Linda Brown was a civil rights activist who was at the center of the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. This case led to the outlawing of school segregation in the U.S. in 1954.

Brown was born in 1942 in Topeka, Kansas. She was forced to walk across railroad tracks and take a bus to her elementary school, even though there was an elementary school four blocks from her house. She had to do this because the elementary schools in Topeka were racially segregated.

Her father, Oliver Brown, was part of a group of African-Americans who attempted to enroll their children in all-white schools. He attempted to enroll Brown in the Sumner School, an all-white school, and was prohibited from enrolling her.

Civil rights groups filed a lawsuit on behalf of the 13 families, all representing different states, who tried to enroll their children. The case became known as Brown v. Board of Education.

Two years later, the Supreme Court ruled to remove the doctrine of separate but equal and declared segregation of schools unconstitutional. Brown later became an educational consultant and public speaker.

Sources:

• https://www.biography.com/people/linda-brown-21134187
• https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/26/597154953/linda-brown-who-was-at-center-of-brown-v-board-of-education-dies