I asked veteran production editor Julie Harman to guest blog today.
On this day 58 years ago, the Supreme Court announced its unanimous decision in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The Court ruled racial segregation in schools to be unconstitutional. Before this ruling, segregation had been allowed under the separate-but-equal doctrine. To celebrate this anniversary (and to brush up on your history), check out this fascinating Library of Congress exhibit: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html, where I found the photo above. Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter jotted down this note to congratulate Chief Justice Warren on the ruling. Loyal blog readers, take note: if ever you find yourself in a historic moment, whip out a napkin or grab a crumpled-up receipt, and write down your observation or thought. It will please future historians so much more than a record of your text message!
To read more about school desegregation, check out Ruby Bridges by Madeline Donaldson [978-0-7613-4220-5] and Today the World Is Watching You: The Little Rock Nine and the Fight for School Integration, 1957 by Kekla Magoon [978-0-7613-5767-4], and for those with dramatic flair, set up a classroom or home theater and perform The Little Rock Nine Stand Up for Their Rights by Eileen Lucas [978-0-7613-5874-9].
Photo courtesy of Library of Congress, Earl Warren Papers, Manuscript Division (82B).