Standing Up for Their Rights
The Topeka chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) recruited 13 African American parents to file a lawsuit contesting the state law that allowed cities like Topeka to segregate students in elementary grades. Although the NAACP lost the case in US District Court in 1951, they appealed to the US Supreme Court and joined four other lawsuits from three other states and the District of Columbia challenging legal segregation in the nation's public schools.
The Topeka families who stood together in the early 1950s are remembered today for their part in the legal decision that outlawed segregation in public education and which set a precedent for ending other forms of segregation.
As a child I went through an integrated school [system in Oakley, Kansas]... I had good friends... There was no problem. but when I came to Topeka my children had to go to a separate school for black students clear across town... And I resented that. I knew that's where they learned to play and understand and meet the other races - all races. They get to know one another before they're taught otherwise. And that's why I was happy to be a plaintiff in Brown versus Board of Education.
- Zelma Henderson, pictured here with other plaintiffs, standing to the far left behind her two children, Vicki and Donald.
this page online
Erected 2014 by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • Government & Politics. A significant historical year for this entry is 1951.
Location. 39° 2.29′ N, 95° 40.567′ W. Marker is in Topeka, Kansas, in Shawnee County. Marker is on SE Monroe Street south of SE 15th Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1515 SE Monroe Street, Topeka KS 66612, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Pillars of the Community (here, next to this marker); A Playground and Community Center (a few steps from this marker); Monroe School (within shouting distance of this marker); How to Heat and Cool an Old School (within shouting distance of this marker); Monroe School Neighborhood (within shouting distance of this marker); A Turning Point for Equality (within shouting distance of this marker); A "Separate But Equal" School? (within shouting distance of this marker); On This Site (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Topeka.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. (Submitted on March 12, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. History of Brown v. Board of Education. (Submitted on March 12, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Landmark Cases: Brown v. Board of Education (1954). (Submitted on March 12, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. African American Topeka. (Submitted on March 12, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 372 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 12, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 6. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California.
