he Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research was established in 1988 to serve as a living tribute to the attorneys, community organizers and plaintiffs in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of May 17, 1954, Brown v. the Board of Education.

Our mission is to build upon the work of those involved in the Brown decision, to ensure equal opportunity for all people. Our cornerstone is to keep the tenets and ideals of Brown relevant for future generations through programs, preservation, advocacy and civic engagement.

Learn more about how you can help by making a donation.

Equal Protection of the Laws

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the five combined cases known only as Oliver L. Brown et. al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka, (KS) et. al. was a monumental judicial turning point for this nation. The legal challenge was originally led by Charles Hamilton Houston and later Thurgood Marshall along with a formidable legal team. The Brown decision dismantled the legal framework for racial segregation.

By declaring that the discriminatory nature of racial segregation…”violates the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws,” Brown v. Board of Education laid the foundation for shaping national and international policies regarding human rights.

What the Brown decision represents is at the core of United States history and the freedoms we enjoy. It reaffirmed the sovereign power of the people of the United States in the protection of their natural rights from arbitrary limits and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. Those rights are recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

News

• October 9, 2018: Former U.S. Attorney for Kansas Barry Grissom delivered the 2018 Oliver L Brown Vising Scholar for Diversity Studies lecture at Washburn University.  Read more here.
• August 19, 2018 was proclaimed Reverend Oliver Brown Day in Springfield, Missouri by their Mayor.  See the proclamation on the right.  (Click on it for a larger image.)
  

 

• THE BROWN v BOARD OF EDUCATION MURAL AT THE CAPITOL unveiling ceremony was Thursday, May 17th, 2018, at noon, in commemoration of the 64th Anniversary of this decision that changed America for the better. This monumental mural by Kansas artist Michael Young, selected by the Capitol Preservation Committee and with the support of the plaintiffs, was unveiled on the third floor of the KANSAS STATE CAPITOL just outside the historic Kansas Supreme Court room, to take it's rightful place in our state's history.  

• Oliver L. Brown Honored - Read the article here.
• A movie came out recently about Nat Turner. Nat Turner is known for the most famous uprising of enslaved people in U.S. History. Read more about him here.
• Cheryl Brown Henderson wrote an article titled "Will we overcome?" for the American Association of School Counselors, which was published in their magazine in 2016.  Read the article here.
• On Friday, May 16, 2014, President Obama welcomed to the White House - plaintiffs families involved in the 5 cases comprising Brown v. Board of Education along with members of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the last living attorney from the national legal team in Brown. This event commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the case.  These civil rights pioneers had an historic opportunity to meet, greet and be recognized by President Obama.  See photos from the White House visit on our facebook page.
• A message from the Founding President Cheryl Brown Henderson

Also, find us on Facebook and "like" our page for more photos and updates.  Just click on the facebook logo to the right or go to www.facebook.com/brownfoundationks.  

Overcoming Inhumanity: There's a common and troubling theme that runs through our history books: Man's inhumanity to man. But in 1954, Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka pushed back so inhumanity could be overcome. Listen as Cheryl Brown Henderson explores how her father and many others dismantled America's legal framework and sparked one of the most significant judicial turning points in the development of our nation.