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Earlier this year, Congress unanimously passed, and the President signed into law, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and Redesignation Act (S. 270), which establishes National Park Service Affiliated Areas in Delaware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia and expands the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas, to include related sites in South Carolina. In late September, the National Trust participated in two events with community leaders to celebrate and plan the implementation of the new NPS sites that were featured in a multi-year advocacy campaign led by the National Trust.

On September 27, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, and National Trust staff visited Summerton, South Carolina, to tour the historic Summerton High School and Scotts Branch High School, celebrate the recent legislation, and hear first-hand from community leaders about their inspiring and courageous stories of their significant role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

Later that week, National Trust staff participated in a series of meetings and events in Topeka, Kansas, alongside the National Park Service and representatives from each of the five communities featured in the legislation as part of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka. We look forward to continuing our work with stakeholders in South Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia as the implementation of the enacted legislation moves forward.

Today President Biden signed into law the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and Redesignation Act (S. 270) that will help share the full history of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which led to the end of the separate but equal doctrine in public education and mandated the desegregation of public schools.

After a multi-year advocacy campaign led by the National Trust in collaboration with our partners, last month the Senate and House both passed the bill, unanimously sending it to President Biden for his signature.

The rich history of the Brown v. Board case and its consolidation of multiple court cases from communities representing plaintiffs in Kansas, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia is an inspiring example of activism and courage in the struggle for educational equity and social justice.

The innovative legislation enacted into law today helps connect these communities and tell their stories within the National Park System through creating National Park Service Affiliated Areas in Delaware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia and expanding the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas to include related sites in South Carolina.

Your advocacy helped make this victory possible! Thank you for joining us in supporting this effort to appropriately recognize the contributions of all the communities involved and help tell a fuller American story. We look forward to sharing more with you as we collectively work to help make these new additions to the National Park System a success.

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On April 6, the Senate unanimously passed innovative legislation that creates multiple National Park Service (NPS) designations that help share the full history of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which led to the end of the separate but equal doctrine in public education and mandated the desegregation of public schools.

The House followed suit and passed the legislation (S. 270) on April 26. The legislation was featured in a multi-year National Trust campaign and was led by Senator Chris Coons in the Senate and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) in the House.

Working through the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the National Trust helped craft a policy proposal, which culminated in the introduction of legislation in September 2020 and reintroduction in February 2021. The legislative proposal connects communities representing plaintiffs in the landmark court case within the National Park system through the creation of NPS Affiliated Areas in Delaware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia and expansion of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas, to include related sites in South Carolina. The bill now awaits President Biden’s signature.

The Supreme Court case that came to be known as Brown v. Board of Education was originally five separate cases brought by communities across the country to desegregate American schools.

Join the National Trust on Monday, April 12 at 12 p.m. ET for a webinar about the role of the Robert Russa Moton School in Farmville, Virginia, in desegregating America’s school system. The webinar, titled Brown v. Board: From Students on Strike to Massive Resistance in Farmville, VA, will feature Cameron Patterson, Executive Director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum, and Reverend J. Samuel Williams, Moton student striker and Civil Rights leader.

In addition to sharing history about the case, this session will also include updates on the National Trust's work to preserve and tell the full story of Brown v. Board.

As part of the work of the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the Trust identified work related to expanding the narrative surrounding Brown v. Board as one of our National Treasures. This ongoing webinar series will highlight the people, places, and stories from each of the states involved in the landmark case.