The 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.

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.

What's New

Check out these new items:

• On November 6th, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. commemorated the 60th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education at the twenty-eighth Annual National Equal Justice Award dinner.

  The following awards were presented:
  THURGOOD MARSHALL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Geoffrey Canada, President, Harlem Children’s Zone
  NATIONAL EQUAL JUSTICE AWARD - Debra L. Lee, Chairman & CEO, BET Networks
  SPIRIT OF JUSTICE AWARD - Bernard J. Tyson, Chairman & CEO, Kaiser Permanente
  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - Family of Oliver Brown, Kansas plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Education
  MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES - Deborah Roberts, Correspondent, ABC News 20/20
  SPECIAL PERFORMANCE - Jon Batiste

• 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.
• Cheryl was the keynote speaker at the Beyond Colorblind Summit on Human Dignity, March 10.  Learn more here.
• The CAAASA 2014 Professional Development Summit, March 21-14 commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education case.  Learn more about this event here.
• a message from the Founding President Cheryl Brown Henderson
• the 2010-2012 Audit Reports on the Reports page
• A current board roster is located on the Brown Foundation page.

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.