Separate ≠ Equal

May 17 marked the 60th anniversary of the decision handed down by the Supreme Court on Oliver Brown, et al. v Board of Education of Topeka, et al. It was decided that the policy of separate but equal was a violation of African American children's right to education. 

The case overturned the ruling in the 1896 case Plessy v. Furguson. This case legalized segregation and was the law of the land for 58 years. 

Many Americans think of the Civil Rights era as the tumultuous 1960s, but it started much earlier. Brown v. Board is seen as the start of the modern civil rights movement. Prior to being reviewed by the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall argued the case for desegregation  Marshall would go on to become the first African American Supreme Court justice. 

Despite the ruling though, many southern states decided to close their public schools instead of integrating them. Governor Orval Faubus called the National Guard in to prevent Little Rock Central High School from integrating.