News Release

New Exhibit Commemorates Attorneys Who Argued Brown v. Board of Education

Date: May 5, 2011

Date: May 5, 2011
Contact: Justin Sochacki
Phone: [phone]

Topeka, KS – A new exhibit entitled Argument: The Attorneys of Brown v. Board of Education is now open at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The exhibit presents the stories and viewpoints of the trial attorneys who argued their cases in what would be one of the most transformative U.S. Supreme Court decisions in American history. The exhibit is free and open to the public daily at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site through May 30.

Representing parents and students in four states and the District of Columbia, a team of dedicated African American and white lawyers attacked segregation in public schools and the institution of segregation itself. While the Brown decision did not immediately end segregation in the nation's public schools, the ruling was a powerful symbol of using law for social change. The case inspired and provided a model for generations of future lawyers in the civil rights movement. On the opposite side of the courtroom, lawyers defended the segregation laws of their states and districts. Some defenders of segregation were renowned attorneys and politicians, while others like Kansas Assistant Attorney General Paul E. Wilson were making their first appearance before the nation's highest court.

The exhibit was created by Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site staff and commemorates the 60th anniversary of the filing of the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit in Topeka. The exhibit is part of the 2010-2011 program series titled Commemorating Our Nation's Struggle for Freedom: From Civil War to Civil Rights. For a list of all events and exhibits in the annual program series, please visit www.nps.gov/brvb and click on the Special Events link.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/brvb or call [phone].