Little Rock Central High School, where Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton attended, with documents and photos. View Now >
  • The Memphis 13 is a documentary film about the 13 first-grade children who bravely integrated into previously all-White schools. The website hosts photos and a curriculum for educators. Watch Now >
  • At the Civil Rights Trail site, learn more about how school segregation across the country. Learn More >
  • For educators: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture hosts a wealth of digital resources about education. View More >

Visit the sites in 360-degree views

  • Monroe Elementary was one of the four segregated all-Black elementary schools in Topeka, KS. At the Civil Rights Trail site, you can watch a video about it and see a 360-degree view of the school. View Now >
  • The liaison between the local school board and the Little Rock Nine was Daisy Bates. Her house is available to see in a 360-degree view with some background information on her and the home at the Civil Rights Trail site. View Now >

Listen to podcasts about legally ending school segregation

  • Black History Buff tells the story of Little Rock Nine by placing them in context. The podcast episode uses interviews of the Nine, too. Listen Now >
  • Robin Loucks, a White student who attended Little Rock Central High School with the Little Rock Nine, appeared on NPR’s Story Corps. Listen Now >
  • The NPR podcast School Colors digs into the history of race, class and power in the education system, centered around one school, going back to the 1960s. Listen Now >

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