Linda Carol Brown

Linda Carol Brown (February 20, 1943 – March 25, 2018) was an American campaigner for equality in education. As a school-girl in 1954, Brown became the center of the landmark United States civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education. Brown was in third grade at the time, and sought to enroll at Sumner School in Topeka, Kansas. Her admission was denied based on her race. Oliver Brown was a welder and pastor. At the direction of the NAACP, Brown's parents attempted to enroll her in nearby Sumner Elementary School and were denied. This allowed Brown's family to join the group of civil rights lawsuits coordinated and supported by the NAACP, which would ultimately be decided in the US Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education.

At trial, the United States District Court of Kansas found “the educational qualifications of the teachers in the colored schools [were] equal to those in the white schools [and] . . . that the prescribed courses of study [were] identical in all of the Topeka schools . . . [and while] colored children in many instances [were] required to travel much greater distances than they would be required to travel could they attend a white school. . . the school district transport[ed] colored children to and from school free of charge. No such service [was] furnished to white children.” The NAACP appealed the decision of the U. S. District Court, and the case was heard by the U. S. Supreme Court, which overturned the decision and found that separate but equal approaches were unconstitutional, violating both the 5th Amendment and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Career and family

Throughout her life, Brown continued her advocacy for equal access to education in Kansas. and an education consultant. She had two children, Charles and Kimberley, from her first marriage. In 1992, Monroe was declared a national historic site.

Death Brown died in her longtime hometown of Topeka on March 25, 2018. She was 75. Although her family did not comment, Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer paid tribute to Brown by Tweet: "Sixty-four years ago a young girl from Topeka brought a case that ended segregation in public schools in America. Linda Brown's life reminds us that sometimes the most unlikely people can have an incredible impact and that by serving our community we can truly change the world."