The events that led to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case were supported by the active fight of the NAACP against segregation laws in public schools. Prior to the event, the Supreme Court narrowed the field of Civil Rights Act legislation that can be supported by the Constitution, restricting the civil rights movement. When a young African American girl, Linda Brown, was denied admission to an all-White school, her father filed a suit, challenging the separate but equal doctrine. It became the central case of the combined four claims under Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
The hearing in the Supreme Court took place in 1953. The central figures were two chief justice, Fred Vinson and Earl Warren, who held utterly opposite positions in the case. The first supported separate but equal doctrine, while the second claimed that “Segregated schools are inherently unequal” (Yell, 2022, p. 199). Hence, new Chief Justice Warren tried to unite the divided Court. The racial turmoil that would undoubtedly follow their decision was his prime concern, he recognized that having instructions and a methodical implementation scheme were crucial factors. Later the Court ruled that because of segregation in the schools, the plaintiffs were “deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment” (Yell, 2022, p. 199).
Among the immediate consequences, teachers who were mostly against desegregation in the first place educated students in the combined schools. For the African Americans, it meant the closing of schools, the loss of positions, and policy changes that would restrict the community’s growth. This claim is evident from the statistics of the period after the case. Peters concluded, “Approximately 38,000 African American teachers in 17 states lost their positions between 1954 and 1965” (2019, p. 523). Additionally, current NCES data showed that the lack of black educators resulted in only 11% of principals being Black in schools where over 50% of students are people of colour (Peters, 2019).
Thus, the integration, as a result of the Brown case, brought the long-term consequences of forming a foundation for actions and educational changes for diverse schools and society. It can be proved by the empowered civil rights movements, such as Freedom Riders and the marches for the rights (Peters, 2019). Nevertheless, the negative effect was a loss of jobs and restrictions on the development of African Americans as educators, which is still evident in the modern system.
References
Peters, A. L. (2019). Desegregation and the (dis)integration of black school leaders: Reflections on the impact of Brown v. Board of Education on black education. Peabody Journal of Education, 94(5), 521–534.
Yell, M. (2022). Brown v. Board of education and the development of special education. Intervention in School and Clinic, 57(3), 198-200.