Brown v Board of Education National Historical Park
The moment separate was no longer equal.
The story of Brown v. Board of Education started in Topeka, and visitors to the area can tour the national historic site and museum commemorating that case! When Oliver Brown and fellow Topeka parents agreed to be plaintiffs in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that outlawed segregation in public schools, they didn’t know they would make history. Their legacies are remembered in the halls of Topeka’s historic Monroe Elementary School, home to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park.
In 2021, Topeka’s Brown v. Board site was added as a stop on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. In 2022, President Biden signed the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and Redesignation Act into law, adding one acre of land adjacent to the current Topeka site for museum use. And in 2024, Brown v. Board celebrated its 70th anniversary.
Visit the Monroe School to gain a better understanding of the 1954 court decision and a greater appreciation for the role that case played in the broader U.S. Civil Rights Movement. After touring the museum, wander over to the inspiring Brown v. Board mural across the street for a photo op in front of this colorful commemoration to justice and peace.
The Brown V. Board Mural is located across the street from the Brown V. Board National Historical Park and depicts the fight for equality and freedom.
The mural was painted by volunteers and the Topeka community and features activists like Martin Luther King.
In 2021, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park was added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The U.S. Civil Rights Trail highlights more than 100 locations across 15 states, mainly in the South and Midwest. The trail traces the decades-long journey — beginning in the mid-20th century — that resulted in tragedy and triumph and culminated in landmark federal civil rights legislation.
Kansas’ capital city has repeatedly found itself at the crossroads to freedom, and other local sites represent this history of struggle for equality and justice:
- After visiting the Brown v. Board site, be sure to check out the Historic Ritchie House, 1116 S.E. Madison St. The Ritchie House — built by abolitionists John and Mary Jane Ritchie — was a stop along the Underground Railroad and is considered to be Topeka’s oldest home.
- Explore the Mamie Williams House, 1503 S.E. Quincy St., which was home to the acclaimed Topeka educator. Williams served Topeka Public Schools for 30 years, including as principal of Monroe School. She was appointed to the Kansas Commission on the Status of Women in 1965 and was a delegate to the 1971 White House Conference on Aging.
- Also visit Constitution Hall, 429 S. Kansas Ave., which is undergoing a phased restoration. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its historical significance, Constitution Hall is where delegates from across the Kansas territory met in 1855 to ban slavery in what would become the state’s first constitution. This was a groundbreaking move at the time and a reflection of the then-contentious debate over slavery, which roiled a budding nation. In its nomination for National Register status, Constitution Hall was described as “significant in the national context of abolition, in the areas of politics and government, transportation, and Black ethnic heritage of the Underground Railroad.”
