Brown v. Board of Education

The 1950's was a time of racial segregation, unfairness, and inequality. When one thinks of the world in this time one would think of white and black with no fusion or freedom to converse amongst the two groups. African Americas were considered a lesser group of people with less potential than the white community. They therefore were placed in separate schools from the white children and were given a lesser education in run-down, ramshackle buildings. There was recognition that these facilities were not equal and were not allowing the minority group to have the opportunity to high education as the white children of each town were receiving. This recognition lead to the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896. This case resulted in what the court stated as "separate but equal facilities." However, there was little reinforcement to the equal facilities part of the agreement and the schools continued to be in significantly worse shape for the minorities.
Linda Brown's parents were the ones who originally challenged the Board of Education because their daughter was forced to walk a great distance every single morning to attend the colored school in which she was told to attend. Her parents argued that because there was a school for white children much closer to their house that Linda should be allowed to attend this school if the buildings really were "equal." They stated, "Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children...A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn." Through the help of the NAACP and other parents who agreed with the Browns, on May 17, 1954 the desegregation of schools was officially declared. This paved the way for others to follow in the pursuit of equal rights.

Sources:

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_brown.html