Viola Duvall Stewart

Viola Duvall Stewart (June 30, 1919 – December 10, 2010) was a teacher and educational advocate who fought for equal education for black students and equal pay for black teachers. The case, Viola Louise Duvall et al. V.J.F. Seignous, which was argued and won by Thurgood Marshall, was among the precedents that led to the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

Early life Viola Louise Duvall was born on June 30, 1919, in Charleston, South Carolina. Her parents were Pearl and Vincent Duvall. She grew up in Charleston. She graduated from Conception High School in 1937 and was listed as the class salutatorian. In order to obtain better materials for her students, she organized a fundraiser to fund the purchase of new in-date textbooks. As a black teacher, she was only making twelve dollars an hour. The result of the case led to equalized pay for teachers despite race. Even though Viola was listed as the plaintiff, she was not able to receive equal pay in South Carolina.

After raising her sons, she returned to the classroom in 1964. This time as a special education teacher for the visually impaired in high school and junior high schools in Philadelphia. Stewart continued teaching until 1981.

Personal life She married Nathaniel C. Stewart in 1945. He was a second lieutenant with the Tuskeegee Airmen. They moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his hometown. There, she took a break from teaching to raise her two sons. Once her sons were old enough,

Stewart remained active in Alpha Kappa Alpha until shortly before her death, attending the centennial celebration of AKA in Washington, D.C. in 2008. She died of Alzheimer's disease in Burtonsville, Maryland on December 10, 2010, at the age of 91 years. She was buried at Chelten Hills Cemetery.