Sumner Elementary School

1950-1969

Quick Facts

Location:

330 SW Western Ave, Topeka, KS 66606

Significance:

One of 18 Topeka grade schools open only to white children

Designation:

National Historic Landmark

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

Built in 1936, Sumner Elementary was one of 18 all white elementary schools in Topeka before the Brown v. Board of Education decision. In 1950, Oliver Brown, at the direction of the NAACP, attempted to enroll his daughter, Linda, in Sumner, she was then denied admission on the basis of her race. She was then enrolled in Monroe Elementary, 21 blocks from her home. The following year Brown as well as 12 other parents representing 20 children filed a lawsuit against Topeka's Board of Education stating that the board had denied them equal treatment under the law, a violation of their 14th Amendment rights. The case, Brown v. Board of Education, would be combined with four other cases from across the country and heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954. That same year the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents, stating, "...seperate educational facilities are inherently unequal..."  

In 1987, the National Park Service designated Sumner Elementary a National Historic Landmark. This was followed by the creation of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site on the grounds of Monroe Elementary in 1992. Sumner continued to serve Topeka as a school until it closed in 1996. 

Tags: brown v. board of education national historical park, brvb-tour, historic schoolhouse, national historic landmark

• Sumner Elementary School

  
  

  Experience the historical importance of Sumner Elementary School and how it relates to Brown v. Board of Education.
  Audio Transcript

  Built in 1936, Sumner Elementary was one of 18 all white elementary schools in Topeka before the Brown v. Board of Education decision. In 1950, Oliver Brown, at the direction of the NAACP, attempted to enroll his daughter, Linda, in Sumner, she was then deinied admission on the basis of her race. She was then enrolled in Monroe Elementary, 21 blocks from her home. The following year Brown as well as 12 other parents representing 20 children filed a lawsuit against Topeka's Board of Education stating that the board had denied them equal treatment under the law, a violation of their 14th Amendment rights. The case, Brown v. Board of Education, would be combined with four other cases from across the country and heard before the U.S. Sumpreme Court in 1954. That same year the Sumpreme Court ruled in favor of the parents, stating, "...sepereate educational facilities are inherently unequal..."

  In 1987, the National Park Service designated Sumner Elementary a National Historic Landmark. This was followed by the creation of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site on the grounds of Monroe Elementary in 1992. Sumner continued to serve Topeka as a school until it closed in 1996.