Members of Local Justice System To Feature in UVI Fireside Chat Recognizing 70th Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education

On Wednesday morning, the University of the Virgin Islands’ College of Liberal Arts and Social Science will host a fireside chat to discuss the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision that led to the desegregation of public schools. Known as Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, the matter arose when Oliver Brown and twelve other black families in Topeka Kansas filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Board’s policy of forcing black students to be bused to a segregated school further away than the white school closer to their homes. After a defeat in district court, the plaintiffs and their attorney – Thurgood Marshall, who at the time was chief counsel for the NAACP – took the matter to the Supreme Court, where they prevailed in a unanimous, 9-0 decision.  Ahead of the decision’s May 17 anniversary, UVI in partnership with the U.S. District Court of the Virgin Islands “is honored to host this important event that provides an opportunity to reflect on the ...