Tubman Museum Hosts Library of Congress Exhibition  Marking 50^th Anniversary of

Brown v. Board of Education

May 2, 2007 – July 27, 2008

 

 

Handed down on May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” was pivotal to the struggle for racial desegregation in the United States.  On May 2, 2008 a very special exhibition that explores the case and celebrates the legacy of the court’s historic decision opens at the Tubman African American Museum.  Entitled, “With an Even Hand”: Brown v. Board at Fifty, the exhibition features more than 100 books, photographs, political cartoons, manuscripts, maps, music and films all from the comprehensive civil rights collection of the Library of Congress.

The title of the exhibition quotes Robert L. Carter, a counsel for the plaintiffs, in his oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States.  Arguing against the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools, he said, “It is our position that any legislative or governmental classification must fall with an even hand on all persons similarly situated.”

“With an Even Hand” is presented in three sections.  Section One examines the court cases leading to the 1954 decision, including the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson case, which established the “separate but equal” doctrine in 1896.  This section of the exhibition also explores pivotal events such as the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), whose legal arm launched the actions that culminated in the Brown v. Board of Education court cases.

Section Two examines the history of the Brown v. Board of Education case and reaction to the Supreme Court decision.  Featured materials include a May 7, 1954 letter from Chief Justice Earl Warren to members of the court; a front page edition of the Russell Daily News, Russell, Kansas, May 17, 1954; photographs of Brown lawyers Harold P. Boulware, Thurgood Marshall, and Spottswood W. Robinson III, as well as George E.C. Hayes and James Nabrit.

Section Three follows the aftermath of the Brown decision and focuses on events such as the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, the desegregation of Little Rock High School and James Meredith’s entry into the University of Mississippi.

Funding for “With an Even Hand” has been made possible by AARP; Anthony and Beatrice Welters; and AmeriChoice, a UnitedHealth Group Company.  This exhibition will remain on view at the Tubman Museum through July 27, 2008. 

This exhibition is sponsored by