Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Before entering Norfolk’s process of integration, its catalyst needs to be reviewed to understand the intentions of those who managed Norfolk’s integration. These intentions formed from the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruled on May 17, 1954. Plaintiff Oliver Brown sued the School Board of Topica, Kansas after a school denied his child entry into a white school. He argued that the action was racist and violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause due to the inequality of black and white schools. Initially, Federal courts counter-argued that schools were equal under the Plessy doctrine and dismissed the case. However, Brown appealed the case to the Supreme Court, which took the side of Brown as the school board’s actions violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court also looked at cases of financial disparities between segregated schools and psychological records to prove the notion that segregation creates inequality. Ultimately, segregation in schools was both unconstitutional and mentality affected students nationwide. The Supreme Court sided with Brown and ruled that segregation in schools was against the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and was thereby illegal.
Later, a second ruling on Brown v. Board of Education of Topica, Kansas took place on May 31, 1955, that forced schools to desegregate, “with all deliberate speed.” The vagueness of the ruling caused State governments to react differently to creating systems for desegregation. This ranged from immediately desegregating schools and quickly passing laws anti-segregation laws, to outright resistance against the court decision. Not surprisingly, southern states acted on the latter, with Virginia leading the crusade against Brown v. Board of Education.