Explore

Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Seeing beyond “et al”: As we commemorate the 65th anniversary of the verdict in “Oliver Brown et al. v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas,” now is the time to recognize and honor the plaintiffs who risked so much in forcing the issue of school segregation to the Supreme Court. Below you’ll find summaries of the five cases that were merged to form “Brown” at the High Court, and emotional family testimonials that lay bare the consequences faced by mothers, fathers and lawyers in joining this historic litigation. See more essays, videos, and download the new book “Recovering Untold Stories: An Enduring Legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision at The74Million.org/Brown65.

Education news and commentary, delivered right to your inbox.

Sign up for The 74 newsletter.
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

The Untold Stories Behind Brown v. Board: 65 Years Later, Remembering the Five Unique Lawsuits and Communities That Joined Forces to Persuade the Supreme Court

Cheryl Brown Henderson
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: J.A. Stokes — The Student Strike That Launched One of the Most Influential Civil Rights Movements in Virginia. ‘We Jump-Started Our Own Manhattan Project’

J.A. Stokes
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65 — Adrienne Jennings Bennett on the Anticipation & Anxiety That Followed the Verdict: How Soon Would D.C. Implement School Desegregation?

Adrienne Jennings Bennett
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Alfred L. Cobbs Recalls the Day Prince Edward County Closed Its Schools to Fight Mandatory Integration — and the Families Who Took In Those Lost Students

Alfred L. Cobbs
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Katherine Carper Sawyer, Daughter of Key Plaintiff, Reflects on Being Called to Testify in Court at 10 Years Old

Katherine Carper Sawyer
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Understanding the History of America’s ‘Foundational Test of Racial and Educational Equity’ — Through the Personal Stories of Families Who Took Their Case to Court

John Edgar Tidwell & Harry A. Butowsky
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65 — Ada Stukes Adderley Still Remembers the Power of Protest: ‘Although I Was Young, I Knew That It Was Something Important. I Was Excited and Proud”

Ada Stukes Adderley
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Nathaniel Briggs on the Deep Roots of Southern Segregation — and Why the Supremacy of the Confederacy Still Stands Today

Nathaniel Briggs
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Sherrilyn A. Ifill on Why We All Need to Know More About the Brave Black Students Who Integrated Schools in the 1950s

Sherrilyn A. Ifill
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Brigitte Louise Brown Recalls Her Mother Being Denied a Seat at Her All-White Neighborhood School — and Her Grandmother’s Victory in Fighting Back

Brigitte Louise Brown
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Joan Johns Cobbs Remembers the Day Her Sister Led a Student Protest That Went On to Change the Course of American History

Joan Johns Cobbs
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: René Michelle Ricks-Stamps Recalls Delaware’s Deep Segregation — and Her Grandmother’s Outrage in Seeing School Buses Skip Her Home

René Michelle Ricks-Stamps
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Joan E. Anderson, Daughter of Key Plaintiff, Pays Tribute to the Delaware Superintendent Who Defied State Orders to Desegregate Classrooms

Joan E. Anderson
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65 — Anderson Neff Recalls a Peaceful First Day of School Integration: ‘The White Kids Were as Unsure as to How to Behave as I Was’

Carol Anderson Neff
Brown v. Board at 65: The Untold Stories of the Plaintiffs & Families Who Changed America's Schools

Brown v. Board at 65: Virginia Tryon Smilack Remembers Her Father Fighting for Integration on the School Board — and Her 1952 Kindergarten Teacher Treating Her Differently as a Result

Virginia Tryon Smilack
Daily Enlightenment Delivered

Start your day with the most important education news. Sign up for our free newsletter today.