Kansas girl at center of 1954 school segregation ruling dies
Updated 1:21 am, Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Notable Deaths of 2018
Notable Deaths of 2018
Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018: Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, died Wednesday, March 14, 2018, at his home in Cambridge, England. He was 76. The best-known theoretical physicist of his time, Hawking wrote so lucidly of the mysteries of space, time and black holes that his book, "A Brief History of Time," became an international best-seller, making him one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein.
lessStephen Hawking, 1942-2018: Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, died Wednesday, March 14, 2018, at his home in Cambridge, England. He
... moreRoger Bannister, 1929-2018: Roger Bannister, who as a lanky medical student at Oxford in 1954 electrified the sports world and lifted postwar England's spirits when he became the first athlete to run a mile in under 4 minutes, died Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Oxford at 88.
lessRoger Bannister, 1929-2018: Roger Bannister, who as a lanky medical student at Oxford in 1954 electrified the sports world and lifted postwar England's spirits when he became the first athlete
... moreDavid Ogden Stiers, 1942-2018: Actor David Ogden Stiers, best known for his role as the snooty Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III on the popular TV show "MASH," died Saturday, March 3, 2018 at his home in Newport, Ore., after a battle with cancer. He was 75.
lessDavid Ogden Stiers, 1942-2018: Actor David Ogden Stiers, best known for his role as the snooty Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III on the popular TV show "MASH," died Saturday, March 3, 2018 at
... moreNanette Fabray, the vivacious actress, singer and dancer who became a star in Broadway musicals, on television as Sid Caesar's comic foil and in such hit movies as "The Band Wagon," died Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018, at her home in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., at age 97.
lessNanette Fabray, the vivacious actress, singer and dancer who became a star in Broadway musicals, on television as Sid Caesar's comic foil and in such hit movies as "The Band
... moreThe Rev. Billy Graham, who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, died at his home in North Carolina Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. He was 99.
lessThe Rev. Billy Graham, who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian
... moreVic Damone, 1928-2018: Vic Damone, whose mellow baritone once earned praise from Frank Sinatra as "the best pipes in the business," died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018, in Florida at the age of 89. Damone's easy-listening romantic ballads brought him million-selling records and sustained a half-century career in recordings, movies and nightclub, concert and television appearances.
lessVic Damone, 1928-2018: Vic Damone, whose mellow baritone once earned praise from Frank Sinatra as "the best pipes in the business," died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018, in Florida at the age of 89. Damone's
... moreJohn Mahoney, 1940-2018: John Mahoney, who as the cranky, blue-collar dad in "Frasier" played counterpoint to pompous sons Frasier and Niles, died Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Mahoney was 77.
John Mahoney, 1940-2018: John Mahoney, who as the cranky, blue-collar dad in "Frasier" played counterpoint to pompous sons Frasier and Niles, died Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Mahoney was 77.
Dennis Edwards, 1943-2018: Dennis Edwards, a Grammy-winning former member of the famed Motown group the Temptations, died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, in Chicago after a long illness. He was 74.
Dennis Edwards, 1943-2018: Dennis Edwards, a Grammy-winning former member of the famed Motown group the Temptations, died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, in Chicago after a long illness. He was 74.
Comic strip artist Mort Walker, a World War II veteran who satirized the Army and tickled millions of newspaper readers with the antics of the lazy private "Beetle Bailey," died Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 94.
lessComic strip artist Mort Walker, a World War II veteran who satirized the Army and tickled millions of newspaper readers with the antics of the lazy private "Beetle Bailey," died
... moreUrsula K. Le Guin, the award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who explored feminist themes and was best known for her Earthsea books, died Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, at her home in Portland, Oregon, at 88.
lessUrsula K. Le Guin, the award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who explored feminist themes and was best known for her Earthsea books, died Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, at
... moreDolores O'Riordan, whose urgent, powerful voice helped make Irish rock
band The Cranberries a global success in the 1990s, died suddenly on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, at a London hotel. She was 46.
Dolores O'Riordan, whose urgent, powerful voice helped make Irish rock band The Cranberries a global success in the 1990s, died suddenly on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, at a London
... moreMark E Smith from post-punk band, The Fall, the fall died at the age of 60 in January. Smith formed The Fall when punk hit 1970s Manchester, and the gray industrial English city sprouted innovative bands including Joy Division and The Buzzcocks. Irascible and inimitable, Smith kept The Fall going for four decades and more than 30 albums. He was the band's only permanent member, hiring, firing and falling out with several dozen musicians along the way.
lessMark E Smith from post-punk band, The Fall, the fall died at the age of 60 in January. Smith formed The Fall when punk hit 1970s Manchester, and the gray industrial English city sprouted innovative
... moreThis 1965 photo made available by NASA shows John Young during the Gemini 3 mission. NASA says the astronaut, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, died on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. He was 87. (NASA via AP)
lessThis 1965 photo made available by NASA shows John Young during the Gemini 3 mission. NASA says the astronaut, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, died
... moreJerry Van Dyke, the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke who struggled for decades to achieve his own stardom before clicking as the dim-witted sidekick in television's "Coach," died Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 in Arkansas. He was 86.
lessJerry Van Dyke, the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke who struggled for decades to achieve his own stardom before clicking as the dim-witted sidekick in television's "Coach," died
... moreTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Linda Brown, who as a Kansas girl was at the center of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down racial segregation in schools, has died at age 75.
Her father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll the family in an all-white school in Topeka, and the case was sparked when he and several black families were turned away. The NAACP's legal arm brought the lawsuit to challenge segregation in public schools, and Oliver Brown became lead plaintiff in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court that ended school segregation.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel at NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., said in a statement that Linda Brown is one of a band of heroic young people who, along with her family, courageously fought to end the ultimate symbol of white supremacy — racial segregation in public schools.
"She stands as an example of how ordinary schoolchildren took center stage in transforming this country. It was not easy for her or her family, but her sacrifice broke barriers and changed the meaning of equality in this country," Ifill said.
Check your facts about Americas Jim Crow laws. #BlackHistoryMonth
Media: TimelinePeaceful Rest Funeral Chapel of Topeka confirmed Linda Brown's age and that she died Sunday afternoon. No cause of death was released. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Her sister, Cheryl Brown Henderson, founding president of The Brown Foundation, confirmed the death to The Topeka Capital-Journal . She declined comment from the family.
The landmark case was brought before the Supreme Court by the NAACP's legal arm to challenge segregation in public schools. It began after several black families in Topeka were turned down when they tried to enroll their children in white schools near their homes. The lawsuit was joined with cases from Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separating black and white children was unconstitutional because it denied black children the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law. "In the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place," Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote. "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
The Brown decision overturned the court's Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which on May 18, 1896, established a "separate but equal" doctrine for black's in public facilities.
"Sixty-four years ago, a young girl from Topeka, Kansas sparked a case that ended segregation in public schools in America," Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer said in a statement. "Linda Brown's life reminds us that by standing up for our principles and serving our communities we can truly change the world. Linda's legacy is a crucial part of the American story and continues to inspire the millions who have realized the American dream because of her."
Brown v. Board was a historic marker in the Civil Rights movement, likely the most high-profile case brought by Thurgood Marshall and the lawyers of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in their decade-plus campaign to chip away at the doctrine of "separate but equal."
"Her legacy is not only here but nationwide," Kansas Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis said.
Oliver Brown, for whom the case was named, became a minister at a church in Springfield, Missouri. He died of a heart attack in 1961. Linda Brown and her sister founded in 1988 the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research.
The foundation says on its webpage that it was established as a living tribute to the attorneys, community organizers and plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court decision. Its mission is to build upon their work and keep the ideals of the decision relevant for future generations.
"We are to be grateful for the family that stood up for what is right," said Democratic state Rep. Annie Kuether of Topeka. "That made a difference to the rest of the world."
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This story has been corrected to show that Linda Brown was 75, not 76.