Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas opened on May 17, 2004, 50 years to the day after the announcement of the United States Supreme Court decision that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." This decision heralded the demise of segregated schools across the United States, and was a significant victory in the war against racial discrimination. The Brown v. Board of Education Historic Site was the former Monroe Elementary School, one of the four segregated elementary schools for African American children in Topeka in 1954. The first floor of Topeka's Monroe Elementary School is open to the public. There is little in the way of artifacts, and none of the rooms are set up the way they were when classes were conducted in the school. Instead, there are extensive photos, articles and videos on display in the former auditorium and classrooms. One classroom is set aside with stations where visitors may type, draw or record their own impressions, as well as view and listen to the comments of previous visitors. A small but disturbing portion of the comments were in praise of white power. Although there is enough material at the Brown Versus Board of Education National Historic Site to fill a day, the typical visitor is likely to spend an hour or less.
Brown v. Board of Education National
Historic Site web site
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