Honoring A Long Lasting Civil Rights Legacy

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The woman who blazed the trail of equality in public school education has died.

Sunday, March 25th Linda Brown Thompson passed away in her home town of Topeka Kansas. The country says goodbye to Civil Rights Trailblazer, Linda Brown.

People may know Brown’s name from the Supreme Court case, but she was only a small child when she helped integrate American schools.

“Integration came about because we wanted the same things,” said R.E. Hunt Museum Manager Leverne Leech.

Wanting the same things is exactly what led to the historic landmark case Brown v. The Board Of Education. In 1954 the Brown family took up the fight for equal education by attempting to enroll Linda at an all white Elementary School.

During that time The Plessy V. Ferguson Supreme Court Ruling was the law of the land, separate but equal. Local Historian Rufus Ward says that’s where Brown V. The Board Of Education ruling comes in.

“They wanted to use that case because they wanted to show separate but equal inherently wasn’t equal. And that’s what Brown did. That turned it upside down and said wait a minute nothing that’s separate can be equal,” said Ward.

Leverne Leech was among the first black students to enroll at The Mississippi University For Women.

She says she remembers that historic ruling but it didn’t change much in the Magnolia State let alone the Friendly City.

“In 1954, right here in Columbus, Lee high school was built and so was Hunt, the same year but Lee High was bigger than Hunt but Hunt had more students. Lee High received $145 for each one of their students Hunt only received $11 so you talk about separate but equal no way,” said Leech.

The courts agreed, allowing another education equality case to move forward.

“It was vague as to how to enforce it and what it meant. Three years later they had to come back with another supreme court ruling called brown two that said integration should proceed with all deliberate speed. It really was a step by step progress,” said Ward.

Fast forward to 2018 and beyond, Leech says Brown’s legacy will always have a place in the U.S. education system.

“She’ll always be remembered because she took the first steps,” said Leech.

Brown was 76-years-old when she passed.