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On this day in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional

Clay Cane
May 17, 2022

FILE - This May 8, 1964 file photo shows Linda Brown Smith standing in front of the Sumner School in Topeka, Kan. The refusal of the public school to admit Brown in 1951, then nine years old, because she is black, led to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the "separate but equal" clause and mandated that schools nationwide must be desegregated. From the time Americans roll out of bed in the morning until they turn in, and even who they might be spending the night with, the court's rulings are woven into daily life in ways large and small. (AP Photo, File)

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On this day in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

The case dealt with the case of Linda Brown, a young Black student who had been denied admission to her neighborhood elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of her race.

The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, which allowed state-sponsored segregation related to public education under the concept of “separate but equal.”

The court’s opinion, which was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren, stated that the prevailing “separate but equal” doctrine was unconstitutional because segregation created an inherent stamp of inferiority upon African-Americans. The decision was considered significant in the nation’s civil rights history.

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Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC. Twitter: @claycane