Oliver Brown (American activist) facts for kids

Oliver Brown (born August 19, 1918 – died June 20, 1961) was an African-American man who played a very important role in American history. He was the main person named in a famous 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case called Oliver Brown, et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al. This case helped end segregation in public schools.

At the time, Oliver Brown worked as a welder for a railway company. He was also studying to become a minister. His friend, attorney Charles Scott, asked him to join a group of parents. These parents were working with the NAACP to end segregation in Topeka's public elementary schools.

Why the Case Started

In 1950, the Topeka NAACP brought together 13 parents. These parents became the plaintiffs, or people who bring a lawsuit to court. Their case was named after Oliver Brown, even though he wasn't the first to join.

The parents were worried because their children had to travel far to attend schools just for Black children. There were other schools much closer to their homes, but those schools were only for white children. Black children in Topeka were sent to one of only four segregated schools.

The Supreme Court Decision

The NAACP case first went to a federal district court, but it wasn't successful there. So, the case was appealed, meaning it was sent to a higher court. It eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. There, it was combined with similar cases from other states like Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

After some delays, the cases were argued again in late 1953. A famous lawyer named Thurgood Marshall, who worked for the NAACP, led the arguments for the parents. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court made a very important decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren announced that all the judges agreed: they sided with the parents.

Why Oliver Brown's Name?

Even though many parents were part of the case, it became known as Brown v. Board of Education. Oliver Brown was not the first parent to join the lawsuit, nor was his name first alphabetically. However, he was the only male parent among the main plaintiffs in the Topeka case. This might be why the case was named after him.

This decision changed things a lot. It said that having separate public schools for Black and White students was against the U.S. Constitution. This overturned an old rule from 1896 called "separate but equal," which had allowed segregation. The Brown v. Board of Education decision was a huge step forward for the Civil Rights Movement in America.

Oliver Brown's Legacy

Oliver Brown passed away suddenly in 1961 at the age of 42. He had a heart attack while traveling.

In 1988, Oliver Brown's family and people from Topeka started a group called the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research. This group works to keep the memory and meaning of the Brown v. Board of Education decision alive. His daughter, Cheryl Brown Henderson, is the founding president of this foundation.

Thanks to the work of the Brown Foundation, a special place was created. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush signed a law that made the former Monroe Elementary School a national historic site. This school was one of the segregated schools for African American children in Topeka.

Oliver Brown's eldest daughter, Linda Brown Thompson, passed away in 2018. She was often mistakenly thought to be the main focus of the case. However, the case was actually about many plaintiffs from all the different lawsuits combined by the Supreme Court.