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MAY 17, 1954  –  The U.S. Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board
of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational
facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to
federal tolerance of racial segregation, specifically dealt with “Linda Brown,”
a young African American girl who had been denied admission to her local
elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin.  Future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood
Marshall headed the legal team that argued the case.