The Brown Case as it is often referred to, was significant for the jurisprudence the Supreme Court laid in interpretation of matters constitutional in relation to racial segregation which at that time was prevalent in the United States of America. A brief statement of the facts are as follows. The United States schools had until the litigation relied on Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which had held that segregation in public facilities was constitutional as long as the segregated functions enjoyed similar facilities. This had been advanced in denying blacks the right to attend public schools considered to be predominantly white. In Oliver Brown, a parent of one of the black children denied entry to the Topeka white schools sued the Board of Education seeking for the Supreme Court to interpret the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The plaintiff senior counsel was celebrated civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall. The Supreme Court ruled that the Board’s application of the law and the attendant denial of the black children access to the white schools was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
The case is celebrated for the landmark ruling it made in the fight for civil rights in America for the Negroes. It breathed life into the civil rights activism and motivated them to fight even harder for the course of liberation. While implementing the recommendation of the ruling was difficult, if not impossible, the case is appreciated for the role it played in spearheading the civil rights movement. It reminded the American society of the intents and position of the constitution in matters racial. It was clear that the constitution had envisioned a racially equal society rather than racially discrimination. From the interpretation of the Supreme Court, it was clear what position the law was in matters racial. In the long run, it would serve to fuel the vicious campaigns by rights activists employing a legal front in advocating for the freedom, non-discrimination of the Negros in the United States of America. Up to date, the case is cited for its elucidation as to the position of the American Constitution on racial equality.
Reference
Brittain, J. (2012). A Look at Brown v. Board of Education in 2054. Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 3(1), 12-21.
